CET and May Festival Announce Premiere of New May Festival Documentary
CET Contact: Kellie May
Manager of Communications & Digital Initiatives
513-345-6511
[email protected]
May Festival Contact: Felecia Tchen Kanney
Vice President of Communications
440-465-5551
[email protected]
The City That Sings: Cincinnati’s May Festival to Highlight the May Festival Chorus, May Festival Youth Chorus, and Cincinnati Choral Academy
CINCINNATI, OH – CET and the May Festival announced the premiere of a new special called The City That Sings: Cincinnati’s May Festival, in honor of the May Festival’s 150th anniversary this year. The new documentary, produced by CET’s own Emmy Award-winning producer Richard Wonderling, who also produced Cincinnati Music Hall: The Next Movement in 2017, will illuminate the engaging personalities and experiences of people who comprise today’s May Festival, May Festival Chorus, and educational programs.
The film will air on CET on Saturday, May 6, at 7pm on CET as well as the station’s livestreams, available on the PBS App, YouTube TV and Local Now. It also will encore on CET on May 7 at 2pm and then on CET Arts throughout the day on May 9, 10, 11, 30 and 31. Details about when and where viewers will be able to watch the film on demand is pending.
“In divisive times, it’s amazing to see how music can break down barriers. The May Festival Chorus brings together a wide range of people working toward a common goal – to chase musical excellence. The fact that these choristers are community volunteers is astounding. They want to perform at the highest level and they’re very passionate about that. That’s inspirational to see,” Wonderling said. “I’m also impressed with how the May Festival pays it forward. Through the Cincinnati Choral Academy, they provide an extraordinary musical opportunity to underserved students in six Cincinnati elementary schools. And the May Festival Youth Chorus is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for area high school students who want to take their musical skills to the next level. May Festival is serious about developing the music makers of tomorrow, and it’s been an honor to work on this project.”
One of the Best Classical Music Festivals in the U.S. and Canada” (BBC Magazine, 2021 and 2022) and recognized as a leader in increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and access in the choral world (Chorus America, 2022), the Cincinnati May Festival is distinguished by its unique community-based structure and standard of extraordinary artistic excellence. Founded in 1873, the annual May Festival is the oldest choral festival in the Western Hemisphere. Many important choral works have received their world and American premieres at the May Festival in the past 150 years, including Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat, Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana, Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Death of the Bishop of Brindisi, and Robert Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses.
The May Festival is anchored by the May Festival Chorus, currently led by Robert Porco, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The May Festival Chorus has earned national and international acclaim for its musicality and command of repertoire. Consisting of 130 avocational singers who collectively devote more than 45,000 hours in rehearsals and performances annually, the Chorus is the core artistic element of the Cincinnati May Festival and the official chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops. The ensemble has garnered national and international attention through numerous PBS broadcasts and award-winning recordings, many in collaboration with the CSO and Pops. Most recently, a live recording of Robert Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses featuring Music Director Laureate James Conlon conducting the Chorus and CSO at Carnegie Hall was released to critical acclaim in 2016 on Bridge Records, and in 2017, the Chorus re-released its popular a capella holiday recording Christmas with the May Festival Chorus on the Fanfare Cincinnati label. The Chorus is also featured on several Pops recordings, which have sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
"We are excited to partner with CET to share the impact the May Festival has on the Greater Cincinnati community and its citizens,” said Steven Sunderman, Executive Director of the May Festival. “While the 150th Anniversary of the May Festival is a time of reflections, it is also a time for us to celebrate how the May Festival continues to make Cincinnati a great place to live, work and play. We are grateful for the long-standing support of the Cincinnati community, and we are honored to work with Richard Wonderling and the CET team to share our story.”
The City that Sings: Cincinnati’s May Festival is part of CET’s long-time commitment to providing high-quality local arts programming on-air and online. Tune in to take a look behind the scenes of Cincinnati’s May Festival and experience the love for community and pride in musical excellence that make the May Festival unlike any other in the world.
Major Support of this program was made possible in part by:
The Corbett May Festival Fund
Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation
In Loving Memory of Bill & Sue Friedlander
Robert Gould Foundation
L&L Nippert Charitable Foundation
Karen McKim and Family in Loving Memory of Bill
Ladislas & Vilma Segoe Family Foundation
Trish & Rick Bryan
Drew Gores & George Warrington
DeeDee & Gary West
Melinda & Irwin Simon
Ronald C. Lamping
JoAnne & Poul Pedersen
Ellen and the late George Rieveschl
Rosemary & Mark Schlachter
Additional information is available at CETconnect.org and a media release of the film can be made available upon request after April 27, 2023.
About Public Media Connect
Public Media Connect is Southwest Ohio’s leading provider of education and enrichment in both living rooms and classrooms, serving more than 3 million people in the Greater Cincinnati and Dayton communities. Through PBS and local programming, innovative multimedia curriculum projects, parent workshops and professional development for teachers, Public Media Connect – CET and ThinkTV – positively impacts our community with rich and diverse resources. Public Media Connect’s mission is to strengthen the communities and region we serve by providing content and services that engage, inspire and inform, educate and entertain, fostering culture and citizenship, the joy of learning and the power of diverse perspectives.
About May Festival
“One of the Best Classical Music Festivals in the U.S. and Canada” (BBC Magazine, 2021 and 2022) and recognized as a leader in increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and access in the choral world (Chorus America, 2022), the Cincinnati May Festival is distinguished by its unique community-based structure and standard of extraordinary artistic excellence. Founded in 1873, the annual May Festival is the oldest choral festival in the Western Hemisphere. Many important choral works have received their world and American premieres at the May Festival in the past 150 years, including Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat, Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana, Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Death of the Bishop of Brindisi, and Robert Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses. Anchored by the May Festival Chorus and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the May Festival hosts an international array of guest artists in nine dynamic productions and is currently under the leadership of Principal Conductor Juanjo Mena and Director of Choruses Robert Porco.
About the May Festival Chorus
The May Festival Chorus has earned national and international acclaim for its musicality and command of repertoire. Consisting of 120 avocational singers who collectively devote more than 45,000 hours in rehearsals and performances annually, the Chorus is the core artistic element of the Cincinnati May Festival and the official chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Cincinnati Pops. The premier choral ensemble in Cincinnati, the May Festival Chorus has garnered national and international attention through numerous PBS broadcasts and award-winning recordings, many in collaboration with the CSO and Pops. Most recently, a live recording of Robert Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses featuring Music Director Laureate James Conlon conducting the Chorus and CSO at Carnegie Hall was released to critical acclaim in 2016 on Bridge Records, and in 2017, the Chorus re-released its popular a capella holiday recording Christmas with the May Festival Chorus on the Fanfare Cincinnati label. The Chorus is also featured on several Pops recordings, which have sold over 10 million copies worldwide.