January (2013) is . . .

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra leads off 2013 with Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major performed by Ingrid Fliter, with the CSO led by guest conductor Justin Brown. There will be plenty of the tried and true, with Brahms' Second Symphony led by CSO music director laureate Paavo Järvi in his first return to the orchestra since stepping down in May, 2011, and violinist Gil Shaham performing Brahms' Violin Concerto with the CSO under guest conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier.

For a change of pace, pianist Stewart Goodyear performs Witold Lutoslawski's 1987 Piano Concerto with the CSO led by Järvi, and performing composers you know in music you don't will be the newly formed Queen City Chamber Opera with Mozart's early, unfinished "Zaide" and "Abu Hassan" by Carl Maria von Weber.

Here's a look at the January lineup:

Ingrid Fliter

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Justin Brown, guest conductor
Ingrid Fliter, piano
Jan. 4 and 5 -- 8 p.m.
Music Hall

Guest  artist Ingrid Fliter and the CSO usher in the new year with Ravel's sparkling Piano Concerto in G Major, led by British guest conductor Justin Brown in his CSO debut.  Also on the program are Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem and the Symphonic Dances by Sergei Rachmaninoff.  Brown is music director laureate of the Alabama Symphony and general music director of the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe, Germany.  Tickets begin at $10.  Call (513) 381-3300, or order online at www.cincinnatisymphony.org.
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Paavo Järvi

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Järvi, conductor
Stewart Goodyear, piano
Jan. 10 -- 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 12 -- 8 p.m.
Music Hall

CSO music director laureate Paavo Järvi leads the orchestra for the first time since he stepped down in May, 2011. For his highly anticipated return, Järvi will conduct Brahms' Symphony No. 2, also the Overture of "Genoveva" by Robert Schumann. Joining Järvi and the CSO will be Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear in the 1987 Piano Concerto by Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski. Tickets begin at $10, available by calling (513) 381-3300, at the Music Hall box office or visit www.cincinnatisymphony.org.  The Jan. 10 concert will be preceded by buffet dinner, free to ticketholders, in the Music Hall Ballroom.
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Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Jarvi, conductor
Jan. 11 -- 7:30 p.m.
Hamilton High School Auditorium
1165 Eaton Ave.
Hamilton, Ohio

The CSO led by music director laureate Paavo Jarvi performs a Community Concert at Hamilton High School Auditorium. On the program are Brahms' Symphony No. 2 and the Overture to "Genoveva" by Robert Schumann. CSO associate conductor Robert Trevino will open the program with a selection by the Hamilton High School Orchestra. Tickets are $20, $10 for students. Call (866) 967-8167, or visit showtix4u.com. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Hamilton High School instrumental program.
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Washington Platform Jazz Series
 Jan. 11 -- 9 p.m. - midnight
Washington Platform Restaurant
Elm and Court Streets
downtown

The Washington Platform Friday Night Jazz Series presents "Papa Loves Mambo," a four-piece group comprising upright bass, percussion, piano and flute performing classic mambo, Latin jazz and cha cha cha.  Local Cincinnati musicians from bands Tropicoso, ZUMBA, Eclipse and Blue Wisp Big Band.  No cover. $10 food and drink minimum. Kitchen open until 11 p.m. Call (513) 421-0110.
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Vocal Arts Ensemble

Vocal Arts Ensemble
"The Divine Feminine"
Craig Hella Johnson, guest conductor
Jan. 13 -- 7:30 p.m.
Christ Church Cathedral
318 E. Fourth St.
Downtown

Craig Hella Johnson of the Austin-based choral ensemble Conspirare leads the VAE in a program devoted to "the divine feminine." On the program are Magnificat by Jan Sweelinck, "Hymn to St. Cecilia" by Benjamin Britten, "To Touch the Sky" by Kevin Puts and traditional spirituals. Admission is $25 (reserved seating) and $20, $10 for students. Call (513) 559-0000, or visit www.vaecinci.org.
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Stewart Goodyear

Linton Chamber Music Series
Stewart Goodyear, piano
Jan. 13 -- 4 p.m., First Unitarian Church, Avondale
Jan. 14 -- 7:30 p.m.
Congregation Beth Adam, Loveland

