Fall is definitely here. Yep, leaves are falling and so is the temperature, but the Queen City never falls short of artsy things to do. Get a serious percussion fix or check out some interesting art openings. May Festival makes a special, off-season appearance or you can hear a little mid-week Beethoven. Aaaand, there’s COFFEE. Remember that cute, little alien you fell in love with, years ago? You can fall in love, all over again. ET returns to the Carpool Cinema. This is the week to fall over backward and find something fun to do.
Wednesday, Oct. 18
(Photo by Benjamin Ealovega)
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven & Tchaikovsky | 7:30 p.m. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-3300. DETAILS: The CSO takes a “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” in this special mid-week concert under the baton of guest conductor Ramón Tebar. John Adams’ 1986 orchestral work is a short, minimalist “fanfare for orchestra” in Adams’ own words. Pianist Jonathan Biss, one of the great Beethoven interpreters of our time, offers Beethoven’s Concerto No. 4 in G Major. Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 rounds out the program. (Only $10 for this outstanding program. Seats still available, especially in the gallery, where the sound is the best.)
Thursday, Oct. 19
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, “Simple as Water” | 7:30 p.m. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton. 513-281-8750. DETAILS: “We Are One: Hope” promotes the works and stories of those living in the Greater Cincinnati region who came to the United States as immigrants, refugees, or displaced persons. It is a collaborative project featuring community partners such as ArtWorks, Cincinnati Compass, Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati USA, Ignite Peace, MAKETANK Inc., and Refugee Connect as well as musical partners including Coro Volante, MYCincinnati, Northern Kentucky University Choirs, Thomas More University Choral Activities, and Little Miami Select Choirs. The opening event, “Simple as Water” portrays Syrian families filmed across five countries revealing the impact of war, separation and displacement. Free.
College-Conservatory of Music/Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, “Let The Right One In” | 8 p.m. Patricia Corbett Theater, University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. DETAILS: An enchanting, brutal vampire myth and coming-of-age love story adapted from the bestselling novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist and the award-winning Swedish film of the same name. Directed by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Brian Isaac Phillips. Continues through Oct. 28.
The UnderWorld Black Arts Festival | 6:30 p.m. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., downtown, and other venues. 513-345-8400. DETAILS: The UnderWorld Black Arts Festival is a community-based project that celebrates Black creatives from around the world. Launched by Napoleon Maddox, the festival acts as an incubator for experimental work, innovation, and intergenerational dialogue. In its fifth year, the festival celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with appearances by Danny Simmons, Reverend Run of Run-DMC and others. Through Oct. 21.
Skirball Museum, Three Complimentary Exhibitions | 5:30 p.m. Hebrew Union College, 3101 Clifton Ave., Clifton. 513-487-3231. DETAILS: After a lengthy closure, the galleries devoted to Torah, Life Cycle, and Holidays and Festivals in the Skirball’s core exhibition “An Eternal People: The Jewish Experience” reopen. Three new exhibitions focusing on women enhance the main gallery improvements. Santa Fe-based artist Ellie Beth Scott is welcomed to the Skirball’s second floor foyer. For her exhibition “Eve: I Understand”, Scott was inspired by selected ritual objects in the Skirball collection used by women and by practices performed by women, rendering richly colored pieces using fabric, thread, paint, buttons and beads. The other two exhibits, “Motherhood Essence” and “The Feminine Divine: Cincinnati and Israeli Artists Interpret The Female Experience,” bring together four Israeli and four Cincinnati artists to respond to the power of women as community builders, organizers and healers through times of crisis and change. Free.
Friday, Oct. 20
College-Conservatory of Music, Percussion Ensemble | 7:30 p.m. Cohen Family Theater, University of Cincinnati, Clifton. 513-556-4183. DETAILS: Did you know the piano is a percussion instrument? How so, you ask? Little felted hammers inside of a piano hit strings rather than plucking or bowing them like a violin. Percussion instruments include any instrument that makes a sound when it is hit, shaken or scraped. Percussion instruments keep the rhythm, make special sounds and add excitement and color. The most common percussion instruments include the timpani, xylophone, cymbals, triangle, snare drum, bass drum, tambourine, maracas, gongs, chimes, celesta and piano. Or books. Check out the interesting video, above, and then head out to CCM to experience the Percussion Ensemble. You’re sure to learn something new. Free.
Caffe Vivace, Ignacio Berroa Trio | 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. 975 E. Mc Millan St., Walnut Hills. 513-601-9897. DETAILS: If jazz is more your thing, head to Walnut Hills for an evening with drummer extraordinaire Ignacio Berroa. Known as a leading innovator in the blending of Afro-Cuban and American jazz styles, he has supported a wide spectrum of the top names in jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Charlie Haden and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Lots of tables and seats at the bar still available, but probably won’t be for long.
