As American As You Can Get

Conductor/pianist William Eddins

An American program -- and how – is on the boards for the Cincinnati Symphony's third subscription concert of the season at 8 p.m. Oct. 9 and 10 at Music Hall.
   American conductor William Eddins conducts the Suite from American Aaron Copland's very American "Appalachian Spring."  Eddins, who is also a pianist, performs and conducts American George Gershwin's Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra.

Topping it off will be the Sinfonia No. 4 by Puerto-Rican born Roberto Sierra, composer in residence at Cornell University.  It will be the CSO premiere of the work, which was commissioned by the Sphinx Consortium, a national initiative to encourage diversity in classical music.

   Sierra's Sinfonia No. 4 was given its world premiere Oct. 1 by the Nashville Symphony led by Giancarlo Guerrero.

   Members of the Consortium, formed in 2008 to introduce works by black and Latino composers, are the Baltimore Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, CSO, Detroit Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony and New World Symphony.

   Tickets are $10-$95 at (513) 381-3300, the CSO box office in Music Hall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday or online at www.cincinnatisymphony.org

   Added enticements for Friday's (Oct. 9) concert are Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel's "Moveable Feast" and the seasons' first "College Nite."

   Jean-Robert's Moveable Feast" is the second in a series of pre-concert dinners that will take place before all Friday CSO concerts this season.  The cost is $50 per person, coffee and gratuity included, and there will be a cash bar.  Concert tickets are extra.  To make reservations, call (513) 381-3300.

    "College Nite" is a $12 package for college students comprising concert admission and a reception with the guest artist(s) and CSO musicians immediately following the concert in Corbett Tower at Music Hall.

    Both Friday and Saturday concerts will be preceded by a "Classical Conversation" in the Music Hall auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m.

Steven Reineke

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra led by Pops associate conductor Steven Reineke will salute Motown on its 50th anniversary at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at Music Hall.  Guest artists are the vocal quartet Spectrum.  The concert will play tribute also to Cincinnati's King Records.

   Tickets are $20-$93 at (513) 381-3300, www.cincinnatipops.org and the CSO box office at Music Hall.

Sharon Robinson and Jaime Laredo

Sunday (Oct. 11) also marks the second concert of the 2009-2010 Linton Chamber Music Series.  Performing at 4 p.m. at First Unitarian Church in Avondale will be violinist Jaime Laredo, violinist Celeste Golden, violist Ida Kavafian, cellist Sharon Robinson, bassist Owen Lee, flutist Randolph Bowman, oboist Dwight Parry, clarinetist Richard Hawley, bassoonist William Winstead and French hornist Elizabeth Freimuth.

   To be heard on the program, dubbed "Strings and Winds," are Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik," Samuel Barber's 1956 woodwind quintet "Summer Music" and a chamber ensemble version of Brahms Serenade No. 1.

   The concert repeats at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at Congregation Beth Adam, 10001 Loveland-Madeira Rd. in Loveland.  Admission is $30 at the door or call (513) 381-6868.

Amernet String Quartet, L to R: Mischa Vitenson, Javier Arias, Marcia Littley, Michael Kotz

Pianist James Tocco, distinguished professor of chamber music at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, welcomes violinist Arnold Steinhardt and the Amernet String Quartet for an evening of chamber music at 8 p.m. Oct. 11 in Robert Werner Recital Hall at CCM.  Steinhardt is former first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet, now disbanded.  The Amernet Quartet were ensemble-in-residence at CCM and then Northern Kentucky University before assuming the same post at Florida International University in Miami in 2007.  On their program are Haydn's String Quartet Op. 74, No. 4 ("Sunrise"), the Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet Quartet by Ernest Chausson and the Viola Sonata Op. 147 (1975) by Shostakovich.  Admission is free.

Ilya Yakushev

Cincinnati's venerable Matinee Musicale presents a recital at 2 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Scottish Rite Auditorium downtown by pianist Ilya Yakushev, grand prize winner of the 2005 Cincinnati- based World Piano Competition.  Yakushev's program comprises Schumann's "Widmung," Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" and the Piano Sonata No. 6 by Prokofiev.  Tickets are $15, $3 for students at the door.

Kelly Kuo

Finally, congratulations are due to Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra assistant conductor Kelly Kuo for winning a 2009 Solti U.S. Career Assistance Award.  Sponsored by the Solti Foundation in memory of conductor Sir George Solti, the award is given to aid promising young conductors with career development needs such as transportation, language studies and the creation of demonstration DVDs. A native of Oregon, Kuo, 35, has been CCO assistant conductor since 2007.  He made his conducting debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago and Madison Opera last season and has also conducted for Cincinnati and Kentucky Opera.

Awadagin Pratt

Further congratulations go to pianist Awadagin Pratt, who will perform at the White House Nov. 4 as part of "Classical Music Day."  Pratt, who is on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, will perform solo and in combination with violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Alisa Weilerstein and guitarist Sharon Isbin.