Classical Concert Reviews Cinci

What a wonderful program to close out the 2026 @mayfestivalcincy, highlighted by an extended selection of excerpts from George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess.
Under guest conductor Anthony Parnther and joined by members of the May Festival Youth Chorus and Classical Roots Community Choir, @cincysymphony and the May Festival Chorus opened with what was essentially an abridged version of Porgy and Bess, consolidating three acts worth of music into roughly an hour. While it did work well for the most part, smaller details like the use of orchestral bridges as individual numbers didn’t feel completely necessary but was likely meant to facilitate more inclusion of the chorus.
Soprano Julia Bullock and baritone Alfred Walker, supplemented by soprano Victoria Okafor and tenor Robert Lomax, gave exquisite and thoroughly enjoyable performances of many of the opera’s best known melodies, such as Summertime, I Got Plenty o’Nuttin and It Ain’t Necessarily So.
The chorus then took the solo spotlight for spectacular, yet rare Cincinnati performances of works by William Grant Still (Plain-Chant for America, setting a poem by Katherine Garrison Chapin as a warning against totalitarian ideals affecting the American experience) and Stephen Paulus (excerpts from his Prayers and Remembrances). Both of these pieces, along with Leonard Bernstein’s choral anthem of hope Make Our Garden Grow, have become more important than ever to take to heart and help build a sense of community in humanity throughout this time of worldwide struggle.
While this year’s May Festival has been among the most creatively unique thus far, some performances have been more of a mixed bag artistically. But everyone who participates in this Cincinnati tradition still strives for the same level of excellence year after year, and for that we should all be grateful. Bravo to all!
Eagerly anticipating what is to come for the 2027 May Festival and its new director/program curator, legendary conductor Marin Alsop.