ARTS/CULTURE To help with that, Mirageas decided to trim the operas to just 90 intermission-less minutes. “It has been done very skillfully, I assure you,” said Mirageas. “It required a lot of back and forth, but in the end, we have been able to preserve the essential musical numbers that people adore about all three of these operas.” Suddenly, he grows reflective. “You know, there was always the option of canceling the season. But it was too heartbreaking to consider. We weren’t going to put ourselves or our audience through that again. I was determined that we would sing in 2021. And so we shall.”
2021 Summer Festival at Summit Park, Blue Ash “Opera in the Park” – July 11 “Carmen” – July 17, 22, 26, 30 “Tosca” – July 23, 27, 31 “The Barber of Seville”– July 24, 29
www.cincinnatiopera.org
Two new choral organizations give voice to silenced singers Singers, silent due to their status as the ultimate super spreaders during the pandemic, are plotting their return over the coming months. Two new organizations are forming to fill the sonic void. The Union The Union is a new vocal ensemble for singers who “have ideas, are invested in process, and believe that rehearsal is the laboratory of creativity,” says its website. Founded by a nonprofit named Breath Collective, the ensemble is being led by Alexandra Schoeny, a singer, and Trevor Kroeger, a conductor. Their promise is to put the interests of the singer first: “a fully professional vocal ensemble founded on musical excellence, artistic empowerment and servant leadership.” The organization is planning several concerts for 2021-22, as ensemble-in-residence at St. Rose Church on Riverside Drive (where Kroeger is organist and music director), plus a plan for eventual touring
Trevor Kroeger
Alexandra Schoeny
and recording opportunities. • Gala and Kickoff: October TBA • Christmas Concert: Dec. 16, 17, 19 • Bach’s St. John Passion: March 13 Applications are closed and auditions are in process. www.breathcollective.org Viva Voices Just south, across the Ohio, conductor/singer Tony Burdette has founded Viva Voices, a tiered choral organization planning to serve multiple generations of singers, from elementary-age children through adulthood, and drawing from both Kentucky and Ohio. The aim is to be inclusive of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. • Children’s Choir: grades 4-7
Tony Burdette
• Youth Chorus: grades 8-12 • Chorale: a community choir for adults who love to sing • Chamber Ensemble: small, select choir of singers from the Chorale • Singers: a new professional choir coming in 2022 Burdette spent 10 years as conductor of the Northern Kentucky-based Voices of the Commonwealth, is a member of Cincinnati Opera Chorus, and is a busy freelance soloist, outside of pandemic years. Performances will be announced this summer. Rehearsals begin in the fall. www.vivavoices.net
Friday, November 19, 2021 Cincinnati Museum Center
Raise a toast to invention, ingenuity and innovation during an adults-only night at the museum! For tickets and more information, visit cincymuseum.org/layers
Movers & Makers
JULY 2021 7