This must be Catholic week in Cincinnati arts & culture circles. Not one, but three presentations have strong, but very distinct Catholic themes. And of course there are many other choices, especially Saturday, which is literally overflowing. Good luck deciding!
NOTA BENE: Please be mindful and respectful of venue policies regarding vaccinations and masking. These good people are simply doing their very best to keep the arts alive and everyone safe at the same time.
Wednesday, Jan. 26
Behringer-Crawford Museum, NKY History Hour | 6:30 p.m. Virtual. 859-491-4003. DETAILS: If you grew up going to Catholic schools you likely have strong feelings about nuns and how they affected your youth. Since the 1850s, Catholic Sisters have played an important part in shaping the history of Northern Kentucky. In his presentation, “Sisters – How Nuns Shaped Northern Kentucky,” Dave Schroeder, executive director of the Kenton County Public Library, will share how these women of modest means and deep faith made our region a better place.
Cincinnati Landmark Productions, “Beehive – The Musical” | 7:30 p.m. Covedale Center. 513-241-6550. DETAILS: This tale, accompanied by high-piled hair, is told through the lense of six women as they sing their way through 40 of the most iconic songs of the 1960s. Featuring the music of Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner and Janis Joplin, among others. Continues, Thursday-Sunday, through Feb. 20.
cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com
Thursday, Jan. 27
Gallery Veronique, “We Are One” | 6-8:30 p.m.11324 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45249. 513-530-5379. DETAILS: In artist Craig Alan’s “Populus” series, he creates artworks using hand-painted people as the pixels. The broader “Populus” portfolio includes likenesses of Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and John F. Kennedy, as well as more conceptual and abstract pieces. Cool stuff! The show runs until mid-February.
Holocaust & Humanity Center, “Dimensions in Testimony” | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Cincinnati Museum Center, Union Terminal. 513-487-3055. DETAILS: Eva Schloss and her family fled to the Netherlands after Germany annexed Austria in 1938, and became neighbors of Anne Frank’s family in Amsterdam. After the Nazis occupied the Netherlands, Eva and her family went into hiding. The family was later betrayed and sent to Westerbork Concentration Camp and then to Auschwitz II-Birkenau. After the war, Eva and her mother moved back to Amsterdam and reconnected with Otto Frank, whom her mother married — making Eva Anne Frank’s posthumous stepsister. This new addition to HHC’s “Dimensions in Testimony” exhibit allows you to converse in real time with a representation of Eva Schloss, thanks to specialized recording and display technologies and next-generation natural language processing. The real Eva Schloss will participate in a Holocaust Speaker Series virtual conversation Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. Register.
Friday, Jan. 28
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, “Pintscher Premiere + Rachmaninoff” | 7:30 p.m. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. 513-381-3300. DETAILS: It’s not often that a composer gets to conduct his/her own world premiere, so this should be fascinating, at the very least. CSO Creative Partner Matthias Pintscher debuts his “Assonanza” for violin and chamber orchestra, a work composed for the CSO, and on which he collaborated with this weekend’s soloist Leila Josefowicz. The remainder of the program will feature the full-throated romanticism of Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances,” showcasing the orchestra in all its glory. Concert repeats Saturday evening.
Saturday, Jan. 29
(Saturday is a winter smorgasbord, just sayin’…)
The Carnegie, “The Sound of Music” | 7:30 p.m. 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington, KY 41011. 859-491-2030. DETAILS: Theater continues its return across the region, and in this case it’s one of the truly great musicals. If you are vaxxed and masked and feeling in-need of some anti-COVID comfort food, spiritually speaking, this might be just the ticket. But, if you are a well-meaning Mother Abbess, just how do you handle a problem like Maria? Continues weekends through Feb. 13.