Linton Music begins the New Year with guest artist Stewart Goodyear (soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Jan. 10 and 12 at Music Hall) performing Beethoven's Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, the "Appassionata." Joining him in the Piano Quartet in A Major by Ernest Chausson will be violinist Timothy Lees, violist Christian Colberg and cellist  Ilya Finkelshteyn. Lees and Colberg will perform Mozart's Duo for Violin and Viola in G Major, K.423. Tickets are $30, $10 for students. Call (513) 381-6868.
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Ariel String Quartet

CCM Chamber Music Series
Ariel String Quartet
Jan. 15 -- 8 p.m.
Werner Recital Hall
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

The Ariel String Quartet, quartet in residence at CCM, performs the Italian Serenade by Hugo Wolff, String Quartet No. 3 by CCM faculty artist Joel Hoffman and Beethoven's String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat Major, Op.127. Admission is $20, $15 for  noon-UC students, CCM students free one-hour before the concert. Call (513) 556-4183.
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"A Moveable Feast"
University  of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
performing arts ensembles
Jan. 18 -- 6:30 -- 10:30 p.m.
CCM Village

CCM's annual performing arts potpourri begins with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at 6:30 p.m. There will be a jazz/musical theater/dance prelude at 7:30 pm., with performances beginning at 8 p.m. of chamber winds, dance, drama, electronic media, jazz, musical theater, opera/voice, orchestra and piano, including members of the CCM preparatory department. The CCM Philharmonia Orchestra will present the grand finale at 10 p.m. Guests may create their own artistic "menu." Dinner is by the bite, with sparkling waters and wine, and dessert at 10:30 p.m. Raffle tickets will be sold for a piece of jewelry from Diamonds Rock, and awards will be presented to the male and female guest with the most sparkling outfit. Tickets are $125 (host/patron, including raffle ticket and valet parking), $75 (general admission, including discounted Friends of CCM membership), $50 (members of Friends of CCM) and $35 for young professionals. Proceeds support scholarships for CCM students. Tickets and information at (513) 556-2100.
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The Westminster Choir
Joe Miller, director
Jan. 18 -- 7:30 p.m.
St. Peter in Chains Cathedral

The Westminster Choir of Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, led by director Joe Miller, will perform choral works  at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral downtown as part of their Midwest  tour. Tickets are $20, $10 for students. Call (513) 421-2222 or order online at www.stpeterinchainscathedral.org.
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CSO Chamber Players
"Tour de France"
Jan. 18 -- 7:30 p.m.
Mayerson Theater
School for Creative and Performing Arts

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players present music of France with the Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 3 by Ernest Chausson, Ravel's Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet, and the Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op.15 by Gabriel Faure. Admission is $35 and $25, $12 for CSO Ignite members (ages 18-30 or full-time students regardless of age). Call (513) 381-3300 or visit cincinnatisymphony.org/chamber
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"Floodwall and Friends"
Kentucky Symphony Orchestra
James R. Cassidy, conductor
Floodwall Jazz Quintet
Tom Guth, cello
Hal Melia, saxophone
Jan. 19 -- 8 p.m.
Jan. 20 -- 3 p.m.
Francis K. Carlisle Performing Ar ts Center
Notre Dame Academy
Park Hills, Kentucky

The Floodwall Jazz Quintet -- pianist Steve Mason, bassist Mike Sharfe, drummer Jim Leslie, flutist Susan Magg and guitarist Brian Deyo -- with featured friends Tom Guth, cello, and Hal Melia, saxophone, join members of the KSO led by music director James R. Cassidy in a fusion of jazz and classical music. Hear movements from Claude Bollings' Suite for Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Piano Trio, Suite No. 2 for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio, "Picnic Suite" for Flute and Guitar and Concerto for Classic Guitar and Jazz Piano. Also "Blue Rondo a la Turca" by Dave Brubeck, "Linus and Lucy" and "Skating" by Vince Guaraldi and two selections in their regional premieres, Brent Edstrom's "Emerald City" and Don Sebesky's "Sebastian's Theme" after J.S. Bach. Tickets are $35, $27 and $19, half-price for children (all sections) $15 for students one-hour before the concert. Call (859) 431-6216, or visit  www.kyso.org.
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Patti Austin

Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Steven Reineke, guest conductor
Patti Austin, vocalist
Jan. 19 -- 8 p.m.
Jan. 20 -- 2 p.m.
Music Hall

