By Thomas Consolo
From sounds centuries old to debuts of new art, this weekend is chock-full of options. How full? Maybe a dart board would make your selection process simpler.
DANCE
Cincinnati Ballet | 1241 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-621-5282
- Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 8-11: “Carmina Burana” and “Serenade”
Artists of Ballet West
in Nicolo Fonte’s “Carmina Burana”
The Cincinnati premiere of Carl Orff’s not-so-sacred cantata as choreographed by Nicolo Fonte is paired with Balanchine’s setting of Tchaikovsky’s lush Serenade for Strings. The CSO plays, the May Festival Chorus sings … all at Music Hall.
Get the scoop on this new production of Carmina Burana.
Memorial Hall | 1225 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-977-8838
- Saturday, Feb. 10, 6 p.m.: “A Gathering of the Arts”
This benefit for scholarships awarded by the Women’s Alliance Inc. offers performances by Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, singer Desiree Dawson and local student ensembles.
FILM
Mayerson JCC | 8485 Ridge Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236; 513-761-7500
- Through Feb. 22: Jewish & Israeli Film Festival
The three-week festival continues through partnerships with Jewish Cemeteries of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Jewish Teen Collective and Jewish Federation’s Silver Circle Society. This week’s showings are all at the Kenwood Theatre (7815 Kenwood Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236; 513-984-0302):
- Wednesday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m.: “Home Port”
- Thursday, Feb. 8, 7 p.m.: “Scaffolding”
- Sunday, Feb. 11, 3 p.m.: “Across the Waters”
“Dvojina” at The Mini
The Mini Microcinema | 1329 Main St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Two eclectic screenings to satisfy just about any taste:
- Thursday, Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m.: “Dvojina” (“Duel”) – When a plane from Denmark to Greece is forced to land in Ljubljana, the paths of two young women cross.
- Sunday, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m.: Open Screen – The second event highlighting local film and video makers; they’ll also attend the showing.
LITERARY/LECTURES
TEDx Cincinnati | 3187 Linwood Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208; contact form on the website.
- Thursday, Feb. 8, 5:30 p.m.: Auditions and happy hour
Finalists for May’s TEDx event each have 2 1/2 minutes to perform for an audience at The Redmoor in Mt. Lookout Square. That audience can include you. Speakers start at 6:30 p.m.
MUSIC
Cincinnati may not be known for early (or at least earlier) music performance, but this weekend is shaping up to be a feast for the ears. You’ll need some 21st-century technology to make it to all three of these:
Klaus Jacobsen with the theorbo he created for Catacoustic Consort
- Saturday, Feb. 10, 3 p.m.: Caladrian Ensemble – Renowned lutenist Nigel North gives a recital of Bach in historic Old St. Mary’s Church (128 E. 13th St., Cincinnati, OH 45202).
- Saturday, Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m.: Catacoustic Consort – Cincinnati’s resident early music ensemble commissioned a theorbo from London, and it’s ready for its debut. Hear music featuring this big daddy of the lute family at North Presbyterian Church (4222 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45223)
- Sunday, Feb. 11, 3 p.m.: Collegium Cincinnati – A program of music from the Italian Baroque, featuring Vivaldi’s “Gloria.” The Collegium, led by Chris Eanes, is joined by his Cincinnati Boychoir in the chapel at Christ Church Cathedral (318 E. Fourth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-621-1817).
College-Conservatory of Music | University of Cincinnati. 2600 Clifton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45221; 513-556-4183
Dale Warland
- Sunday, Feb. 11, 4 p.m.: CCM Chamber Choir, Chorale, Children’s Choir, UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses
CCM’s sesquicentennial celebration continues with the debut of a commission by famed choral conductor Dale Warland. His “I Hear America Singing” sets verses from Whitman’s 1867 revision of “Leaves of Grass” – the year Clara Baur founded the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Also on the program: more of the Bernstein centennial (the “Missa Brevis”) and some of Brahms “Liebeslieder Waltzes.” In Corbett Auditorium.
THEATER
College-Conservatory of Music | University of Cincinnati. 2600 Clifton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45221; 513-556-4183
- Feb. 7-11: “Love and Information”
“A tour-de-force opportunity for CCM’s drama program…”Premiered in London in 2012, “L&I” is a tour-de-force opportunity for CCM’s drama program: all 30 students are cast as the play’s more than 100 characters – individuals trying to connect with each other. In Patricia Corbett Theater.
Falcon Theatre | 636 Monmouth St., Newport, KY 41071; (513) 479-6783
- Through Feb. 10: “The Pillowman”
It’s the last weekend to catch this unsettling examination of the power, nature, and purpose of art. Falcon warns of graphic violence, so take that into account.
VISUAL ART
It’s a busy week for openings, big and small:
Clifton Cultural Arts Center | 3711 Clifton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45220; 513-497-2860
- Friday, Feb. 9, 6-9 p.m.: Three exhibits
Yes, it’s a triple bill. Three exhibits run concurrently through March 17: “Alienable,” Karay P. Martin’s examination of the tension between women’s rights and representation, health care and the empowerment of personal narrative; “As in the Mirror,” self portraits by Ellina Chetverikova; and “Eternal Reflections on Belonging,” in which Boisali Biswas uses fiber as a window into two worlds. Exhibits run through March 17.
Marta Hewett Gallery | 1310 Pendleton St., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-281-2780
- Opens Saturday, Feb. 10: “Between Earth and Sky”
Works by Heather Jones and Jeffrey Cortland Jones, husband and wife, and both inspired by the visually changing moments in the landscape, particularly at the horizon line. Artists’ Discussion: Feb. 10, 3 p.m. Reception: Feb. 10, 4-6 p.m. Runs through April 7.
LAST CHANCE
Cincinnati Art Museum | 953 Eden Park Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-721- 2787
- Through Feb. 11: “Albrecht Dürer: The Age of Reformation and Renaissance”
As part of the quincentennial of Luther’s “95 Theses,” this show examines the impact of the Italian Renaissance and the Reformation through the intricate prints of Dürer and his contemporaries.