Culture FIX: Aug. 21-27

Schools may already be back in session, but summer is not yet done with us. If you’re a jazz fan, you’re especially in luck, and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra is throwing itself a birthday party 50 years in the making. Plus there’s a perch for Parrotheads in Price Hill and great American songs across the river. Take a look.

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Wednesday, Aug. 21

Cincinnati Landmark Productions, “Jimmy Buffet’s Escape to Margaritaville” | 7:30 p.m. Warsaw Federal Incline Theater, 801 Matson Place, Price Hill. DETAILS: You had to know that Jimmy Buffett’s actual death last year wouldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the inhabitants of Margaritaville. As People’s Exhibit A, we submit this revue, opening tonight, of Parrothead favorites. The wraparound plot by Emmy winner Greg Garcia (“My Name is Earl,” “Raising Hope”) and Emmy nominee Mike O’Malley leaves room for songs like “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” “Fins,” “Volcano,” and, of course, “Margaritaville.” Runs Wednesdays through Sundays through Sept. 15.

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Summermusik, Great American Songbook Revue | 9 p.m. 828 The Turn, 828 Monmouth St., Newport. DETAILS: Summermusik is winding down, but there are two strong programs to catch. First, vocalist Mandy Gaines throws the book at you – the Great American Songbook, that is. She, along with a string quartet and rhythm section, offers a tour of America’s 20th-century jazz standards, popular songs and show tunes as part of the Chamber Crawl series. It’s music by all the greats: Harold Arlen, George and Ira Gershwin, Jimmy Van Heusen, Jerome Kern, Henry Mancini and Cole Porter. The early show is already sold out, but some tickets remain for this later one.

Thursday, Aug. 22

It’s Commonly Jazz | 6 p.m. Seasongood Pavilion, 1600 Art Museum Drive, Mount Adams. DETAILS: The 40th year of the region’s longest running free summer jazz series continues with saxophonist J.D. Allen and storyteller Yemi Oyediran. As always, there are food trucks, and, during intermission, you can experience a commemorative piece by Torrie Wiggins covering jazz’s past, present and future.

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Cincinnati World Cinema, “Chronicles of a Wandering Saint” | 7 p.m. The Garfield Theatre, 719 Race St., downtown. DETAILS: Cincinnati World Cinema screens the 2023 directorial debut of Tomás Gómez Bustillo, who also wrote the script of this award-winning Argentine-U.S. supernatural comedy. The plot in a nutshell: In a tiny Argentinian town, a pious yet competitive woman decides that staging a miracle could be her ticket to sainthood. Repeats 7 p.m. Saturday, and it’s in Spanish.

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FotoFocus Biennial Preview | 5:30 p.m. OTR StillHouse, 2017 Branch St., Over-the-Rhine. DETAILS: The new FotoFocus headquarters won’t open until 2025, but that’s OK: The biennial celebration of lens-based art, this year with the theme “backstories,” is bigger than a single building anyway. Get an idea of how much bigger and sign up for your free passport at this celebratory preview. You’ll also be able to meet representatives from the 86 – yes, 86 – participating venues and see a special screening thanks to the Cindependent Film Festival’s Reels on Wheels.

Friday, Aug. 23

Great Parks, Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra | 6 p.m. Lake Isabella Boathouse, 10174 Loveland-Madeira Road, Loveland. DETAILS: Usually, 76-acre Lake Isabella is where you’d go to catch fish. Two Fridays a month through the summer, though, you can catch an almost free (you have to have a park system sticker) concert, and enjoy a burger and beverage with it. This week, the Burgers and Brews series hosts the entire CCJO. The fish will get precious little rest when that band is blowing. 

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Clifton Cultural Arts Center, “Made With Less” | 6 p.m. 3412 Clifton Ave., Clifton. 513-497-2860. DETAILS: Cincinnati-based artist Kathy Salchow presents a body of her work intimately concerned with the materiality of the world around her. The new exhibition at the still new CCAC combines found natural objects in precarious and surprising ways. After this opening reception, exhibition runs through Sept. 20.

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Xavier University, Suzanne Michele Chouteau Faculty Exhibition | 3:30 p.m. Xavier University Art Gallery, 1658 Musketeer Drive, Evanston. DETAILS: Solo showcase of works by artist and printmaker Suzanne Michele Chouteau, an XU art professor. After this opening reception, show runs through Sept. 20.

Saturday, Aug. 24

Heritage Village Museum, Columbia Settlement 1788 | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. 11500 Lebanon Road, Sharonville. 513-563-9484. You may not know that Cincinnati – even under its original name, Losantiville – was not the first pioneer settlement on our stretch of the mighty O-hi-o. Columbia, at the confluence of the Little Miami, held that honor, beating the Queen City by a few months. Floods and Fort Washington’s construction in its upstart rival doomed it to be relegated to one of Cincinnati’s neighborhoods. The Heritage Village Museum takes you back to 1788 to learn about the area’s first settlers through interpreters, demonstrations, crafts and games.

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Vocal soloists for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the CCO

Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, “Happy Birthday!” | 7:30 p.m. Corbett Theater, School for Creative and Performing Arts, 108 West Central Parkway, Over-the-Rhine. 513-723-1182. DETAILS: You’ll recall under Wednesday I mentioned two strong programs to finish out the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra’s Summermusik 2024. This is the other one, the main event. The CCO marks multiple overlapping anniversaries in this program anchored by Beethoven’s venerable Symphony No. 9. You have your choice of celebrating the 10th year of the Summermusik festival, the CCO’s 50th anniversary season or the 200th anniversary of the 9th symphony’s premiere in Vienna. CCO music director Eckart Preu leads combined forces of the orchestra, soloists and the Summermusik Chorus. Program also includes a Johann Strauss Jr. rarity, the “Seid Umschlungen, Millionen” Waltz, a reference to the same poem that inspired Beethoven, and Rossini’s “William Tell” Overture.

Sunday, Aug. 25

The Carnegie, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” | 3 p.m. 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington. 859-957-1940. DETAILS: This bio-musical of Carole King had a fairly short run. If you haven’t seen it yet, this weekend is your last chance. Last show is Sunday’s matinee. Features over two dozen pop classics, including “It’s Too Late,” “I Feel the Earth Move,” “One Fine Day” and “You’ve Got a Friend.” 

Monday, Aug. 26

Jazz at the Park | 6 p.m. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. DETAILS: Yes, even more jazz. Jazz at the Memo – i.e., Memorial Hall – helps program this summerlong (now through October), weekly, free jazz series on the Porch in Washington Park, so it comes with pedigree. Up this week is Cincinnati-based blues pianist and singer Ben Levin. Still in his mid-20s, Levin already has released four albums and has earned three Blues Music Award nominations, including for best piano player. 

Tuesday, Aug. 27

Longworth-Anderson Series, Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal | 8 p.m. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-977-8838. DETAILS: Multiple Grammy winner Rosanne Cash and her husband, John Leventhal, are on tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her landmark album, “The Wheel,” and this year’s release of Leventhal’s debut solo album, “Rumble Strip.” Ticketholders can enjoy a complimentary preconcert reception with live local music, light bites from Ollie’s Trolley and N.Y.P.D. Pizza, and craft beer tastings from HighGrain Brewing Co.