Costumes ready? Jack-o-lanterns lit? Creepy sound effects oozing from the boxwoods? It’s Halloween time, and even if you’re not into trick-or-treating or costume parties, there are plenty of cultural events with a Halloween twist on the calendar this week.
Wednesday, Oct. 29
Music in the Museum, organist Vincent Dubois and percussionist Rusty Burge | 7:30 p.m. Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate. 513-287-7000. DETAILS: Three times a year, the Museum Center fires up its 1929 Grand E.M. Skinner Symphonic Concert Organ and invites a top player to take it for a spin. For this concert, it’s organist Vincent Dubois, a titular organist at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and the winner of two major organ competitions, joined in several pieces by noted local percussionist and CCM professor Rusty Burge. They present a wide-ranging program with a French accent, with works by Johann Sebastian Bach, César Franck, Maurice Ravel, Louis Vierne, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Aaron Copland and more.
Human Race Theatre, “Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” | 7:30 p.m. Loft Theatre, Metropolitan Arts Center, 126 N. Main Street, Dayton, Ohio. 937-228-3630. DETAILS: Not for the faint of heart, Kate Hamill’s unsettling dark comedy with a feminist twist on Bram Stoker’s classic novel is all about “driving a stake through the heart of toxic masculinity.” Get the point, guys? Through Nov. 9.
(Photo: Andrew Wilkinson)
St. Thomas Concert, The Gesualdo Six | 7 p.m. St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church, 26 East Villa Place, Fort Thomas. 859-441-1282. DETAILS: British vocal ensemble The Gesualdo Six has won worldwide acclaim for its performances of music ranging from Renaissance masterworks to newly commissioned works. The group performs at St. Thomas in a concert joined by the Chamber Choir from Northern Kentucky University, directed by Katie Barton. The NKU choir performed with The Gesualdo Six in London last year.
Thursday, Oct. 30
CSO Proof, “Día de Los Muertos” | 8 p.m. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-3300. DETAILS: The Mexican “Day of The Dead” isn’t until Nov. 1, but the CSO has its heart in the right place for this fascinating Proof program celebrating the culture and musical traditions of Mexico. The “immersive” experience will allow concertgoers to participate in an ofrenda, writing tributes and placing gifts to departed loved ones on an altar. The music program features the CSO and the world-renowned Mariachi Sol de México de José Hernández in a program with both traditional Mariachi music and some of the greatest orchestral works by Mexican composers, such as Silvestre Revueltas’ “Sensemayá” and Pablo Moncayo’s “Huapango.” Alex Amsel conducts.
Studio Kroner, “The Art of John Agnew” | Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Studio Kroner, 130 W. Court St., downtown. 513-428-9830. DETAILS: Cincinnati naturalist-artist John Agnew, who has created murals and dioramas for the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and other top institutions, is noted for his ability to convey the beauty of all species, particularly those that are often ignored or considered “ugly,” in precisely and accurately detailed artwork. Studio Kroner re-opens after a summer hiatus with an exhibition showing the range of Agnew’s work. In addition to the opening reception, the artist will give a talk about his work at 1 p.m. Nov. 8, and the exhibition continues through Nov. 29.
octKNOWber Nights, “Nosferatu” | 7:30 p.m. Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson St., COver-the-Rhine. 513-300-5669. DETAILS: Know Theatre winds up its month-long octKNOWber Nights fright-fest with a screening of German film director F.W. Murnau’s legendary 1922 silent film “Nosferatu,” with an improvised soundtrack by Innerspace Collective, a group that experiments with improvised ambient sound and music. For a more traditional accompaniment to this silent classic, check out the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra’s Friday concert, next item below.
Friday, Oct. 31
Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” | 7:30 p.m. Greaves Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights. 859-431-6216. DETAILS: Opening its 34th season, the KSO presents a screening of the 1922 silent film “Nosferatu” accompanied by a new orchestral score based on Heinrich Marschner’s 1828 opera “Der Vampyr.” The musical adaptation is by Timothy Brock, an American composer-conductor who specializes in restoring or creating musical scores to accompany silent films. In fact, the estate of Charlie Chaplin commissioned him to restore Chaplin’s own score for his classic film “Modern Times.” The concert opens with a screening of Walt Disney’s 1929 cartoon “The Skeleton Dance” with music by Carl Stallings. KSO concertgoers are invited to come dressed as “your favorite cinematic vampire,” and those who do get a free, “bloody good” drink from the KSO.
Art After Dark, All Hallows’ Eve | 5-9 p.m. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park. 513-721-2787. DETAILS: For Halloween, Art After Dark features dancing to music from several DJs, gallery tours with docents telling spooky stories about the “haunted” museum, a giant puppet parade from Visionaries + Voices, cash bars, food and other activities. Halloween costumes are encouraged, but the museum has several restrictions on acceptable costuming. Check the website for details.
