ON LOVE AND LUST

MAY 21, 2026 | 7:30 PM | Music Hall
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Featuring bold choreography by Cincinnati Ballet 2, Stravinsky’s Les noces and Orff’s Catulli Carmina explode with passion, ritual and pulse-pounding energy in a boundary-breaking night of music and movement.

Program

Igor Stravinsky Les noces (“The Wedding”) 

Carl Orff Catulli Carmina (“Songs of Catullus”) 

Artists

Matthew Swanson conductor  

Victoria Okafor soprano  

Sara Couden contralto  

Nicholas Phan tenor 

Yannis François bass-baritone

May Festival Chorus

Matthew Swanson director

Members of the Cincinnati Symphony

Orchestra

Cincinnati Ballet 2  
Yoshihisa Arai choreographer 

Venue

Music Hall

What's Interesting

Raw, rhythmic and electrifying — featuring dancers from Cincinnati Ballet 2, this once-in-a-lifetime concert experience fuses music and movement in a visceral exploration of lust, ritual and desire. Stravinsky’s Les noces pulses with primal energy as it reimagines a Russian village wedding through driving percussion, voices and riveting choreography by Yoshihisa Arai. Orff’s Catulli Carmina, drawn from the ancient poetry of Catullus, blazes with sensuality and irony, turning themes of passion and heartbreak into a bold, theatrical spectacle. 

 
*This program contains adult themes and language which may not be appropriate for children under the age of 13. 

Want to Learn More?
MF_tour_matthew_jason_960x960.jpg RSVP HERE for an in-person tour of the 2026 May Festival with artistic leaders Matthew Swanson, Director of Choruses and Jason Alexander Holmes, Associate Director of Choruses. Enjoy champagne and chocolates as you learn about the stories and insights behind the season at Music Hall on Sunday, NOV 2 at 5 PM. RSVP to Kathryn Zajac Albertson: [email protected] by Thursday, OCT 30.

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