An American in Paris Ball: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Happy New Year! We're back!

Ahhhh. Dan and I needed a long holiday. Plus, throughout most of December, we weren't doing much of anything worth blogging about, so what better time to take a breather?

On New Year's Eve, we attended the American in Paris Ball at Music Hall.

We wanted to do something just for ourselves, as we'd spent the better part of December with family and friends. (Absolutely a blessing, but an exhausting one!) We thought it'd be lovely to walk through our backyard (er, Washington Park) to Music Hall to ring in the new year.

The night began with a fantastic concert of Gershwin pieces, including "Rhapsody in Blue" with Michael Chertock as pianist. Fantastic! There were also some vocal cameos by two CCM students-- an awesome addition to the Broadway pieces.

Afterwards we shuffled into the ballroom for a seated dinner, open bar, dancing and champagne toast. We made great new friends at our table, including Cincinnati's own Marilyn Harris. How great to meet her and chat all evening! Our entire table was full of gregarious, fun people.

I can only hope that all of 2011 looks this beautiful.

I do have to throw one small wrench in the gear: Dan and I were the youngest people there by ~40 years. ...Okay, there were a few other people our age, but we were definitely in the minority. :) Didn't bother me at all, but something to note for the future!

We closed Music Hall down. An incredible event at a gorgeous venue. Happy New Year, everyone!

An American in Paris Ball: http://cincinnatisymphony.org/Content.php?id=55

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra: http://cincinnatisymphony.org/Home.php

Kentucky Symphony Orchestra; Devou Park

I've been in Chicago for most of a week, both for business and pleasure. Luckily, I am backlogged on Awesome Cincinnati Things. Huzzah!

In a previous post, I mentioned that Dan & I recently spent a weekend dog-sitting. The night after we took Tonks to Eden Park, we attended a Kentucky Symphony Orchestra performance at Devou Park. (...Which is actually in Kentucky. I'm counting it. "Greater Cincinnati Re-adventure" was a bit on the long side.)

The concert, part of their summer series, was boogie-themed and whimsical. There was a great turnout, with people in camp chairs sprawled all over the bandshell area and kids dancing in the grass. The weather was perfect again, despite a handful of aggressive bugs.

Devou Park has the best view of Cincinnati that I've ever experienced, but I'd never been to the park and bandshell areas before. The park has a lot more to offer than I'd seen before-- though if you're getting married, the building facing the river (Drees Pavilion†) is still the place to do it.

†Thing I just learned about Drees Pavilion: Drees built and donated the pavilion to commemorate its 75th anniversary. Now any money the Pavilion makes off of wedding fees and etc. go to the park. Swank!