Other scary stuff on Halloween: The Mason Community Players open a production of “The Haunting of Hill House” at 8 p.m. in the Mason Community Playhouse; The Fitton Center in Hamilton screens the ever-popular “Rocky Horror Picture Show” at 10 p.m.; and Fountain Square’s Jammin’ on the Square series presents the Naked Karate Girls (now THAT’s scary!) at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 1
Dayton Opera, “Carmen” | 7:30 p.m. Schuster Center, 1 W. 2nd St., Dayton, Ohio. 937-228-3630. DETAILS: This presentation of French composer Georges Bizet’s ever-popular opera “Carmen,” with its Spanish musical flair and fiery, tragic story, is an all-female-led production conducted by Chelsea Gallo, choreographed by Flamenco dancer Irene Rodriguez and stage-directed by Kathleen Clawson, Dayton Opera artistic director. Collaborating with the opera company are the Dayton Philharmonic and Dayton Ballet. Also 2:30 p.m. Nov. 2.
Kennedy Heights Arts Center, “Unleashed: New Works by Kennedy Collective Members” | Opening reception 6-8 p.m. Kennedy Heights Arts Center, 6546 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH 45213. 513-631-4278. DETAILS: The annual show by the arts center’s Collective features painting, collage, sculpture, ceramics, photography and more, all by local artists, and many of the works are available for sale. The show also features “Off the Wall,” a collection of smaller works for $50 each, with half the proceeds going to KHAC. The free opening reception includes light refreshments. Through Dec. 23.
Ensemble Con Fuoco, “Requiem for the Forgotten” | 7 p.m. St. Gabriel Church, 48 W. Sharon Road, Glendale. DETAILS: Ensemble con Fuoco, a local professional choral group directed by David Castillo Gocher, aims to present choral music that “burns brightly with purpose, precision and passion.” For this program, it’s presenting the “Requiem for the Forgotten” by Frank La Rocca, a highly regarded Catholic liturgical music composer who serves as composer-in-residence at the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Liturgy in Menlo Park, California. The work aims to advocate for “refugees, the unhoused and all who bear silent burdens.” The work is performed in concert format at St. Gabriel, and also at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 as part of a solemn Requiem Mass at St. Martin of Tours in Westwood.
Krohn Conservatory, “Festival of Ferns” | 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Krohn Conservatory, 1501 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park. 513-421-4086. DETAILS: The Krohn Conservatory’s annual holiday show, which features an array of ferns and a botanical model of Cincinnati and its landmarks created by Applied Imagination, is a great place for families to create, shall we say, frond memories, and it includes a couple of special events during its run. The conservatory generally is open during the hours above, but check the website for occasional changes. Through Jan. 4.
Sunday, Nov. 2
St. B @ 3 Concert Series, Mambo Combo | 3 p.m. St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 10345 Montgomery Road, Montgomery. 513-984-8401. DETAILS: It’s a jazzy Sunday in Cincinnati. To start things off, local all-star Latin-jazz group Mambo Combo, which plays regularly in the area’s top jazz spots, presents a concert as part of St. Barnabas’ Sunday-afternoon series (it’s free, but the church welcomes donations). The core combo includes founder/musical director Michael Sharfe on bass, Charles Ali Schweitzer and Baba Charles Miller on percussion, Brian Batchelor-Glader on piano, Tim McCord on woodwinds and John Zappa on trumpet.
CCM Jazz Orchestra, “Give It All You’ve Got” | 7 p.m. Corbett Auditorium, College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. DETAILS: For its evening concert, the CCM Jazz Orchestra directed by Scott Belck features the versatile Michael Dease – a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow and Downbeat Magazine’s Trombonist of the Year – who also plays saxophone, trumpet, flugelhorn, bass and piano – as guest artist on trombone and saxophone.
Monday, Nov. 3
Jazz at the Memo, “Autumn Leaves” | 7 p.m.Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-977-8838. DETAILS: Queen City Cabaret, the busy duo of vocalist Sarah Folsom and pianist Matthew Umphreys, promoting the Great American Songbook in venues all over the area, performs a program of jazz standards with an autumnal theme. Wonder if Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “It Might as Well be Spring” might sneak in there, though …
Tuesday, Nov. 4
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, “Yo-Yo Ma Plays Elgar” | 7:30 p.m. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-3300. DETAILS: This rare Cincinnati appearance by the great cellist Yo-Yo Ma is sold out, understandably, but the CSO is hosting free “watch parties” with simulcasts of the concert at four locations: The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s Forest Park Branch, 660 Northland Blvd., Cincinnati, OH 45240; Clifton Cultural Arts Center, 3412 Clifton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45220; Kennedy Heights Arts Center, 6546 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH 45213 (with a free performance by the Angie Coyle Quartet at 5:30 p.m.); and ARCO Cincinnati, 3301 Price Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45205. CSO Music Director Cristian Mӑcelaru conducts the program, which includes Johannes Brahms’ “Tragic” Overture, Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto and George Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 1.
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