Vocalist Patti Austin sings Ella Fitzgerald with the Cincinnati Pops led by guest  conductor Steven Reineke. Hear Fitzgerald favorites such as "A-Tisket A-Tasket," "How High the Moon," "Satin Doll" and others. Reinke leads the Pops in music by Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Kurt Weill. Tickets begin at $20. Call (513) 381-3300 or order online at www.cincinnatipops.org.
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Washington Platform Jazz Series
 Jan. 25 -- 9 p.m. - midnight
Washington Platform Restaurant
Elm and Court Streets
downtown

The Washington Platform Friday Night Jazz Series presents the Options Jazz Quartet --  Garin Webb, tenor, Rusty Burge, vibes, Mike Sharfe, bass and John Taylor, drums. Music from Chick Corea to Joe Lovano  to Weather Report. No cover. $10 food and drink minimum. Kitchen open until 11 p.m. Call (513) 421-0110.
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Gil Shaham

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Yan Pascal Tortelier, guest conductor
Gil Shaham, violin
Jan. 25 and 26 -- 8 p.m.
Music Hall

Violinist Gil Shaham returns to the CSO led by guest conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier in the Brahms Violin Concerto. Also on the program are the Sinfonia No. 4, "Strands," by George Walker and Sibelius' Symphony No. 1. Tickets begin at $10, available at (513) 381-3300, or visit www.cincinnatisymphony.org
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Queen City Chamber Opera
"Arabian Nights at the Opera"
Mozart, "Zaide"
Carl Maria von Weber, "Abu Hassan"
Isaac Selya, conductor
Jan. 26 -- 5 p.m.
Jan. 27 -- 2 p.m.
Fath Auditorium
Cincinnati Art Museum

Queen City Chamber Opera, a new professional company launched in June with a Mozart double bill (see under "Reviews" on this site), returns with another "twofer," Mozart's "Zaide" and Carl Maria von Weber's "Abu Hassan." Both are one-act operas with Middle Eastern settings and will be accompanied by a full orchestra conducted by Isaac Selya. Singers are students and alumni(ae) of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. The operas will be fully staged and sung in the original German, with English captions projected over the stage. Sets and costumes are by Kathleen Tompkins and James Schenck, with stage direction by Schenck. the Cincinnati Art Museum is getting in on the act by offering a docent-guided tour of its Middle East collection starting one hour before each performance. Admission is $10, $5 for Art Museum members, and includes free parking. For tickets, call (513) 721-ART S (2787). A portion of the proceeds will benefit MYCincinnati, a youth development program in Price Hill that offers free, intensive orchestral training two hours a day, five days a week.
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Randy Edelman

CCM Orchestra and Jazz Series
CCM Philharmonia Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble
Mark Gibson and Scott Belck, conductors
Randy Edelmann, guest artist/conductor
Jan. 27 -- 7 p.m.
Corbett Auditorium
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

Music of the movies is the subject of this concert honoring composer and CCM alumnus Randy Edelman. Philharmonia music director Mark Gibson, Jazz Ensemble director Scott Belck and Edelman will share conducting duties. The program will include selections from Edelman's scores for "Gettysburg," "DragonHeart" and others. "Transcontinental: A Mad Musical Dash Across the USA" by Edelman, premiered by the Cincinnati Pops led by the late Erich Kunzel, will be dedicated to Kunzel's memory. Admission is $12, $6 for non-UC students, UC students free. Call (513) 556-4183, or visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice.
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James Tocco

Concerts on Clifton
Commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Jan. 27 -- 4 p.m.
Scheuer Chapel
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

Pianist James Tocco, eminent scholar in chamber music at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, joins violinists Rebecca Culnan and Chika Kinderman, violist Yael Senamaud and cellist Daniel Culnan in this commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27). On the program are the String Quartet No. 3, Op. 46, by Viktor Ullmann, "Etudes de jazz" for piano solo by Erwin Schulhoff and the Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57, by Shostakovich. Ullmann and Schulhoff both died in concentration camps during the Holocaust. Admission is free and open to the public, with a reception to follow the performance.
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Christian Tetzlaff

Chamber Music Cincinnati
Christian Tetzlaff, violin
Jan. 28 -- 7:30 p.m.
Werner Recital Hall
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

The superb international violinist Christian Tetzlaff performs a recital for Chamber Music Cincinnati, to include works by J.S. Bach, Bela Bartok, Eugene Ysaye and Niccolo Paganini. Tickets are $25 at (513) 342-6870, or online at  CincyChamber.org.
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