Cincinnati Song Initiative and Cincinnati Public Radio Announce New Partnership
CINCINNATI, OHIO – Cincinnati Song Initiative (CSI) and Cincinnati Public Radio (CPR) announce a new partnership that will bring CSI’s Mainstage concert series into homes across the greater Cincinnati area and beyond. Beginning in September, CPR will live-broadcast CSI’s Mainstage concerts, expanding the reach of CSI’s programming and enhancing accessibility to its unique artistic offerings as it enters its tenth anniversary season.
The collaboration marks a significant milestone for both organizations, aligning CSI’s mission of promoting and innovating the art song genre with CPR’s commitment to providing quality cultural programming to the community. The broadcasts will allow a wider audience to experience the intimacy and power of live song performance, featuring local, regional, and national artists in a new and engaging environment.
“We couldn’t be more excited to usher in Cincinnati Song Initiative’s second decade with a fresh and completely unique format,” says CSI Artistic Director Samuel Martin. “The enthusiasm and collaborative spirit with which we have been met by the team at Cincinnati Public Radio has been humbling, and we look forward to working together in pursuit of creatively connecting communities in Cincinnati and beyond through the power of song.”
Not only will Mainstage concerts be broadcast on the radio, they will be open for live audiences to attend at CPR’s brand new home on Dana Avenue in Cincinnati’s Evanston neighborhood. Furthermore, concerts will be expertly guided by a CPR host to provide insight and context for each program’s repertoire.
“Our new partnership with Cincinnati Song Initiative is the first regular live broadcast series we’ll have for our classical station, 90.9 WGUC,” says Cincinnati Public Radio’s President, General Manager, and CEO Richard Eiswerth. “With the inauguration of our new broadcasting studios at the Scripps Family Center for Public Media, we’re excited about this opportunity to have a live studio audience as part of the concert series, along with people listening from home.”
Says Jenell Walton, Vice President of Content at Cincinnati Public Radio: “Cincinnati Song Initiative has an impressive history of bringing their unique programming to venues around our area and the country. As the only classical music station in greater Cincinnati and a proud partner with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, and May Festival already, we’re excited to add CSI to our broadcast schedule starting later this year. We believe our listeners will enjoy the exceptional music performed and have the chance to hear it live as it happens.”
Cincinnati Song Initiative’s 2025-2026 season, including concert dates, artists, and programs will be announced later this summer.
About Cincinnati Song Initiative
Cincinnati Song Initiative’s first decade has seen dozens of concerts connect diverse audiences with world-class artists in communities throughout the country. Dedicated to the promotion and innovation of the intimate genre of song, CSI creates memorable experiences that welcome seasoned arts enthusiasts, curious newcomers, and everyone in between. Garnering national attention since its earliest days, CSI is a recipient of Ovation TV and Spectrum’s Stand for the Arts award, which recognizes organizations that empower the community, build strategic partnerships, drive engagement through volunteerism, and deliver creative programming.
An organization led exclusively by artists, Cincinnati Song Initiative constantly reimagines how classical music can connect best with communities in the immediate present. With the launch of its 2025-2026 tenth anniversary season, CSI proudly joins forces with Cincinnati Public Radio at its brand new home in Evanston to live-broadcast its Mainstage concerts. Complete with a studio audience and an on-air host to contextualize the music, this new era will retain the up-close-and-personal nature of CSI’s live song events while reaching exciting new audiences in an effort to maximize the organization’s accessibility and impact.
About Cincinnati Public Radio
Cincinnati Public Radio, Inc. is the non-profit media organization home to 91.7 WVXU and 88.5 WMUB (local news, NPR, BBC) and 90.9 WGUC (classical music and the arts.) The organization is Cincinnati-based and operated by a volunteer Board of Directors. Along with the on-air stations, CPR has streaming music options including jazz and two local alternative stations, Radio Artifact and Inhailer Radio.
