News
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra Announces 40th Anniversary Season
Maestro Mischa Santora and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra are proud to announce the organization's 40th Anniversary Season beginning in October 2013. Founded by Paul Nadler in 1974, the ensemble of 32 members is the only professional chamber orchestra in the Tri-stage region.
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C
incinnati Chamber Orchestra Hosts Time for Three for 40th Anniversary Season Opener
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra is proud to launch its 40th season with the assistance of Time for Three, "the world's first classically-trained garage band." Tf3 consists of Zack DePue and Nick Kendall, violin, and Ranaan Meyer, double bass, and their free-flying performances defy classification, performing music ranging from Bach to bluegrass and Kanye West to Katy Perry, mostly in arrangements of their own creation.
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Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra Offers Audience a "Choice" for Season Finale
Sunday, June 2, 2pm
School for Creative & Performing Arts
Programming classical music concerts is not high on the list of things people might associate with being "democratic," but the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra is out to skew that paradigm. The CCO has been offering audience members an opportunity the past six months to vote for their favorite piece to put the exclamation point on its 39th season. And what better way to sum up a season themed About the Town than by involving "the Town" at its conclusion?
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VAE and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra Present At the Waterbrook
Masterworks by Handel, Britten and Mendelssohn
VAE:
Cincinnati’s
Vocal
Arts
Ensemble
and
the
Cincinnati
Chamber
Orchestra
are
proud
to
announce
their
annual
collaboration,
At
the
Waterbrook,
showcasing
three
diverse
choral/orchestral
masterpieces,
led
by
outgoing
VAE
music
director
Donald
Nally,
in
what
will
be
his
farewell
performance.
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CCO to Feature CCM Alums and Broadway Stars
at Annual Gala Concert and Dinner - Applause!
On Friday, April 5, the CCO will celebrate four decades of unique music-making at Applause!, the CCO's annual gala, at the Hilton Netherland Plaza. The event will honor two Cincinnatians from different generations - Pinnacle Award recipient David Herriman and our inaugural Rising Star Ainsley Kellar - for their past and continuing contributions to the arts.
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CCO Showcases Queen City Conductors/Composers
The CCO, under the baton of music director Mischa Santora, continues its 39th season, About the Town, presenting a unique program on Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m. at SCPA, showcasing the compositions of important Cincinnati conductors from the early 20th century.
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Enquirer: Amahl one for the ages
Check out our wonderful review of Amahl and the Night Visitors from the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Three Kings to Visit Queen City!
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and Madcap Puppets present Amahl and the Night Visitors
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Welcome to Aaron Brant, CCO's New Principal French Horn!
The CCO is proud to introduce Aaron Brant as its new principal French horn. Brant fills the vacancy left by Steven Gross, who retired in 2011 after 24 years with the CCO.
In addition to his new post with the CCO, Brant divides his time between the Dayton Philharmonic, where he has been principal horn for the past three seasons, and the University of Dayton, a new position in which he leads the horn faculty and is a member of the faculty brass quintet. He also performs frequently with the Cincinnati Symphony.
Brant may be familiar to CCO audiences given his stint as guest principal horn during the 2011-12 season.
"I couldn't be more excited to be joining the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra,” said Brant. “For me it is such a thrill to be a part of artistry which is absolutely at the highest level. Honestly, I can't wait to experience all of the exhilarating moments ahead of us this season."
A native of Stow, OH, Brant received his undergraduate education at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory (CCM), and a graduate performance diploma from Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Peter Landgren, now Dean of CCM.
An avid disc golfer, Brant has played on 23 courses across six states. He and his wife welcomed their first child, a boy, in March of 2012.
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra Announces 2012-13 Season
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Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra announces solo auditions for Christmas opera
The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra (CCO) is pleased to announce auditions for its December performance of Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti. This production is created in partnership with the renowned Madcap Puppets.
Five performances are scheduled for Dec. 21-23, 2012. Mischa Santora, CCO Music Director, will conduct.
DATE: Monday, September 24, 2012
TIME: 4-7pm
The opera tells the story of a crippled boy, Amahl, and his life-altering encounter with the Three Kings as they are in search of the Baby Jesus. The opera was written for and premiered on NBC-TV, Christmas Eve 1951. The conductor that evening was a young Thomas Schippers, who later led the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1970 until his untimely death in 1977.
Auditions will be heard for the roles of Amahl (boy soprano or soprano), his Mother
(soprano/mezzo-soprano), the Three Kings (tenor, baritone, bass) and a Page (bass).
Auditionees should prepare two contrasting songs or arias in English. An accompanist will be provided.
Those interested should send their resume and headshot ASAP to ccoproduction@gmail.com. No walk-ups will be considered. Selected individuals will be contacted to set an audition time. For more information, call LeAnne Anklan at 513.723.1182 x104.
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra names Mariner new Executive Director
The Board of Trustees of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra (CCO) is pleased to announce
the appointment of
Thom Mariner
as the organization’s new Executive Director, effective Monday, July 2, 2012.
“I’m thrilled to accept the honor of guiding the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra,” Mariner said, “having been associated with the organization for nearly three decades.”
