Flowers are blooming and plenty of new art is on the walls. No B-movies, this week. Music in our favorite places. A little dance, a teaser by the May Festival and some radical fashion. Make every night Date Night.
Wednesday, April 22
Caffè Vivace, Carmon DeLeone and The Studio Big Band | 7:30 p.m. 975 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills. 513-601-9897. DETAILS: “Cincinnati’s Resident Conductor” Carmon DeLeone and his Studio Big Band take the Vivace stage for an evening of the American Songbook and other jazz favorites. The band has hosted some of the greats including Tim Hagans, Steve Schmidt, Gordon Brisker, Lynn Seaton, Wilbert Longmire and many more since drummer DeLeone founded the group in 1967. You may listen to his long-running radio program “Sunday Morning Music Hall” on WDJO on, well, Sunday mornings. Enjoy special drinks and eats with friends while you take it all in.
Thursday, April 23
Cincinnati World Cinema, “Age Group Winner” | 7 p.m. 719 Race St., downtown. DETAILS: CWC presents “Age Group Winner” in conjunction with Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon (May 1-3). Filmmaker Lex Helgerson introduces us to her father, Jay, who decided 45 years ago he was going to run a marathon a week for one year. He did it. Every run under three hours. Helgerson, a former college athlete, follows her father from 2015-2020 as he trains for the Boston Marathon capturing anxieties, struggles with age and emotional distress. Have dinner before the show at one of the great restaurants in the area.
Cincinnati May Festival, “Porgy & Bess – Remixed” | 7 p.m. Kennedy Heights Arts Center, 6546 Montgomery Rd., Kennedy Heights. 513-381-3300. DETAILS: Love “Porgy & Bess”? We all do. As an appetizer, here’s your chance experience tunes from George Gershwin’s famous opera before the May Festival presents the main course – a reimagining by guest director Julia Bullock to close the fesitval later in May. Cincinnati jazz icon Kathy Wade, May Festival chorus member Robert Lomax and the Cincinnati Jazz Academy Combo serve up the musical hors d’oevrves.
Cincinnati Art Museum, “Art in Bloom” | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park. 513-721-2787. DETAILS: It’s here! Flowers and art all in one place. Floral artists from across the globe use the CAM collection as prompts for imaginative, inspiring and sometimes outrageously stunning live floral designs. For one weekend only, stroll the galleries in search of your favorite arrangement accompanying a specific painting, sculpture or other piece of art. Exclusive programming and interactive workshops accompany the exhibit. Many events sellout, quickly, so get your tickets, now. Runs through Sunday, April 26.
Friday, April 24
Memorial Hall, Genesis ReTouched | 8 p.m. 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-977-8838. DETAILS: This lookback at the iconic Phil Collins era of Genesis captures the essence of their late 1980s-to-2000s global tours. Remember some of their albums? “Duke,” “Abacab,” “Mama?” Relive it all with this tribute act that takes you back, if only for an evening.
Cincinnati Art Museum, Elizabeth Hawes: “Radical American Fashion” | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park. 513-721-2787. DETAILS: Radical designer, author and social commentator Elizabeth Hawes felt that clothing was an expression of the self and that fashion shouldn’t be dictated by the industry. She was the first champion of ready-to-wear clothing and what the consumer wanted to wear, rather than what the fashion industry thought was fashionable. This first major museum exhibit focused on her work features 50 garments designed and created from the 1920s to 1960s. If you can’t get there during the day, attend Art After Dark; enjoy the exhibit and Art in Bloom from 5-9 p.m.
Contemporary Arts Center, Michael Stillion: “And then it was flowers” | 7-9 p.m. 44 E. Sixth St., downtown. 513-345-8400. DETAILS: Michael Stillion’s work includes paintings, works on paper, ceramic sculptures and animations. He counts iconic cartoon character Bart Simpson and Nike’s Jordan Jumpman shoes along with the pop culture of his childhood in the ’80’s and ’90’s as major influences. Rural Ohio landscapes and art history are also referenced in his work. Exaggerated poppy flowers serve as metaphors for fragility, impermanence, transition and pollination. Sounds interesting. Runs through Aug. 30, along with works by another gifted Cincinnati artist, Gee Horton.
Weston Art Gallery, Xaviera Simmons: “According to the Seasons”, Jared Thorne: “26 Planned Parenthoods” | 6-8 p.m. Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., downtown. 513-977-4165. DETAILS: Xaviera Simmons is an outspoken critic of systemic racism. Large scale projects, poster actions and installations explore violence, civil rights and democracy in America. South African photographer Jared Thorne has photographed every Planned Parenthood building in Ohio to study the portrait of place. The project was started to recognize this very essential piece of healthcare. With the reversal of Roe vs. Wade, the project has become a monument of a world moving away faster than we had expected. On display through June 14.
Saturday, April 25
Revolution Dance Theatre, “Skye: A New World of Wonder” | Three shows: 1, 4 & 7 p.m. Jarson Kaplan Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-2787. DETAILS: Where you start is not where you finish. Skye is a caterpillar whose transformation we witnessed at her RDT introduction three years ago. In this season’s last concert, Skye now shows us how we all can be transformed and changed through courage and community. With powerful music and choreography by founding Artistic Director David Choate, the company shows how each one of us can be all we can be. Local author Ashley Aya Ferguson has written a children’s book to accompany the performances and it will be available for purchase.
Asian Food Fest | 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Court Street Plaza, downtown. DETAILS: This two-day food extravaganza is back for its 15th year with Asian food and culture on display. Enjoy more than 50 vendors and several “secret menu” vendors. A “secret menu” is a common practice in many Asian restaurants of additional “hidden” menu items that provide a special feeling of comfort and home. A handful of retail vendors will also be on hand with non-food items. Repeats Sunday until 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 26
Christ Church Cathedral, Stephan Casurella, organ | 3 p.m. 318 E. Fourth St., downtown. 513-621-1817. DETAILS: Stephan Casurella, Christ Church music director, performs on both cathedral organs: C.B. Fisk Op. 148 and Richard Fowkes & Co. Op. 24. The program includes works by Girolamo Frescobaldi, Ignazio Cirri, J. S. Bach, Domenico Zipoli, T. Frederick Bridge, Georg Böhm, Rachel Laurin and Fela Sowande. If you’ve never been to Christ Church, this would be good way to experience this beautiful, resonant space.
Viva Voices, Fifth Anniversary Celebration Gala | 3 p.m. Music Hall Ballroom, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-3300. DETAILS: We love to sing in a chorus. Yes, we do. Viva Voices has clearly demonstrated this to be true with its expansive choral programs for both children, youth and adults who take the stage for this performance and party. Tony Burdette and Houston Tyrrell conduct.
Monday, April 27
Woodward Theater, “Mermaid” | 7:30 p.m. 1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-345-7981. DETAILS: Meet Doug. Doug has problems. Doug is a drug addict. Doug is divorced, alone and jobless. Doug meets a mermaid. This 2025 action comedy horror thriller film was written and directed by Tyler Cornack, and stars Johnny Pemberton as Doug and Avery Potemri as Destiny, the mermaid. Follow Doug as he rescues and brings Destiny back to life, but then is forced to protect his new friend at all costs.
Tuesday, April 28
Fountain Square, Jazz at the Square | 5 p.m. 520 Vine St., downtown. DETAILS: Dan Radank, Northern Kentucky’s own “Old Blue Eyes” (actually, he has green eyes) and friends entertain with some of Sinatra’s biggest hits along with other favorites. Stop by after your boring, demoralizing day-at-the-desk for a fun pick-me-up and a drink from The Fountain Bar before you head home.
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