The Knock by Aleksandra Vrebalov (libretto by Deborah Brevoort) is an hour-long emotional countdown as three women await news of their husbands stationed in Fallujah, and one gets the bad news. Cincinnati Opera presented the stage premiere in June with a superb production directed by Alison Moritz and riveting performances from its ensemble cast. This powerful work left audiences in tears, especially veterans who attended special performances. cincinnatiopera.org.

Here are the 2024 Best Of Cincinnati® Reader and Staff Pick winners for Arts & Culture.

1. 21c Museum Hotel
2. Pendleton Art Center
3. Visionaries + Voices

1. Cincinnati Art Museum
2. Contemporary Arts Center
3. American Sign Museum

1. “Cincinnati Toy Heritage”
2. “Fiona and Bibi at the Cincinnati Zoo”
3. “Charley Harper's Beguiled by the Wild”

1. Panegyri
2. Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Festival
3. St. Cecilia Family Festival

1. Ice Rink on Fountain Square
2. Salsa on the Square
3. Reds Opening Day Rally on the Square

1. BLINK
2. Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
3. Findlay Market
4. Cincinnati Art Museum
5. Smale Riverfront Park
6. Jungle Jim's International Market
7. Tunes & Blooms at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
8. Wednesdays in the Woods at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center
9. TIE: Washington Park AND Contemporary Arts Center
10. FotoFocus

1. Art and Social Justice: An Interactive Experience, 21C Museum Hotel Gallery
2. Yes, But Is It Art?, Studio Kroner
3. Wish You Were Here, Kennedy Heights Arts Center

1. Dent Schoolhouse
2. Kings Island Halloween Haunt
3. USS Nightmare

1. Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo
2. WinterFest at Kings Island
3. Journey BOREALIS at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park

1. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (@cincinnatizoo)
2. Longbottom Bird Ranch (@longbottombirdranch)
3. Friends of the Public Library (@cincylibraryfriends)

1. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
2. Children's Museum at the Cincinnati Museum Center
3. Longbottom Bird Ranch

1. Bob Herzog
2. Darnell Pierre Benjamin
3. Mark Borison

1. Kiwi the Duck
2. L. D. Nehls
3. Michael Coppage

1. Dann Woellert
2. Curtis Sittenfeld
3. Leah Stewart

1. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
2. Cincinnati Pops
3. MUSE Cincinnati's Women’s Choir

1. Mark Borison
2. Kelly Collette
3. Sweett Biscut

1. Cincinnati Ballet
2. Dance Flash Fusion
3. Cin City Burlesque

1. Mark Borison
2. Cincy Stories
3. Allyson West