Music Series

Brian Newman Quintet

"...Through both classic jazz ballads and modern rock tunes, watching Brian Newman perform feels like bearing witness to something special..." -Forbes

Known for his many appearances with pop sensation Lady Gaga, Ohio native Brian Newman takes jazz to places not yet explored.

Jazz Quintet | Performance Date: January 14, 2023 | Off-Campus; Revel Urban Winery, OTR

Mambo Combo

There has long been a love affair between jazz and Latin rhythms, with American jazz musicians finding Latin styles exotic and Latin musicians equally fascinated by jazz. Both cultures have independently drawn on the music of Africa, which forms the third leg of this love triangle – producing music that is powerfully exciting rhythmically, deeply felt in the body, by turns celebratory and yearning. In Cincinnati, the latest expression of that love affair is Mambo Combo.

Latin-Jazz Combo | Performance Date: January 28, 2023

Joe Lovano Quartet

Grammy-winning saxophonist, composer and producer Joe Lovano is fearless in finding new modes of artistic expression. With a Grammy Win for his 52nd Street Themes and 14 other nominations, he has won DownBeat Magazine’s Critics and Readers Polls countless times as Tenor Saxophonist, Musician of the Year, Jazz Album of the Year and Triple Crowns from DownBeat. He has also received numerous awards from Jazz Times and the Jazz Journalists Association for Tenor Saxophone, Album of the Year and Musician of the Year.

Jazz Quartet | Performance Date: February 25, 2023

Chris Wilke

Christopher Wilke, DMA, integrates modern and historical performance on guitar and lute with his interests in composition and research. He holds degrees from Mt. St. Joseph University (guitar and composition), CCM (classical guitar) and the Eastman School of Music (lute and 19th century guitar under Paul O’Dette). He has had recordings released on Centaur Records (USA), original compositions published by Les Productions d’Oz (Montreal, Canada) and editorial work printed by Le Luth Doré (Paris, France).

Classical Guitar | Performance Date: March 4, 2023

Aaron Diehl Trio

“Diehl gracefully melds two worlds, merging the improvisational spirit of jazz with the compositional intricacies of Western classical music.”
 - DownBeat

Pianist and composer Aaron Diehl mystifies listeners with his layered artistry. At once temporal and ethereal, his expression transforms the piano into an orchestral vessel in the spirit of beloved predecessors Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner and Jelly Roll Morton. His forthcoming solo record promises an expansion of that exploration in a setting at once unbound and intimate. Aaron conjures three-dimensional expansion of melody, counterpoint and movement through time.

Jazz Trio | Performance Date: April 1, 2023

CCJO Featuring Maria Schneider

"Her latest album, some 10 years in the making, shows just what a supple and powerful instrument a jazz orchestra can be."
-The Telegraph

Maria Schneider’s music has been hailed by critics as “evocative, majestic, magical, heart-stoppingly gorgeous, imaginative, revelatory, riveting, daring, and beyond categorization.” Blurring the lines between genres, she is among a small few to receive GRAMMYS in multiple genres, having received the award in jazz and classical, as well as for her work with David Bowie. Here, she joins forces with the Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Cincinnati's foremorst ensemble in the exploration of contemporary repertoire.

Jazz Orchestra | Performance Date: April 28, 2023

Bryan Wallick

Classical pianist Bryan Wallick is gaining recognition as one of the great American virtuoso pianists of his generation. He has performed on Chicago’s WFMT Fazioli Series and “Live on WFMT,” on BBC's radio show "In Tune," National Ukrainian Television and Radio, on Danish National Radio, and on NPR's "Performance Today." In addition to his wide range of musical skills, he was born with synesthesia, a condition with which he sees colors with each musical pitch. He has created a computer program that projects images of his colored visions to the audience.

Classical Piano | Performance Date: September 28, 2022

Spencer Myer

Lauded for “superb playing” and “poised, alert musicianship” by The Boston Globe and labeled “definitely a man to watch” by London’s The Independent, Cleveland native Spencer Myer is one of the most respected and sought-after artists on today’s concert stages. He has toured globally, teaming up with award-winning orchestras and solo acts throughout the years. Spencer Myer’s orchestral, recital and chamber music performances have been heard throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa and Asia. Today, he continues as half of the Daurov/Myer Duo, after having teamed up with cellist Adrian Daurov in 2012.

Classical Piano | Performance Date: Novermber 2, 2022

Fred Hersch Trio

A select member of jazz’s piano pantheon, Fred Hersch is a pervasively influential creative force who has shaped the music’s course over more than three decades as an improviser, composer, educator, bandleader, collaborator and recording artist. He has been proclaimed “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade” by Vanity Fair, “an elegant force of musical invention” by The L.A. Times, and “a living legend” by The New Yorker.  A fifteen-time Grammy nominee as both jazz pianist and composer, Hersch has regularly garnered jazz’s most prestigious awards, including recent distinctions as a 2016 Doris Duke Artist, 2016 and 2018 Jazz Pianist of the Year from the Jazz Journalists Association, and the 2017 Prix Honorem de Jazz from L’Acádemie Charles Cros for the totality of his career.

Jazz Trio | Performance Date: November 10, 2022

Jordan Dodson

Jordan Dodson, described by Performance Today as “one of the top young guitarists of his generation,” is a musician and educator. A passionate advocate of contemporary music, Dodson has given the premiere of hundreds of new works. In 2013 he was the first guitarist to graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music’s new guitar program. In the same year he won Astral Artists’ National Auditions and was selected to be Young Artist in Residence on American Public Media.

Classical Guitar | Performance Date: November 19, 2022

2021-2022 Season