Cincinnati May Festival Begins This Weekend!

Cincinnati's very own May Festival opens this weekend at Music Hall with the U.S. premiere of British conductor Mark Simpson's The Immortal. The concert starts at 8 PM on Friday (May 17) and features the May Festival Chorus, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the 8-member vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth.

"Director of Choruses Robert Porco and I are delighted to welcome Roomful of Teeth and Sir James MacMillan as Creative Partners this season," said Principal Conductor Juanjo Mena. "The expertise and artistry of our guests alongside the May Festival Chorus and CSO have helped to shape a remarkable series of concerts."

MacMillan will conduct his own oratorio, "Seven Last Words of Christ," on Saturday (May 8) at 8 PM as part of the May Festival's second concert program Silences Between. And hear -- and sing with -- the May Festival Community Chorus and other choirs from across the city as they perform additional works by MacMillan in a FREE concert, Sounds of the City, at Music Hall on Sunday (May 9) at 7 PM .

Roomful of Teeth will perform in a SOLD OUT "Festival Extra" concert on Wednesday evening (May 15) at the Woodward Theater in OTR. But not to despair! Fans of the Grammy award-winning choral group can still see them at Music Hall performing in Mark Simpson's The Immortal on Friday (May 17) at 8 PM. Good seats are still available through the Music Hall Box Office at 513-381-3300.

The following weekend's May Festival line-up includes:

· - Festival Extra: "Considering Matthew Shepard" (Thur, May 23, 7 PM) at CCM

· - Mahler and Mussorgsky (Friday, May 24, 8 PM) at Music Hall

· - Bach's St. Matthew Passion (Sat, May 25, 7PM) at Music Hall

Started in 1873, Cincinnati's May Festival celebrates the most intimate and personal of instruments: the human voice. This annual series of choral concerts features the May Festival Chorus, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and an array of guest artists, conductors, and composers. Join us for the 2019 May Festival season at Music Hall and for "Festival Extras" at venues around the city. Call the Music Hall Box Office for tickets at 513-381-3300.

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