Mariner first performed as soloist with the CCO in the early 1980s, under the direction of founder Paul Nadler, while a member of the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati. He appeared with Keith Lockhart as a member of The Village Waytes, a professional a cappella group active in the 1990s, and three times under current Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra Music Director Mischa Santora, including his portrayal of Father Trulove in this past season’s “The Rake’s Progress” by Igor Stravinsky.
Mariner
and his wife, Elizabeth, are owners/publishers of Express Cincinnati, a local arts and philanthropy publication. He is also known throughout the region for his 30-plus years as a professional singer, music director and teacher. He has served on the boards of VAE: the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati, May Festival and Constella Festival of Music and Fine Arts.
“I’m excited about this opportunity to lead the CCO, because it gives me a chance to produce concerts again,” he said, “something I enjoy perhaps even more than performing. Also, I look forward to applying my hybrid experience in music and marketing in what I see as an ideal situation for me in terms of size and scope."
Mariner's
varied performing experience combined with his work at Express affords him a wealth of contacts in the local arts scene, which will serve him well as the CCO continues collaborations with organizations such as Madcap Puppets, The Carnegie and VAE.
In addition to his ongoing musical involvements,
Mariner
developed a parallel career path in music retail, business-to-business sales, musical entrepreneurship and qualitative marketing research. A brief bio is included below.
“We could not be happier to have Thom Mariner join the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra organization as Executive Director,” said CCO Board President Eric J. Allen. “We have been conducting a careful strategic search to ensure that we were able to identify and hire the best professional to lead the organization. As we look toward next season (our 39
th
), and our 40
th
beyond that, we want to ensure we have the best steward to drive our organization’s development. Thom brings to the CCO a rare mix of business and management expertise, financial acumen, and true artistic capability and appreciation. I am personally looking forward to working with Thom to achieve even greater success for the CCO.”
As Executive Director, Mariner will lead the administrative arm of the CCO, supervising all functions focusing on long-term strategy, development, marketing and public relations. “I look forward to collaborating with (Music Director) Mischa Santora to refine an organizational vision for the future,” Mariner said, “and to develop programming that serves the CCO’s unique mission and plays to its strengths.”
As a result of his experience programming a wide range of a cappella music, he is well positioned to capitalize on the CCO’s emphasis of presenting distinctive music in an intimate setting, furthering the development of the organization.
"I am so thrilled that Thom is joining the CCO family as Executive Director,” said Santora. "Thom has tremendous knowledge and experience in marketing, fundraising, the media landscape and music. As a seasoned performer himself, he is also intimately familiar with the performing arts world. We consider ourselves very lucky to have Thom on board, and I am tremendously looking forward to shaping together the future of the CCO."
Mariner will retain part ownership of
Express,
but will step back from day-to-day activities.
Thom Mariner, biography
Thom Mariner has been an active contributor to the artistic life of Cincinnati for nearly 35 years as singer, teacher, composer/arranger, music director, journalist, publisher and board volunteer. Mariner's performing experience has ranged from soloist with orchestra to opera, and choral music to vocal chamber music. In addition to appearances with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Mariner has performed with the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops, May Festival, and Toledo Symphony, among other regional choruses and orchestras. He spent seven seasons as a member of Cincinnati Opera Chorus.
Perhaps best known for his work in vocal chamber music, Mariner was a member of The Village Waytes, a professional a cappella group active from 1990-93, and founder/ producer of its musical descendent, VoiceBox, 1994-2001. He has also been a member of VAE: Cincinnati's Vocal Arts Ensemble for 21 seasons, was soloist at Knox Church for 20 years, and will soon celebrate his 27th year as cantorial soloist at Rockdale Temple.
Parallel to his musical activities, Mariner flourished in a variety of sales and marketing positions in music retail, graphic arts supplies/equipment, and qualitative marketing research, where he served a diverse range of clients including Shell, P&G, Fidelity Investments, Microsoft, Samsung, Hyundai, Kohler and Cincinnati Opera.
Mariner and his wife, Elizabeth, purchased Express Cincinnati in 2008, where he is co-publisher and Arts & Culture editor. He regularly writes about classical music and general arts issues. Express is a monthly magazine showcasing Cincinnati's nonprofits and arts communities, available in print and at
www.expresscincinnati.com
.
Anklan joins Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra as Operations Manager
LeAnne Anklan was appointed artistic and orchestra operations manager for the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. Anklan comes to the CCO from Cincinnati's new Constella Festival of Music and Fine Arts, where she served as festival manager during its first season, while simultaneously completing two master's degrees at The University of Cincinnati.
She succeeds Daren Fuster, who has taken a position with the Columbus (OH) Symphony.
A Cincinnati native, Anklan holds three degrees from the University of Cincinnati: Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and International Business, Master of Business Administration, and Master of Arts in Arts Administration. Anklan’s professional background includes experience as senior marketing coordinator for FRCH Design Worldwide, public relations manager for the Contemporary Arts Center, and marketing associate for the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, she held the position of festival manager for the successful inaugural season of the Constella Festival of Music and Fine Arts.