Here at Movers & Makers, we like to focus on the area’s top cultural and philanthropic happenings, and that often means pretty sophisticated events geared for grown-up audiences. But how about the kids? This week we begin and end Culture FIX with something special for the youngest consumers of culture, and of course the saintly parents and caregivers who accompany them. In between those events, we take side trips to Transylvania, the Rhineland and more, not to mention a party with 700,000 of your closest friends.
Linton Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions, “Magical Music” | 6 p.m., Boone County Public Library, Scheben Branch; other locations through Oct. 28. 513-381-6868. DETAILS: PB&J, a family-friendly offshoot of Cincinnati’s renowned Linton Music Series, is designed to bring enriching musical experiences to children ages 2 to 6. Each interactive program has a theme – this one combines magic with music in a program featuring cello, flute and piano. The program will be repeated in venues throughout the area – Mason, Clifton, Northside, Kennedy Heights, Lakeside Park and more.
Thursday, Sept. 14
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati | 4-10 p.m., Fifth St., downtown. DETAILS: Think 87,542 metts, 56,250 sausages, 64,000 sauerkraut balls, 24,640 potato pancakes, 20,000 cream puffs … by any measure, Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is a Big Deal. It’s grown into the nation’s biggest Oktoberfest since it started in 1976. More than 700,000 attend each year, and there’s something for everyone to do, see, eat, drink, listen to and more. This year, the festival, expanded to four days, returns downtown to its familiar location along several blocks of Fifth Street. And yes, those food statistics, supplied by Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, are real. You have to wonder about the 702 pounds of Limburger and 400 pickled pigs feet, though … Also 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sept. 15-16, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 17.
Miller Gallery, “Approaching the Abstract” | Opening reception 5:30-8 p.m., 2715 Erie Ave., Hyde Park Square. 513-871-4420. DETAILS: Fans of abstract art won’t want to miss viewing this exhibit. The gallery has put together a group show featuring numerous works by five abstract artists in its lineup: John Berry, Kim Krause, Eduardo Monteagudo, Jean-François Provost and Tricia Strickfaden. Check out the eateries and shops on the square while you’re there. The gallery’s regular hours are 2-5 p.m. Tuesdays, 12-5 p.m. Wednesdays, 12-6 p.m. Thursdays and 12-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Footlighters, “Young Frankenstein” | 7:30 p.m., Stained Glass Theatre, 802 York St., Newport. 859-291-7464. DETAILS: It’s alive! The hilarious 1974 Mel Brooks horror-parody film with its wacky take on the Frankenstein story was shocked back to life in 2007 in a stage version with music and lyrics by Brooks himself. The film’s familiar characters are in the stage version as well – mad scientist Frederick, his sidekick Igor (“Walk this way”), assistant Inga, Frau Blucher and, of course, that debonair man about town, the Monster. Here’s a show that could leave you in stitches … Through Oct. 1.
Friday, Sept. 15
Cincinnati Ballet, “More Room to Play” | 7:30 p.m., Jarson-Kaplan Theater, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., downtown. 513-621-5219. DETAILS: The annual Kaplan New Works series focused on choreographers is always a popular ballet attraction, and indeed the first weekend of this year’s event is nearly sold out. The program features five works, including world premieres by David Morse (the title work “More Room to Play”), New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck (“Balderama”) and choreographer Houston Thomas (“In the Smoke”). Also on the bill are “It’s Not a Cry” by Amy Seiwert and “Quem Viver, Verá” (“He Who Lives Shall See”) by Jennifer Archibald. Through Sept. 24.
CCM Philharmonia, “Back to Nature” | 7:30 p.m., Corbett Auditorium, College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. CCM’s top student orchestra, conducted by Mark Gibson, opens its 2023-24 season with orchestral works centered around the world of nature: Dvorak’s “In Nature’s Realm,” Schumann’s “Rhenish” Symphony, a suite from Janacek’s opera “The Cunning Little Vixen” and British composer Charlotte Bray’s “Where Icebergs Dance Away,” premiered in 2021 at the Proms in London.
Saturday, Sept. 16
Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, “Prince Orlofsky’s Grand Masquerade” | 7:30 p.m., Schuster Center, 1 W. 2nd St, Dayton. 937-228-3630. DETAILS: What a way to open the performing arts season in Dayton – the Philharmonic, Opera and Ballet join forces for a musical extravaganza based on Act II of Johann Strauss II’s operetta masterpiece “Die Fledermaus,” with music by Strauss, Brahms, Rossini and other composers. The event includes a pre-concert “Ballroom Bash” and an after-party. Also Sept. 17.
