CHRISTMAS WITH THE CINCINNATI MAY FESTIVAL CHORUS Album Re-Released for the Holidays

The Cincinnati May Festival Chorus announces the re-release of its popular holiday recording, Christmas with the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus. This album, recorded and produced under the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's Fanfare Cincinnati label, is a full repertoire of a capella pieces that bring forth the true spirit of the holidays.

As the holidays are a time for bringing people together, this album unifies the emotion of the season with vibrant choral sound. With a variety of tracks ranging from jovial popular favorites like Caroling, Caroling and We Wish You a Merry Christmas ? to Christian hymns and traditional holiday arrangements, this body of work is a perennial favorite for friends, families and fans of the May Festival.

The album will be available for purchase in the Bravo Shop at Music Hall, and is also available via popular media purchasing retailers including Amazon and Naxos Direct. The album may also be streamed via Spotify.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE CINCINNATI MAY FESTIVAL CHORUS TRACK LIST:

1. JOY TO THE WORLD

2. O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL

3. HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING

4. ANGELS HAVE WE HEARD ON HIGH

5. JESUS CHRIST THE APPLE TREE

6. MASTERS IN THIS HALL

7. WASSAIL SONG

8. IN THE BLEAK MID-WINTER

9. O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM

10. O MAGNUM MYSTERIUM

11. CAROL OF THE BELLS

12. AVE MARIA

13. THE BLESSED SON OF GOD

14. NOEL, NOEL, BELLS ARE RINGING

15. REJOICE, O VIRGIN

16. A HYMN TO THE VIRGIN

17. LO, HOW A ROSE E'ER BLOOMING

18. TOMORROW SHALL BE MY DANCING DAY

19. CAROLING, CAROLING

20. WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

Founded in 1873 from the proud German traditions of singing societies, the May Festival is directly responsible for the development of Cincinnati's modern music life. Music Hall, the city's primary concert venue, was built specifically to house the Festival's performances. The celebrated roster of Festival Music Directors has included, among others, Theodore Thomas, Max Rudolf, James Levine and, most recently, James Conlon. As the oldest and one of the most prestigious choral festivals in the Western Hemisphere, the May Festival is a unique community asset unlike anything else in the world. In addition to the annual Festival, the May Festival Chorus performs year-round as the official chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops and with fellow arts partners in diverse venues across the region. With its mission to engage, energize and connect the community, the May Festival is a valuable Cincinnati resource. May Festival performances are extraordinary and immersive experiences, repeatedly described by audiences as "inspiring," "uplifting," "thrilling," and "dynamic."

A noted choral musician and renowned conductor of both orchestral, choral, and operatic works, May Festival is honored to have Robert Porco as its Director of Choruses since 1989. His power and determination to convey the perfect atmosphere in every piece is part of what makes the chorus such a powerhouse of artistic and musical craft, and his experience in the field of choral music adds another layer of dimension and complexity in every work the chorus performs.

Also the Director of Choruses for The Cleveland Orchestra since 2000, Porco has been a fixture in the choral community. He has collaborated on multiple different commissioned pieces, taught doctoral-level choral conducting at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music from 1979-1998, has led multiple different international performances, and has been noted as a prominent figure in the choral world by multiple renowned conductors such as John Adams, Pierre Boulez, James Conlon, Andrew Davis, and many more.

The CSO's recording label, formerly known as Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Media, launched in 2010 and has so far released four Cincinnati Symphony albums, American Portraits, Baltic Portraits, Hallowed Ground, and Concertos for Orchestra, along with four Cincinnati Pops albums Home for the Holidays, Superheroes!, Carnival of the Animals and American Originals. The label's name, Fanfare Cincinnati, reflects the Orchestra's rich musical heritage and the historic fanfare project from the 1940's that resulted in Aaron Copland's iconic Fanfare for the Common Man. Fanfare Cincinnati's recordings continue to be distributed nationally and internationally by Naxos. The Orchestra has also released several recordings via free digital downloads available on cincinnatisymphony.org.

The CSO was the third U.S. orchestra to make a commercial recording in 1917 and since 1980 has sold ten million recordings worldwide as both the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops. More than 140 total recordings are available by the CSO and Pops on various labels.

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