CINCINNATI MAY FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2027 PROGRAMMING UNDER FESTIVAL DIRECTOR MARIN ALSOP

 

May Festival Highlights Include:
U.S. Premiere of New Work for Chorus and Orchestra by Anna Clyne;
Julia Wolfe’s Fire in my mouth featuring the Treble Voices of the May Festival Chorus;
Roxanna Panufnik’s Across the Line of Dreams conducted by Marin Alsop and Valentina Peleggi
Second Annual Dîner En Fleur Event Open to the Public
Special Performances Featuring the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble

 

CINCINNATI, OH (October 27, 2026)—The Cincinnati May Festival has announced programming for the 2027 May Festival led by this year’s Festival Director, Marin Alsop. Building on its longstanding tradition of presenting world and U.S. premieres since its founding in 1873, Alsop will conduct the U.S. premiere The Book of Hours by Anna Clyne, the second U.S. performance by a major American institution of 2024 Festival Director Julia Wolfe’s Fire in my mouth and co-conduct the May Festival Premiere of Roxana Panufnik’s Across the Line of Dreams with guest conductor Valentina Peleggi. Showcasing the region’s choral community, the Festival will also feature performances by the Cincinnati Boychoir, May Festival Youth Chorus and special concerts by the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble. 

As 2027 Festival Director, acclaimed conductor Marin Alsop worked alongside May Festival’s Director of Choruses, Matthew Swanson, to curate a once-in-a-lifetime Festival experience. As the fourth Festival Director, Alsop brings her internationally recognized conducting career and advocacy for female artists to the role. Alsop is the first woman to serve as the head of major orchestras in the United States, South America, Austria and Great Britain. She serves as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Polish National Radio Symphony, Principal Guest Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Director Laureate of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In 2002, Alsop founded the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship to empower extraordinary women conductors through intensive coaching, mentoring, and financial support. She is also the first and only conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.

"The May Festival is a remarkable musical tradition, and I am happy to participate in shaping its next chapter,” said Alsop.  “There’s something truly special about the way this community comes together around choral and orchestral music, and I’m excited to bring artists and repertoire together in ways that  will hopefully inspire, surprise, and move audiences. In partnership with the May Festival Chorus, our guest artists, and the entire Cincinnati community, I look forward to creating an unforgettable musical experience."

2027 May Festival

On Friday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. the 2027 May Festival opens with the second full U.S. production by a  major American institution of 2024 Festival Director Julia Wolfe’s Fire in my mouth. Featuring the treble voices of the May Festival Chorus and May Festival Youth Chorus, the immersive piece is based on  women’s rights and the garment industry in New York City, commemorating New York’s deadliest industrial disaster, the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Featuring more than 100 voices, Fire in my mouth honors the 146 workers who died in the blaze, most of whom were young immigrant women. Conducting the piece twice before, Alsop led the U.K. premiere of Fire in my mouth in 2024 and now brings the performance to Cincinnati for the first time.

The festivities continue the following night on Saturday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Music Hall, where Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble will perform Handel’s Esther with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Joe Miller. Handle’s first oratorio retells the biblical story of Esther’s courage through song, taking the audience on a journey of joy and despair and ending with a triumphant choral finale. 

On Sunday, May 23 at 2 p.m. an all-choral program showcases the journey from childhood to adulthood through song. This concert highlights the low voices of five choirs including the May Festival Chorus (Matthew Swanson, director) May Festival Youth Chorus (Jason Alexander Holmes, director), Cincinnati Boychoir (Andrew Miller, director), a local university choir, and, for the first time in May Festival history, a Middle School Tenor Bass Festival Choir comprised of 7-9 graders from local middle schools (Colton Blake, guest conductor). More than 200 tenors and basses will come together to perform music spanning 9 centuries, including compositions ranging from 12th century chant to contemporary repertoire. The performance concludes with an epic finale representing voices across generations.

The following week, VAE will perform alongside members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for The Story of Billie Jean King in Concert on Tues. May 25th at 7 p.m. in the Music Hall Ballroom. Conducted by Molly Turner, the performance will feature the chamber version of Laura Karpman’s Balls, telling the legendary story of the 1973 U.S. Open tennis match that symbolized the fight for women’s rights in sports. The performance features mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz as Billie Jean King and tenor Nicky Spence as Bobby Riggs.

