Welcome from Festival Director Julia Bullock

It is with gratitude that I welcome you to the 2026 May Festival. This year, we come together to celebrate the rich history of Cincinnati and the legacy of this extraordinary festival — one of the oldest choral traditions in the country. As we honor the past, we also look forward and evolve the tradition by embracing the ethos of collaboration and community that are central to the Festival.

The May Festival has long been a place to celebrate a vast range of choral and orchestra repertoire and this year we will continue that tradition while embracing the music of composers and performers who were, for years, excluded from contributing their voices to the world’s stages. We will also shine brightly on the vibrancy of the local arts scene. These themes are not only essential to the cultural fabric of this city, but they also reflect my curatorial approach: to foster dialogue across arts practices, and to create space for reflection, joy and embodied musical expression!  

Music has the power to reveal and to connect — it can also be healing, if intentions are clearly set. Through this Festival, we hope to share the resonance of our collective history, the urgency of the present, and the promise of a future that recognizes, represents and respects us all. 

I so look forward to finding our voices together as we come together to experience the inspiration, power and beauty of the music that connects us! 

Julia Bullock
Festival Director, 2026 May Festival

Welcome from Director of Choruses, Matthew Swanson

Welcome to the 2026 Cincinnati May Festival! Our Festival Director Julia Bullock’s boundless creativity, artistry and curiosity have shaped a truly inspiring Festival and I can’t wait for the entire Cincinnati community to experience her fresh perspective on our cherished Festival. Our dedicated May Festival Choruses share a passion for choral music and it is our joy to share that with our audience each Festival. We invite you to join us in this grand artistic tradition that is the May Festival.

Warmly,
Matthew Swanson
Director of Choruses, Cincinnati May Festival