Playhouse in the Park, “Sanctuary City” | 962 Mt. Adams Circle, Mt. Adams. 513-421-3888. DETAILS: A new work by Pulitzer-winning playwright Martyna Majok explores a love story between children of immigrants striving for U.S. citizenship, with all the social and political complications that entails. Directed by Kareem Fahmy, the production is at the Playhouse’s Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre. Through Oct. 22.
The City Flea | 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Washington Park, Over-the-Rhine. DETAILS: Cincinnati’s “original curated, urban flea market” has been going strong at Washington Park and other locations since 2011, becoming not just a monthly market, but a major resource for local small businesses. It has hosted hundreds of vendors offering arts, crafts, foods and more, with a local emphasis. If you haven’t checked it out, take a break from Oktoberfest and stroll up to Washington Park.
Sunday, Sept. 17
Matinee Musicale, pianist Sara Daneshpour | 3 p.m., Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. DETAILS: It’s a Sunday full of musical riches in Cincinnati, and this event is a perfect example. Matinee Musicale, which has been bringing top young recital artists to Cincinnati for 110 years(!), opens its 2023-24 season with the remarkable pianist Sara Daneshpour, who has been praised for her “blazing technique, power, expressivity, imagination and stage presence” by the New York Concert Review. Technically, Matinee isn’t bringing Daneshpour to town: She joined the College-Conservatory of Music faculty last month, so we should have the opportunity to hear her often in the coming years. For this event, she’ll be playing the first nine Preludes and Fugues from J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, and Frederic Chopin’s 12 Etudes, Op. 25 – not quite the mind-boggling program she often performs, pairing Chopin etudes with those by Gyorgy Ligeti (among the most difficult piano works ever written), but a pretty daunting lineup in its own right.
St.B@3 Concert Series, No Promises Vocal Band | 3 p.m., St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 10345 Montgomery Road, Montgomery. DETAILS: Since 2015, Cincinnati’s No Promises has been delighting audiences throughout the region with its a cappella takes on jazz, Motown, rock and other genres, not to mention their “No Promises Christmas” album. It’s a busy schedule, especially considering these guys also have real day jobs. The group does appears on quite a few church music series, and it’s nice to see them on the new, free-to-the-public St.B@3 series.
College-Conservatory of Music Jazz Orchestra, “Basie Land” | 7 p.m., Corbett Auditorium, University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. DETAILS: Directed by Scott Belck, CCM’s jazz big band takes on the mantle of the famous Count Basie Orchestra in a concert of classic hits like “April in Paris,” “Shiny Stockings,” “Moten Swing” and more.
Monday, Sept. 18
Jazz at the Park, Keigo Hirakawa Trio | 6-9 p.m., Washington Park, Over-the-Rhine. 513-621-4400. DETAILS: Jazz pianist Keigo Hirakawa, a University of Dayton professor and graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, is noted especially throughout the Midwest for performances by his jazz trio, with programs combining Hirakawa’s own compositions with fresh looks at jazz standards. His latest album, “Pixel,” gives a good look at his sophisticated style as a jazz composer.
Tuesday, Sept. 19
Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative, “Howdy Neighbor” | 7:30 p.m., Fifth Third Bank Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-ARTS. DETAILS: CPI’s 2023-24 New Voices Season, dedicated to staged readings of plays by local artists, opens with “Howdy Neighbor,” a new offering from Cincinnati playwright Mary Beringer, whose work has been performed at the Know Theatre, Scotland’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival and other venues. A long-time resident company at the Aronoff, CPI offers audiences the chance to discover new playwrights and give them feedback on their work.
Cincinnati Arts Association, “Bluey’s Big Play – The Stage Show” | 6:30 p.m., Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-2787. DETAILS: If you don’t know the Heelers, you haven’t been around preschoolers for a while. The Emmy award-winning Australian animated series about a family of Blue Heelers (Australian Cattle Dogs), focused on young Bluey and her sister Bingo, with archaeologist dad Bandit (he digs up bones) and mom Chilli, who works airport security. “Bluey” is one of the most popular TV series in the world, and its humor is quite distinct from Stateside kids’ shows (16 episodes have been censored or (in one case) banned in the U.S.). This new musical-theater adaptation is totally G-rated, with Bluey and Bingo dragging Dad along to play games on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Through Sept. 21.