On Friday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m. the May Festival Chorus performs a program that highlights the revolutionary stories of women in history. The concert opens with Psalm 24 and D’un matin du printemps by Lili Boulanger, the first woman composer to win the Prix de Rome for composition in 1913. Then, the May Festival Chorus and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra will perform Roxanna Panufnik’s Across the Line of Dreams. Featuring two choruses and two orchestras on stage led by Alsop and guest conductor Valentina Peleggi, the piece tells the stories of two extraordinary women who gave everything to save their people: Harriet Tubman and Rani Lakshmibai, Queen of Jhansi. Alsop and Peleggi reunite for this performance after conducting the world premiere of the piece in 2019. The concert concludes with a performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral-showstopper Sheherazade, based on the tales of The Arabian Nights. 

On Saturday, May 29 at 7:30 p.m. Alsop leads the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and May Festival Chorus through a celebratory finale showcasing the May Festival’s dedication to the evolution of choral music. The concert opens with the U.S. premiere of The Book of Hours by Anna Clyne. The finale concert will close with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. to honor the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death. Joining the Chorus on stage, the piece features guest soloists soprano Janai Brugger, mezzo-soprano Sun-ly Pierce, tenor Zwakele Tshabalala, bass Ryan McKinny and members of the May Festival Youth Chorus. In 2019, Alsop launched "All Together: A Global Ode to Joy" to celebrate Beethoven's 250th birthday as a 21st-century call for unity, justice and empowerment. The international project partnered with Orchestras across six continents, each reimagining Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in their own way and adapting the text into a local language. As part of the project, former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith wrote a new text for the "Ode to Joy," which the May Festival Chorus will perform. In a homage to tradition, the 2027 May Festival will end with Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah.

Additional Events

The 2027 May Festival will build on last season’s success of collaborating with more than 23 community partners and arts organizations through social events, pre-concert programming and special performances.

On Friday, May 21 at 5 p.m. in Washington Park, the 2027 May Festival will host its second annual Dîner en Fleur, a public picnic for community members to come together and share a meal before attending the Festival’s opening night concert. Inspired by the traditions of the Festival’s more than 150-year history, the inaugural event last season welcomed around 800 attendees to experience live entertainment with picnic tables for seating and activities. Dîner en Fleur is free to the public with registration. Access to a VIP area will also be available with an eligible donation. Registration will open in 2027.

Before each Festival performance, Jason Alexander Holmes will host a pre-concert panel, giving audiences insight from experts into the musical language, historical context and production of each program. New for the 2027 May Festival, the pre-concert panels will also include a short live performance. All events during the 2027 May Festival will also feature pre-concert performances by community choruses and student ensembles in the Music Hall lobby.

Additional events throughout the 2027 May Festival include the May Festival Young People’s Concert on Tuesday, May 18 at 10:30 a.m. at Music Hall featuring local third graders performing We All Shine composed by Cincinnati Public Schools educator Sonia Morales-Matos; a Vocal Arts Ensemble performance of Caroline Shaw’s How to fold the wind; Friends of Music Hall May Festival Tours; and the Festival Family Lounge with Director of Education, Edy Dreith. Additional details to special events during the 2027 May Festival will be announced at a later date.

“The 2027 Festival offers many engaging ways to celebrate the one instrument that connects us all: the human voice,” said Julianne Akins Smith, Executive Director of the Cincinnati May Festival. “We are thrilled that Marin Alsop has joined us this season as Festival Director! She is a true innovator and one of the leading artistic voices of our time. With her deep love of the voice and symphonic music, she is uniquely positioned to create an unforgettable Festival experience alongside May Festival Director of Choruses Matthew Swanson. Inspired by feedback from our patrons, we are pleased to introduce the All-Access Festival Pass and look forward to revealing more benefits for passholders throughout the year!”

