This story is featured in CityBeat's Sept. 6 print edition.
Fall might mean the days are getting cooler, but inside Cincinnati’s venues, the temperatures are rising. We’ve had all spring and summer to get excited about the respective season lineups for Cincinnati’s performing arts organizations, and finally, the time is nigh. From world premiere choreography to kick off Cincinnati Ballet’s diamond anniversary season to a once-lost Tchaikovsky opera to a twelve-foot puppet to a real-time piano play-off and more, autumn in the Queen City is about to be hot, hot, hot.
Here are the top ten performing arts events we’re looking forward to this fall.
Tobi Ewing: The World Is (Not) My Home; M. Carmen Lane: In This House (We Forgot About the Cycle of Things); Rebecca Nava Soto: Ritual of Imagination and Reconnection
Sept. 15 | Weston Art Gallery
Three powerful exhibitions by Ohio-based artists of color open Sept. 15 at the Weston Art Gallery. Place and the concept of home are themes each artist explores using their respective cultural heritage and experience to create three wholly unique representations of origin stories. Ewing’s work examines home through the context of the Black Indigenous experience. Lane’s work is inspired by a month spent in the Everglades National Park. Soto explores rituals, language and landscape, drawing on her indigenous Mexican roots. The multifaceted exhibitions stand on their own but also promise a compelling unified narrative arc. Info: cincinnatiarts.org/weston-art-gallery.
Little Amal in Cincinnati
Sept. 22 | Various locations and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
A twelve-foot puppet representing a ten-year-old Syrian refugee girl named Amal is making its way to the Queen City, after traveling through 13 other countries. Her journey is a sweeping, multinational celebration of the hope, resiliency and indefatigable spirit of immigrants, refugees and displaced people. The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra is presenting Amal’s visit and performing in an invite-only event at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Earn an invite by volunteering for the walk or partake in a pre-walk workshop. Info: ccocincinnati.org.
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s “The Rite of Spring”
Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 | Music Hall
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra opens its season with Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” one of the most infamous classical compositions in history. When Stravinsky’s dissonant rumination on an ancient pagan ritual premiered in 1913, the opening night crowd went wild, breaking out in a riot. The ballet and orchestral piece went on to find great success over time and was a forebear of modern classical music. While the audience will likely stay seated this time, the music remains as propulsive, primal and evocative as ever. Info: cincinnatisymphony.org.
Cincinnati Ballet’s Kaplan New Works Series, More Room to Play
Sept. 15-24 | Aronoff Center for the Arts
Cincinnati Ballet’s fan-favorite Kaplan New Works series returns to open the company’s 60th anniversary season, and second under the leadership of artistic director Jodie Gates. This annual showcase of fresh and emerging choreography features five works in total: a world premiere each from freelance choreographer Houston Thomas and Cincinnati Ballet favorite choreographer David Morse; a piece by Smuin Ballet artistic director Amy Seiwert; work by Cincinnati Ballet’s artistic collaborator Jennifer Archibald; and a world premiere by New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck. Innovative and distinct, the Kaplan New Works series always sets the tone for an invigorating season. Info: cballet.org.
Contemporary Arts Center’s A Permanent Nostalgia for Departure
Sept. 22-Jan. 28, 2024 | Contemporary Arts Center
The Contemporary Arts Center’s current home was the first American project designed by the late renowned architect Zaha Hadid and opened in 2003 to much acclaim. The museum was also the first in the United States to be designed by a woman. A Permanent Nostalgia for Departure reflects the multifaceted legacy Hadid’s design ushered in. The exhibit features newly commissioned site-specific work from eight international artists in a variety of media, as well as artifacts and ephemera from Hadid’s own career. Info: contemporaryartscenter.org.
University of Cincinnati Musical Sweet Charity
Sept. 28-30 | CCM Musical Theatre, Patricia Corbett Theater
The classic musical Sweet Charity gets the CCM Musical Theatre treatment this fall. With American repertoire hits like “The Rich Man’s Frug” and “Big Spender,” this crowd-pleaser follows optimist Charity Hope Valentine as she seeks love in the Big Apple during the groovy 1960s. CCM’s Musical Theatre department is consistently one of the best in the country, producing several big names in the industry, so why not take in a show at a very affordable price, get a quality production, and potentially be able to say that you saw them before they made it big. Info: ccmonstage.universitytickets.com.
Sporting Fashion: Outdoor Girls 1800-1960 at Taft Museum of Art
Oct. 14-Jan. 14, 2024 | Taft Museum of Art
Athleisure is socially accepted attire for anyone in any location now, especially women, but clothing designed for physical motion was often off-limits for women — as was physical activity and sport itself. Indeed, for much of history, clothing restricted women’s movement, literally and figuratively, especially when it came to sports and physical activity. Sporting Fashion takes a magnifying glass to the evolution of women’s fashion in the world of sports, examining the balance of style with function that typified women’s athletic attire. This exhibition features over 60 fully accessorized ensembles. Info: taftmuseum.org.
Nina Simone Piano Concerto Competition Finals
Oct. 6 | Music Hall
The Nina Simone Piano Concerto Competition returns with its thrilling conclusion as the three artist finalists compete for the grand prize on stage at Music Hall live, with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Louis Langrée. The inaugural competition elevates African American pianists, giving them a platform of high visibility and opportunity for more widespread support. The gold medalist and grand prize winner will receive $50,000 and performance opportunities. Info: cincinnatisymphony.org.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre at Aronoff Center for the Arts
Oct. 20-21 | Aronoff Center for the Arts
Kicking off a season celebrating women dance artists and women-led companies, Mutual Arts Theatre and the Jefferson James Contemporary Dance Theater Series present the Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Led by artistic director Melissa M. Young, the 14-person ensemble comprises the oldest continuously operating professional dance company in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Dallas Black Dance Theatre will perform a mixed repertory of modern, ballet, jazz and ethnic work by a variety of choreographers over two nights. Local dancers are invited to take an afternoon masterclass with Young on Oct. 21. Info: mutualdance.org.
Queen City Opera’s “Tchaikovsky: Undina”
Oct. 7-8 | Finneytown Performing Arts Center
Queen City Opera is known for taking traditional operas and presenting them through a contemplative, considerate and often contemporary lens, and Tchaikovsky’s “Undina” is no different. In 1869, the famed composer created sketches for an opera about a community that disrespects the sea and consequently experiences catastrophic flooding, though he never completed the work. Artistic director Dr. Isaac Selya picked up the mantle, spending three years reconstructing the opera, using other works of Tchaikovsky to devise a pastiche, 85-minute world premiere production focusing on ocean conservancy and sustainable energy production. Info: queencityopera.org.
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