Kennedy Heights Arts Center, “The Teachers’ Lounge” | 6-8 p.m. 6546 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45213. 513-631-4278. DETAILS: This exhibit is a special one, showcasing works by nearly 40 artists who previously served, or currently do, as KHAC instructors. Lots of well-known local names here… Runs until March 12. Don’t miss.
photo by Moritz Nähr
Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, “A Parting Opus” | 7:30 p.m. Greaves Hall, Northern Kentucky University. 859-431-6216. DETAILS: Never one to shy away from a challenge,KSO Music Director James R. Cassidy is climbing one of the precipises of all orchestral music, the monumental Symphony No. 9 by Gustav Mahler. Cassidy invited Juan Felipe Herrera (U.S. poet laureate 2015-17) and Frederick Smock (Kentucky poet laureate 2017-18) to submit commissioned works inspired by Mahler’s final completed work. These will be read and also posted in the KSO’s digital (smart phone) program. And the stage will be full of players. A rare chance to hear this towering work.
Mayerson JCC, Jewish & Israeli Film Festival | 7:30 p.m. Virtual. 513-761-7500. DETAILS: With a variety of venues to manage and weeks of events to negotiate, the festival has chosen to remain virtual for one more year. But at least it can continue, and there are some amazing finds among the dozen films to be streamed through March 5. The festival opens with “Persian Lessons,” which will be available to view for 48 hours. Gilles, a young Jewish Belgian man, narrowly survives arrest and execution in 1942 by falsely claiming to be Persian. In a German concentration camp, he is assigned to teach Farsi to Klaus Koch, the officer in charge of the camp’s kitchen, who dreams of opening a restaurant in Persia (Iran) once the war is over. Not for the kiddos, btw. On Monday, 7:30 p.m., film director Vadim Perelman will participate in a virtual discussion.
Playhouse in the Park, “Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help” | 7:30 p.m. Marx Theatre. 962 Mt. Adams Circle, Cincinnati, OH 45202. 513-421-3888. DETAILS: In yet another take on growing up Catholic, 19-year-old Linda O’Shea is having a very bad day and what’s happening could jeopardize the reputation of her sqeaky-clean, middle-class, Irish Catholic family. Everyone tries to help and hilarity ensues. Ages 13 and up. Runs through Feb. 27.
Washington Park, Fiber Art Market | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Over-the-Rhine. DETAILS: Reminding us that we can and should continue to enjoy the out-of-doors all winter, this market is smart to sell items that will/may keep us warm(er). From clothing to unique accessories, all made locally. Plus, The Porch will be offering hot chocolate and toddies and heaters to toast you inside and out. Repeats Sunday.
Sunday, Jan. 30
Linton Chamber Music, Poetic Piano Quintets | 4 p.m. First Unitarian Church, Avondale. 513-381-6868. DETAILS: This venerable series returns with a varied program offering a treasured work by Schubert (his “Trout” Quintet), an unknown chamber gem by Vaughan Williams, a sonata by Mozart, and a new work by emerging composer Nathaniel Heyder. Program repeats Monday evening, 7:30 p.m., at Congregation Beth Adam, on Loveland-Madeira Road near I-275.
Matinee Musicale, Nicole Cabell | 3 p.m. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. DETAILS: Finally taking place after several COVID-caused postponements, this program presents a soprano who, thanks to her appearances with Cincinnati Opera, has become a regional favorite. But there is really nothing like the intimacy of a solo recital in Memorial Hall. CCM accompanist extraordinaire Donna Loewy will be at the keyboard. Go, Donna!
Monday, Jan. 31
Memorial Hall, Jazz at the Memo | 7 p.m. 1225 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. 513-977-8838. DETAILS: Brighten the start of your week with some classic jazz. The Ron Jones Quartet makes its Memorial Hall debut performing a variety of music by “The Giants of Jazz,” including Duke Ellington, Cannonball Adderley, Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton, Billy Holiday, Joe Henderson and others. Featuring Jones on alto saxophone, Rob Allgeyer on piano, Aaron Jacobs, bass and Jim Leslie, drums.