Summer continues to rage, but the arts have no intention of letting 90-degree heat win. Stay inside with lectures and art openings. Cincinnati Pops goes to “La La Land” and Cincinnati Music Theatre gives an exam after their show. KSO finishes up outdoor offerings and Phil DeGreg provides lunchtime respite. Enjoy yourself.
Wednesday, Sept. 2
Over-the Rhine Museum, Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine | 6:30 p.m. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-813-7309. DETAILS: This lecture series is designed to expose and educate attendees about legendary and modern stories of this neighborhood. Tonight’s talk, “A Second Look at Danny Ransohoff’s Over-the-Rhine” introduces the upcoming FotoFocus exhibit “Danny Ransohoff’s Cityscapes Through New Eyes.” Ransohoff was a scholar, educator, social worker, historian and all-around Cincinnati promoter. His special talents in photography captured a neighborhood of people, poverty, buildings and life. The FotoFocus exhibit pairs photographs by current UC students with those of the past. The panel includes three who knew him best. Robert Flischel will discuss Ransohoff’s documentary photo skills. Dan Hurley, local historian, TV reporter and columnist, will discuss his and Ransohoff’s shared love of history. And Terry Grundy weaves in stories of how the Great Depression shaped Ransohoff’s life and photography. The exhibit itself opens Oct. 3 at the Over-the-Rhine Museum.
Thursday, Sept. 3
American Sign Museum, “Full Circle: The Golden Era, Decline and Renaissance of the American Carousel” | 7 p.m. 1330 Monmouth Ave., Camp Washington. 513-541-6366. DETAILS: Enjoy an illuminating evening at this über-fun museum and learn about the history of the carousel – a fascinating one, for sure, and surprisingly important in the immigrant experience. If you haven’t noticed, there’s been a resurgence. Carousels are everywhere. Danielle Bennighus tells the story. Give it a whirl.
Studio Kroner, “Soft Edges” | 6-9 p.m. 130 W. Court St., downtown. 513-428-9830. DETAILS: The line between art and craft is a fine one. Six regional women artists resurrect forgotten arts with their material knowledge, sustainability and regional identity. Craft-based practices are culturally vital to contemporary art. Artists include Sara Torgison, Erica Fitzgerald, Ciara LeRoy, Talcon Quinn and Celeste Malvar-Stewart. Exhibit curated by Devan Horton. Runs through Sept. 26.
Friday, Sept. 4
Cincinnati Music Theatre, “English Lit” | 7:30 p.m. Fifth Third Bank Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-2787. DETAILS: This original piece by CMT takes us on a humorous CliffNotes journey to revisit classic books and the Broadway shows they inspired. Will we see any T.S. Eliot or Victor Hugo? How about George Bernard Shaw? Or, dare we say it, William Shakespeare? We hear there may be an exam at the end of the show. Directed and conceived by Greg Dorr. Runs through Sept. 12.
Middletown Arts Center, “Steel in a Different Light” • Bob Hawkins: “Life at Every Distance” | 6-8 p.m. 130 N. Verity Pkwy., Middletown. 513-424-2417. DETAILS: MAC opens two exhibits for your viewing pleasure. “Steel in a Different Light” fuses fine art with Middletown’s steel heritage. Renowned steel artist Mike Elsass presents his work alongside that of Cleveland-Cliffs (formerly Armco/AK Steel) employees to creatively and artistically honor the material that has shaped the Middletown community. The second exhibit follows the work of photographer Bob Hawkins. Nature is at the center of Hawkins’ work celebrating “photography’s power to shape how we see, remember and connect past, present and future.” Exhibits run through Oct. 15 and 28, respectively.
Saturday, Sept. 5
Cincinnati Pops, “La La Land” in Concert | 7:30 p.m. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-3300. DETAILS: Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Academy Award-winning film, the story of a promising pianist (Ryan Gosling) and aspiring actress (Emma Stone) who fall in love in the City of Angels. Enjoy the complete musical score with full jazz band and piano solos in this live-to-film experience. Dreams vs. love. Which one wins? Conducted by Damon Gupton, Pops principal guest conductor (who also appears in the movie). Repeats Sunday at 2 p.m.
Ensemble Theatre, “Corner of the Sky: The Music of Stephen Schwartz” | 7 p.m. 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-421-3555. DETAILS: The music of legendary Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz takes center stage in this world premiere show featuring songs from the five-decade career of one of musical theater’s greatest songwriters. Over his extraordinary career he has composed Oscar and Grammy award-winning hits such as “Wicked,” “Pippin,” “The Prince of Egypt,” “Children of Eden,” “The Baker’s Wife,” and our personal favorite, “Godspell.” Schwartz’s lyrics are everywhere and has completed a surprising number of lyric translations, Bernstein’s “Mass” among them. Klea Blackhurst, Chris Blem, Kenneth Early, Chanduni Herath, Jordyn Amani Jones, Gavin Poronsky, Sydney Short and Jessica Handy sing the songs. Music director John Boswell provides continuity as The Songwriter. Runs through Sept. 27.
Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, “Living in America” | 7:30 p.m. Devou Park, 1201 Park Dr., Covington. 859-431-6216. DETAILS: The KSO’s 32nd Summer Series ends on an energetic note as its Boogie Band celebrates all-things-American. “Living in America” offers up interpretations of the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, Chicago, Elton John, and their contributions to the patriotic songbook honoring our people, freedom, hopes and ideals. (Remember those?) Collect your friends and a nice picnic supper and we’ll see you in Devou. Repeats Sunday at Tower Park Amphitheater, Fort Thomas. KSO will also livestream that performance.
Sunday, Sept. 6
Blue Ash/Montgomery Symphony, “Sunrise, Sunset-Music Through the Day” | 7 p.m. Tom Stone Ampitheater, 4309 Cooper Rd., Blue Ash. 513-549-2197. DETAILS: Spend part of your Labor Day weekend with the BAMSO and conductor Michael Chertock as they celebrate our labor and the passage of time over the course of a day. “Well, doesn’t that sound boring,” you might say. Not so! Edvard Grieg’s “Morning Mood” from Peer Gynt, Dmitri Tiomkin’s Symphonic Suite from “High Noon,” Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun,” Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” “Memory” from “Cats” and the late, great Dolly Parton anthem “9 to 5” work for us. Burgers, dogs, brats, popcorn, soft drinks and ice cream for purchase.
Monday, Sept. 7
Enjoy time with family and friends celebrating the contributions and achievements of American workers, especially those who make the arts possible.
Tuesday, Sept. 8
Christ Church Cathedral, Music Live at Lunch | 12:10 p.m. 318 E. Fourth St., downtown. 513-621-1817. DETAILS: The Phil DeGreg Trio opens the Music Live at Lunch season at Christ Church. One of Cincinnati’s favorite jazz pianists, DeGreg and his friends will provide a nice lunchtime respite from your day-at-the-desk. Bring your own lunch or purchase one at the church.
Mercantile Library, “Murmuration Archives: An Evening with Felicia Zamora” | 6:30 p.m., 414 Walnut St., downtown. 513-621-0717. DETAILS: “Murmuration Archives” is poet Felicia Zamora’s latest collection of new poems delving into “ancient Mesoamerican codex, lineage, and her stage-two breast cancer treatment.” During cancer treatment, Zamora studied the Codex Yoalli Ehēcatl, one of the only pre-Columbian texts to survive the Spanish colonization of Mexico. The result is an imaginative linkage between voices of ancestors and the “rawness of cancer” to find the self and subsequently record in a series of bold docupoems. Zamora is associate professor of poetry at the University of Cincinnati, author of eight books and has been published in numerous anthologies.
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