Come with an open heart. Listen with open ears. The music we create at Music Hall is wide enough for the entire human experience. Let’s explore this music together and each time we listen, allow it to introduce us to new colors, new emotions and new possibilities.
Explore the 26/27 CSO Season → cincinnatisymphony.org/2627
Fun, thrilling and joyful. Cincinnati Pops concerts allow you to listen to your inner fandom, your inner child, your heart beating to the rhythm of some of music’s greatest hits. This season has a little something for everyone — which will you add to your weekend plans?
Explore the 26/27 Pops Season → cincinnatisymphony.org/2627
An unforgettable evening of music to begin the 2026 May Festival with our AN ECLETIC OPENING NIGHT performance!
From poetry-inspired works to a bold, genre-blending Mass, last night’s celebratory opening night honored the May Festival’s storied past while embracing the sound of its future. Wonderful performances all around from the May Festival Chorus, CSO Music Director @cristian.macelaru and the Orchestra, Festival Director @_juliabullock , baritones Sankara Harouna & Norman Garrett, composer @carlos_simon_music and May Festival Associate Director of Choruses @jasonalexanderholmes !
Let’s do it again tonight!
Up next, THE WATER’S JOURNEY featuring Duke Ellington’s “The River” and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “A Sea Symphony” at 7:30PM at @musichallcincy !
Photos by @leongjp
THE FAMILY LOUNGE! 🤗 This is another first for the May Festival, and I can’t wait to be there with my family TONIGHT!
Starting at 5pm (before the “Water Journey” concert), thru the May Festival Youth & Meridian Chorus performances, and the performance of Duke Ellington’s THE RIVER.
What was the inspiration? 🌸 I know how meaningful it has been to feel welcomed with my 3 year old kiddo into rehearsals and performances to hear live music, and that is something that should be open and available to all. So I asked the May Festival @mayfestivalcincy crew how many ways we can welcome families so they can feel relaxed, maybe take over a space, have snacks(!), and enjoy a concert all together?
The May Festival and Cincinnati Symphony are increasingly working to be a place that encourages the warmth of intergenerational exchanges, and this is now one of the ways they are implementing it!
Buy a $15 family ticket, or simply pay what you can afford ($1 is great!) No one will be turned away! ALL ARE WELCOME!
Wild cheers and applause for the entire ensemble at our Opening Night performance which concluded with a Hallelujah Chorus that brought the house down!
The 2026 May Festival is off to a glorious start!
Bravo!👏🤩🙌🎶
Tune in to 90.9 WGUC this SUN at 8PM ET to listen to our BEETHOVEN, MOZART & HAYDN program from MAR 2026 conducted by former @mayfestivalcincy Music Director @conlonconductor !
Haydn's Symphony No. 103 opens with a dramatic flourish, as rolling timpani set the stage for a work that combines energetic precision with whimsical surprises. Next, violinist @blakepouliot brings out the drama, grace and elegance of Mozart's "Strasbourg" Concerto, before Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 surges to a powerful conclusion, filled with the vibrant, youthful energy of his early years.
Listen locally via 90.9 WGUC Classical or online at wguc.org
Use the Digital Program link in our bio for insights on this concert.
@cincinnatipublicradio
📷Scenes from last night’s Dress Rehearsal for AN ECLECTIC OPENING NIGHT!
@cincysymphony Music Director @cristian.macelaru leads the CSO and May Festival Chorus in tonight’s opening concert with 2026 Festival Director @_juliabullock , baritones Sankara Harouna and Norman Garrett, our very own Associate Director of Choruses @jasonalexanderholmes and composer @carlos_simon_music on the hammond organ himself!
It’s going to be quite the memorable concert to begin the 2026 May Festival!
Arrive early for tonight’s performance to our enjoy our Dîner en Fleur kickoff picnic in @washingtonparkotr and join us for a spectacular opening night!
Make plans to attend the Nouveau Program's Spring Recital this SAT at 3PM at @cincinnatipublicradio !
Our talented young musicians have been working hard all season long to get ready for Saturday's recital.
Attendance is FREE and open to the public.
See you there!
The perfect way to spend #513Day in Cincinnati!
The world-renowned @cincysymphony rehearsing at historic @musichallcincy for the @mayfestivalcincy , which began in 1873 and is the longest continuously running choral festival in the Western Hemisphere!
Proud to be in the 5-1-3!
Join us for this year's Cincinnati From Scratch performance on SUN, MAY 24 at 2PM at the @cincylibrary Downtown Main Library!
Hear EIGHT new pieces composed by young musicians from @csyo.plays , Nouveau Program and the @cincyboychoir , as they explore themes of nostalgia, anxiety, finding oneself, and telling our own stories as we grow up. Audience members will have the opportunity to contribute to an on-the-spot audio installation called "Impression," which will fill the library with a mosaic of voices as this year's hands-on work.
The From Scratch program is a long-term creative music education endeavor in partnership with the CSO. Guided by the philosophy that students are already the experts in their own creativity, co-directors Hannah Christiansen and Joe Bricker provide a series of group and individual workshops to introduce students to writing music and ultimately commission each student to write brand new works for violin and percussion. At the end of the workshops, the students oversee a professional recording of their work and introduce the live premiere of their pieces at a performance event. Entry is free, no registration required.
Come support the next generation of music creators!
Join Lily Clark for a day in her life as a @cincysymphony Student Brand Ambassador! ☀️😁
Interested in learning how you can become a CSO SBA? Visit the link in our bio for details or go to cincinnatisymphony.org/sba
Join the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as a Student Brand Ambassador for the 2026-27 season!
The CSO's Student Brand Ambassador Program is a unique and fun volunteering opportunity for college students in the Cincinnati region who have a passion for the arts and want to raise awareness about the Orchestra with their peers. Ambassadors receive perks such as free merch, a complimentary Student Access Plus membership, experience for your resume and more!
Applications are open now through AUG 30. View the link in our bio to learn more and apply today!