Saturday, Oct. 21
Ohio River Foundation, Cincinnati Coffee Festival | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Music Hall Ballroom, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-460-3365. DETAILS: Learn about the art and science of COFFEE (and tea!) from expert presenters. Hear live music. Sample fine chocolate, wholesome baked goods, and a variety of other specialty foods. Visit the “cupping station” to learn how to sample coffee like a pro. And learn the nuances of pouring great latte art from a professional barista at Latte Art in Action. I’m in, are you? Don’t fall behind in planning your visit!
The Carnegie, “Exhibition X” | 5-8 p.m. 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington. 859-491-2030. DETAILS: If you are a lover or creator of collage, this is for you. “Exhibition X” is a loose examination of collage strategies and techniques across a range of media. Current trends in collage both embrace digital processes and signal a return to handmade objects. A thing versus a file suggesting a thing. The exhibit leans into physicality, celebrating the objectness of the object. This is what emerges from artists pasting and assembling pieces of this and elements of that into something that resembles a whole idea. Artists include Edie Fake, Krista Franklin, Dianna Frid, Greenwich Village Book Desecration League, Terence Hammonds, Julia Schmitt Healy, Joseph Heidecker, CT King, Thomas Kong, Dutes Miller, Ayanah Moor, Erin Jane Nelson, Paul Nudd, Sarah Palmer and many more. Continues through Feb. 3.
May Festival, Durufle + Adolphe: Music for Chorus and Organ | 2 & 5 p.m. Christ Church Cathedral, 318 E. Fourth St., downtown. 513-621-1817. DETAILS: The May Festival Chorus and organist Michael Unger perform a special concert in Christ Church Cathedral. And you have two opportunities. Director of Choruses Robert Porco, now in his 35th and final season, leads Maurice Duruflé’s virtuosic and moving Requiem, a showcase for the Cathedral’s magnificent Richards, Fowkes & Co. organ. The chorus will also premiere an arrangement for chorus and organ of Julia Adolphe’s “Crown of Hummingbirds.” Adolphe’s music, and poetry by Jamaican poet Safiya Sinclair, were commissioned by the May Festival for its 150th anniversary in 2023. Yours Truly and spouse love to go to late afternoon concerts downtown and then grab a bite to eat at Arnold’s. Maybe you might enjoy the same routine at your favorite restaurant!
Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Carpool Cinema | 6:30 p.m. 320 McAlpin Ave., Clifton. 513-497-2860. DETAILS: Who can forget those adorable faces? Steven Spielberg‘s classic, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” returns to Cincinnati, this weekend and you can watch from the comfort of your own vehicle. Put the kids in their jammies, drive up and enjoy. Grab dinner from the Clifton Business District, bring your own or pick up a snack from the on-site Esquire Theatre concession stand, then park and tune in on your vehicle’s radio for the movie soundtrack! Sounds like fun. Free, but registration required.
Sunday, Oct. 22
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, “Sanctuary” | 7 p.m. St. Boniface Church, 1750 Chase Ave., Northside. 513- 723-1182. DETAILS: “We Are One: Hope” continues with performances of “Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout” for string orchestra by Gabriela Lena Frank, “Misa Criolla” by Ariel Ramirez and Gunnar Erikssohn’s “To the Mothers in Brazil.” The Northern Kentucky University Choirs and Thomas More University Choral Activities perform. Free, but reservation required.
ARTclectic, Afternoon Tea | 1-4 p.m. 6249 Stewart Ave., Silverton. 513-822-5200. DETAILS: “You will experience an authentic full English Tea service with unlimited samplings of teas, handmade tea sandwiches, nut-free scones, and sweets, served on vintage china, all while being surrounded by the dazzling artwork of Cincinnati artists!” So goes the description of what should be a delicious event at ARTclectic, dedicated to the work of Cincinnati area artists, emerging artists and the creation of community and sustainability.
Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony | 7 p.m. Indian Hill Church, 6000 Drake Road, Indian Hill. 513-549-2197. DETAILS: Cincinnati Choral Society joins BAMSO and Conductor Michael Chertock to perform Franz Schubert’s Mass in G. Written when he was only 18 years old, the Mass in G remains his best- known missa brevis and was written in only one week. Also on the program is Benjamin Britten’s “Simple Symphony,” composed from music he had written as a child. Such talented youngsters, Schubert and Britten. Free.
Monday, Oct. 23
Jazz at the Park, Pamela Mallory | 6-9 p.m. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. DETAILS: Enjoy this penultimate concert of the Jazz at the Park season. Grab a chair, a sweatshirt and a cup of hot cocoa (OK, you can punch it up a little) and enjoy a little jazz under a waxing gibbous moon. Bring your sweetie and fall for each other all over, again.
Tuesday, Oct. 24
Young Professionals Choral Collective/Queen City Cabaret, “Lune Noire” | 7:30 p.m. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-601-8699. DETAILS: From sultry jazz rhythms and midnight dreams to the promise of morning daybreak, YPCC and guests, Queen City Cabaret, explore the varying facets of darkness. Audience members will be transported to classic nightclubs with familiar tunes including “Sing, Sing, Sing” and “Moon River.” Cocktail hour starts at 6:30.