Celebrate spring by taking in one of the region’s many plays, shows and more
Cities thrive on their artists, creators, dancers and musicians who want to celebrate where they’re from with their work. The arts scene in Cincinnati is thriving, and there’s almost always something going on that will introduce you to the art community and give you a new-found love for supporting the arts.
Art on Vine started as a college class project that was presented to representatives of HP, Procter & Gamble and Western & Southern Financial Group. But James Jenkins and his friend Page Lansley soon found themselves pitching the idea to local businesses. Art on Vine went from a small show benefitting Over the Rhine Community Housing to a monthly event hosting more than 80 artists at venues such as Rhinegeist Brewery and Fountain Square. It also continues to support local nonprofits with every show. Art on Vine allows the community to interact with local artists in a unique, fun, one-on-one art buying experience. The next Art on Vine event is scheduled for April 10.
Grammy-nominated vocalist Jazzmeia Horn will step on the stage at the Aronoff Center April 1-2. She will sing songs off her 2019 album Love and Liberation, which is filled with musicality, emotional power and messages of immediate relevance. The original compositions, and the album’s covers, mix jazz with touches of R&B and hip-hop. The show is part of ArtsWave’s Flow series, which honors the African American arts experience.
Later in April, the Aronoff will host An Evening with Fran Lebowitz on April 12. Lebowitz is an author, journalist and social observer who will partake in a live, in-conversation event with a special guest moderator. The evening also will feature an audience question-and-answer session and a book signing. Lebowitz was most recently featured in Martin Scorsese’s Pretend It’s a City Netflix show in which she shared her insights on New York City.
April 14 at Music Hall, Black Being by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra will explore the African-America female experience through the themes of fear, sacrifice, beauty, survival and strength. This immersive staged performance gives viewers a look into black cultural realities and human conditions and features Flutronix, a group of two young Black flutists. The show also incorporates the writings of Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green and pulls from the community to weave the testimony of African-American women into its soundscape.
Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles comes to the Aronoff on April 16. The group will play songs from The Beatles’ Abbey Road, the Rooftop Concert LIVE and other favorites during a mind-blowing performance that will send you back in time.
Through April 17, theater lovers can head to Playhouse in the Park to see its production of Steel Magnolias. The play, which inspired the 1989 film, follows the lives of a tight-knit group of Louisiana women who discuss everything from love and marriage to tragedy and loss.
April 22 will bring Classical Roots to the stage at Music Hall. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is celebrating 20 years of this musical tradition, which brings the rich legacy of African American music to Music Hall. The performance features the voices of the Classical Roots Community Mass Choir.
The beloved characters from Disney’s Frozen are coming to town April 20-May 1. The production, held at the Aronoff Center, will bring families together as it features songs from the original film plus an expanded score and several new musical numbers.
Cincinnati Music Theatre’s Mainstage Series production of Ragtime will be at the Aronoff Center April 29-May 7. The show is set at the beginning of the 20th century in New York as the country became a melting pot of cultures, intertwining the tales of three Americans: an upper-class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant and a young Harlem musician. The three become united by their courage, compassion and belief to confront what it means to live in America.
Get the family together for a Cincinnati Arts Association sponsored hands-on art activity at Weston Art Gallery on May 7. Stephanie Cooper will host Families Create! Gear Up for Nature to give participants a look at how artists change used materials into works that move. Then, attendees will be sent out to find ways to make art that’s supposed to touch and be touched.
Music Hall is playing host to Transcendent Bruckner and Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony on May 14 and 15. The show opens with a new work by Gabriela Ortiz—“one of Mexico’s most sought-after classical composers,” according to NPR—who shares her heritage through music.
Cincinnati Ballet is hosting Bold Moves Festival May 12-22 to conclude its season. The Bold Moves Festival is an immersive dance experience that features six rotating mainstage productions accompanied by a variety of activity and interactive events that will satisfy ballet lovers and families alike. The festival features Ohad Naharin’s seminal work, Minus 16, along with the world premiere of Our Story from company soloist David Morse. Also featured in the Bold Moves Festival are female choreographers Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Helen Pickett and Victoria Morgan. The festival will give audiences a chance to enjoy guest artists, talks, film screenings, dance classes, after-parties and more.
