Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble, the region’s longest-standing professional chorus, released its 2026-27 concert season, the second under the direction of conductor Joe Miller. Following on the heels of a successful return to perform as part of the 2026 May Festival, VAE has planned three distinct concert experiences beginning in Ocrober.
The funding will support 46 arts organizations across Greater Cincinnati, helping pay for performances, exhibitions, arts education and other community programming.
Alsop serves as artistic director and chief conductor of the Polish National Radio Symphony, principal guest conductor of London’s Philharmonia Orchestra and principal guest conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She also leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s annual summer residencies at Ravinia Festival.
We say Greater Cincinnati offers a cultural feast. With Memorial Day earlier than usual, though, the warm season overlaps the traditional season. That means twice the fun and enlightenment this week, whether it’s eclectic music across an entire neighborhood, fresh sounds at a classical festival or a literal feast to kick off summer. Grab your spork and read on.
This week it’s about singing, shopping and books. All of my favorite things. May Festival steps onto the risers (don’t forget dinner in WP, first) while Simon and Garfunkel take the stage in Kentucky. Langston Hughes, Harriet Beecher Stowe and some acoustic blues each have their moment. Take your pick.
The Cincinnati May Festival and Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble have announced a new shared governance structure, deepening a decades-long relationship.
Under the new model, both groups will operate under a single, unified board of directors. The change brings their strategy and artistic planning into closer alignment and formalizes a relationship that dates back to 1979.
“Humanity in Harmony” is more than just a catchy tagline. It’s a philosophical turn of phrase that signals a shift in the way the May Festival hopes to connect with the community. Festival leaders are seeking to recreate some of the community fervor that brought the May Festival into existence in 1873.
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.
Dîner en Fleur is a new, free public picnic set for May 15 in Washington Park, just steps from Cincinnati Music Hall. The event will serve as a prelude to the festival’s opening night concert.
Fans of the Cincinnati May Festival will have more to add to their calendars in 2026. Organizers announced Tuesday that three new events have been added to the lineup: “Porgy and Bess – Remixed,” “A Dream Deferred: Langston Hughes in Song” and…
