Summermusik brings the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra into the community
At Summermusik, the distance between a classical concert and a night out is shorter than many people might think.
This August, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra’s summer festival will move through Greater Cincinnati in programs staged not only in theaters and churches, but also in breweries and event venues. The idea is not to make the music less serious; it is to make the experience feel more open.
For Evan Gidley, executive director of Summermusik and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, that approach begins with the festival’s mission.
“The musically curious is actually part of our mission statement,” Gidley says.
While many people hear the word orchestra and immediately think of classical music, Gidley says Summermusik’s programming stretches further. Audiences may hear classical repertoire alongside rock, pops, world music and pieces rooted in other cultural traditions. The goal is to reach listeners who are open to something new, including younger audiences who may not already see themselves as regular concertgoers.
That curiosity also shapes where the concerts happen. Summermusik’s 2026 festival runs Aug. 4–29, with events including Road Trip Playlist at HighGrain Brentwood Brewpub, SummerMeowsik at the Woodward Theater and A Night at the Circus at the Newport Syndicate.
Gidley says the venue choices are intentional. Rather than booking spaces at random, the organization often starts with a program theme, repertoire and artists, then looks for a setting that fits. Road Trip Playlist, for example, celebrates the centennial of Route 66 with music connected to iconic American highways. Curated by Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra principal second violin Manami White, the Aug. 4 Chamber Crawl at HighGrain includes a preconcert car and motorcycle show.
“We want to put the music in a setting where it makes a lot of sense,” Gidley says.
Sometimes that means pairing the familiar with the unexpected. The festival closes Aug. 29 with Musical Renegades: Mozart and Zappa, a program built around two composers who, in different centuries, challenged the rules around them. Gidley says the concert began as a Frank Zappa idea, but Mozart offered contrast and balance.
“They were both musical renegades,” Gidley says. “They were both kind of bad boys, so to speak.”
For listeners who find classical music intimidating, the festival’s casual spaces can change the mood before the first note. Gidley compares some Chamber Crawl events to going to a bar on a Tuesday night, except live chamber music happens to be part of the evening. Some concerts include preconcert activities, exhibitors, drinks or audience participation.
“You’re not just coming in and sitting down at the back of the concert hall,” Gidley says. “We try to do things different and make it an experience and not just a concert.”
The result is a festival that treats chamber music as something alive in the community, not sealed off from it. In a brewery, theater, church or ballroom, Summermusik is asking audiences to meet the music halfway.