Tickets

New this year, All-Access Festival Passes to the 2027 May Festival are now on sale. All-Access Passes include admission to every 2027 May Festival performance. The All-Access Pass also includes discounts to year-round performances, including A Candlelit Christmas with VAE and Liedertafel: Prose & Prost with VAE. All other May Festival Passes to the 2027 May Festival go on sale November 20 and single tickets go on sale in January. Passes may be purchased online by visiting the May Festival website, calling the Box Office at 513.381.3300 or by visiting the Music Hall Box Office at 1241 Elm Street. A full list of year-round performances can be found online. To receive the latest information on the 2027 May Festival, sign up here.

Biographies

Marin Alsop, Matthew Swanson, Jason Alexander Holmes, Joe Miller, Valentina Peleggi, Molly Turner, Andrew Miller, May Festival, Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, May Festival Youth Chorus, Cincinnati Boychoir

The May Festival gratefully acknowledges support from:

 

2027 May Festival Schedule

All performances will take place in Springer Auditorium at Cincinnati Music Hall.

OPENING NIGHT: Fire in My Mouth
Friday, May 21, 2027 | 7:30 PM
Marin Alsop, conductor
Treble Voices of the May Festival Chorus, Matthew Swanson, director
Girls of the May Festival Youth Chorus, Jason Alexander Holmes, director
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

?Julia Wolfe     Fire in my mouth

Marin Alsop conducts the second U.S. performance by a major American institution of former Festival Director Julia Wolfe’s Fire in my mouth. This opening night performance celebrates the treble voices of the May Festival Chorus and May Festival Youth Chorus.

Handel’s Esther
Saturday, May 22, 2027 | 7:30 PM
Joe Miller, conductor
Vocal Arts Ensemble, Joe Miller, director
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

George Frideric Handel     Esther

Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble will perform Handel’s Esther alongside members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Joe Miller. Handel’s first oratorio retells the biblical story of Esther’s courage through song, taking the audience on a journey of joy and despair and ending with a triumphant choral finale.

 

A Singer’s Journey: Voices of Today & Tomorrow
Sunday, May 23, 2027 | 2:00 PM
May Festival Chorus, Matthew Swanson, director
May Festival Youth Chorus, Jason Holmes, director
Cincinnati Boychoir, Andrew Miller, conductor
Middle School Tenor-Bass Festival Choir, Colton Blake, conductor
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Showcasing the journey from childhood to adulthood through song, this performance is comprised entirely of choral works featuring more than 200 tenors and basses. Five separate choruses come together to perform music spanning 9 centuries, highlighting voices across generations.

 

The Story of Billie Jean King in Concert
Tuesday, May 25, 2027 | 7 PM
Molly Turner conductor
Nikola Printz mezzo-soprano
Nicky Spence tenor
Vocal Arts Ensemble, Joe Miller, director
Members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Laura Karpman     Balls

Conducted by Molly Turner, The Story of Billie Jean King in Concert features the chamber version of Laura Karpman’s Balls, telling the legendary story of the "Battle of the Sexes" — the 1973 U.S. Open tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs that symbolized the fight for women’s rights in sports.

 

Across the Line of Dreams
Friday, May 28, 2027 | 7:30 PM
Marin Alsop conductor
Valentina Peleggi conductor
May Festival Chorus, Matthew Swanson, director
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Lili Boulanger       Psalm 24
Lili Boulanger       D’un matin du printemps
Roxana Panufnik       Across the Line of Dreams
Rimsky-Korsakov       Sheherazade, op. 35

Guest conductor Valentina Peleggi reunites with Alsop on stage to lead the May Festival Chorus and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra through Panufnik’s Across the Line of Dreams for the first time in May Festival History. The concert also features works that highlight the revolutionary stories of women in history.

 

Beethoven 9: A Joyful Festival Finale
Saturday, May 29, 2027 | 7:30 PM
Marin Alsop conductor
Janai Brugger soprano
Sun-ly Pierce mezzo-soprano
Zwakele Tshabalala tenor
Ryan McKinney bass
May Festival Chorus, Matthew Swanson, director

Anna Clyne (Co-Commission)       The Book of Hours
Ludwig Van Beethoven       Symphony No. 9 (with text by Tracy K. Smith)
George Frideric Handel       “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah

This Festival Finale features the U.S. premiere of Anna Clyne’s new work The Book of Hours paired with the reimagination of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The Festival concludes with the annual tradition of singing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.

 

Programs, artists, dates and times are subject to change.

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