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

Cincinnati Pops season opener with Idina Menzel

Art is my number one connection with this city, and a huge part of my "re-adventure." While I love the new(-to-us) restaurants, shops and events that Dan and I take in, the easiest way for me to fall in love with Cincinnati over and over again is through art, art, art.


Through my much-beloved Enjoy the Arts* subscription, I managed to snag three tickets to the Cincinnati Pops season opener... on opening night... third row center... for half price. (Guh.) My mom, my guy and I were itching to get back to the symphony, especially as Idina Menzel was their guest performer.

The first act was Idina-free and super-short... which I lamented, a bit. The Pops began with a tribute to a symphony member they'd recently lost, which reduced my mom and me to tears within the first few notes. After a moment of silence, they transitioned into a selection of Broadway tunes, such as the overture from West Side Story, but it was over far too quickly. Yes, I was anxious to see Ms. Menzel, but this symphony is incredibly talented and I could have listened to them all night.

(I suppose there are plenty of opportunities for that, yes?)


And then there was Idina Menzel. Menzel's act was much longer, but it was over in the blink of an eye. Menzel is the kind of woman who owns a stage-- you can tell she grew up as an actress, not solely as a chanteuse. She was ribald and goofy at times, though she also displayed perfectly controlled moments of grace and charm. You could get whiplash watching her change character between pensive lounge singer and goofy new mother. (Idina Menzel has a one-year-old boy, Walker, and anecdotes and toddler-songs dominated my least favorite part of her set.)


The best moment in the night-- I'll say "for me" but I think it'd be hard for anyone to argue-- was toward the end, when Menzel set down her microphone and powered through "For Good" from Wicked, a capella and peering into the audience to make sure she was connecting with the people in the nosebleeds. It's moments like that which take a performance to a higher level, and I think it was more than just the Wicked fans who were touched by this moment of engagement.

My seats were so close to the stage that I could read the pianist's song book to see what she was going to sing next. I think I've been spoiled.

Cincinnati Pops website: http://cincinnatipops.org/Home.php
Idina Menzel's website: http://www.idinamenzel.com/
Enjoy the Arts website: http://www.enjoythearts.org/

*Enjoy the Arts, which I've mentioned over and over again, makes me feel like I am robbing the artists sometimes, because I get such insane deals (and frequent free tickets) to local venues. As I was explaining to my mom, I can't wait to grow into the artistic benefactor I hope to be some day, and be able to support programs like this so that people like me can get hooked on the arts at a young age.

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!