Cincinnati May Festival Announces Roster and Livestream Schedule Changes

The May Festival announces artist and livestream changes to its previously announced 150th anniversary season roster and schedule and upcoming events.

Roster & Schedule Changes

• Baritone Christian Immler will be replacing baritone Reginald Smith, Jr. for the May Festival's performance of Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand on May 27, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

• The May Festival's 2023 concert livestream, previously scheduled for Saturday, May 27, 2023, will now take place on Friday, May 19, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. The free livestream will feature the world premieres of James MacMillan's Timotheus, Bacchus and Cecilia and James Lee III's Breaths of Universal Longings, as well as Johann Sebastian Bach's Magnificat, which received its U.S. premiere at the May Festival in 1875. Complete information about the free livestream can be found here.

Individual Tickets

Individual tickets for May Festival performances are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased by visiting mayfestival.com, calling the ticket office at 513.381.3300 or visiting the Music Hall Box Office at 1241 Elm Street, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Community Choral Showcase

In honor of the May Festival's commissioning legacy and in celebration of Cincinnati as one of America's choral epicenters, the May Festival launched its 25 for 25: A New Time for Choral Music commissioning project, where composers from Luna Composition Lab have written 25 new choral works for local artist and choral ensembles across Greater Cincinnati this season.

To showcase the new commissions and the talented choral ensembles from across the region, the May Festival will be hosting a free Community Choral Showcase on Sunday, March 19 at Christ Church Cathedral (318 E. 4th Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45202), beginning at 2 p.m.

Emceed by Elaine Diehl from WGUC, Alecia Kintner from ArtsWave, and local choral community leader Dr. William Henry Caldwell, the event will feature 19 local choruses from across the Greater Cincinnati region, each performing a 20-minute mini concert, including new music from the 25 for 25 commissioning project. The event is free and open to the public, and listeners can sample several choirs over the course of the event. Registration is recommended for important updates on parking and entry. The full performance schedule and participating ensembles can be found here.