In One Voice
Photo: Andrew Eccles, Decca
Each spring, the Cincinnati May Festival is a reminder of Cincinnati’s historic, and still pivotal role, in the choral music.
This year’s Festival Director, Renée Fleming, a five-time Grammy Award winner and National Medal of Arts recipient, has performed at the greatest opera houses, concert halls, and theaters and has captivated audiences around the world with her extraordinary voice and artistry.
In addition to her consummate artistry as a performer, Fleming as a passion for research at the intersection of arts, health and neuroscience Fleming will host two rare learning opportunities open to the public: a panel discussion called Music and Mind: Conversation with Renée Fleming on May 20 as well as a special masterclass for young professional singers and pianists on May 21. The community is encouraged to attend both unique experiences.
“I’m honored to serve as Festival Director for the 2025 May Festival, and to collaborate with Matthew Swanson and the Chorus,” said Fleming. “Cincinnati is famous for its vibrant music scene, as well as its discerning and engaged audience, giving us the opportunity to offer new and unexpected musical narratives alongside revered works. Beyond music’s power to express the most profound ideas and feelings, we are learning more every day about its enormous potential to improve our health and well-being. The Festival is programmed with those goals in mind, and I invite everyone to join us for a celebration of powerful, transformative music-making.”
Fleming has led the groundbreaking Sound Health initiative, a collaboration with the National Institutes of Health and the National Endowment for the Arts, bringing together neuroscientists, music therapists and arts practitioners to explore the impact of the arts on mental and physical well-being.
Inspired by this work, Fleming created Music and the Mind, a presentation and discussion which delve into topics such as music therapy and cognitive neuroscience. Since 2017, Fleming has presented to over 60 cities globally, earning the Research!America Rosenfeld Award for her contributions to the public understanding of these vital connections. She brings the panel discussion to Cincinnati on May 20 at 5:30 p.m. in the Ballroom at Music Hall, joined by founder Stacy Sims (The Well), researcher Betsey Nuseibeh (UC Osher Center for Integrative Health), early childhood music specialist Donna Dirksing Doran (The Summit Country Day School), and clinical psychologist Sian Cotton (University of Cincinnati College of Medicine).
In addition, Fleming will hold a special masterclass for select young professional singer and pianists on May 21 at 5 p.m. at Memorial Hall. Presented in collaboration with the Cincinnati Song Initiative, the masterclass will give participants the chance to learn from the artistry and expertise of Renée Fleming, one of the world's most celebrated singers, as she shares her insights on vocal technique, performance and interpretation. This opportunity, open to the public, provides an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the discipline and artistry required to succeed in the classical music world.
A 2023 Kennedy Center Honoree, Fleming has performed at the greatest opera houses, concert halls, and theaters and has captivated audiences around the world with her extraordinary voice and artistry. Her illustrious career includes historic performances at prestigious events, such as Super Bowl XLVIII, the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, alongside her recent role as Goodwill Ambassador for the Arts and Health appointed by the World Health Organization.
In 2016, Fleming was appointed Artistic Advisor for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she championed the intersection of health and the arts. She has led the groundbreaking Sound Health initiative, a collaboration with the National Institutes of Health and the National Endowment for the Arts, bringing together neuroscientists, music therapists and arts practitioners to explore the impact of arts on mental and physical well-being. Inspired by this work, Fleming created the presentation Music and the Mind, which delves into topics such as music therapy and cognitive neuroscience. Since 2017, Fleming has presented this program to over 60 cities globally, earning the Research!America Rosenfeld Award for her contributions to the public understanding of these vital connections.
The 2025 May Festival opens Friday, May 16, with Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem Mass performed by the May Festival Chorus and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Ramón Tebar. A profound work born from the composer’s grief over the death of his friend, poet Alessandro Manzoni, Verdi’s Requiem was completed in 1874 and reflects the composer’s deep emotional range, blending operatic intensity with sacred themes. A celebrated interpreter of Verdi’s music, through signature portrayals of Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata and Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello, Fleming has often expressed her deep connection to music by the composer, highlighting his capacity to evoke a wide spectrum of emotions. Curated by Fleming in her role as Festival Director, his performance marks the May Festival’s 12th in its 152-year history, underscoring the enduring impact of Verdi’s music with its everlasting themes of loss, hope and the human experience.
On Sunday, May 18, the May Festival Chorus, May Festival Chamber Choir, May Festival Youth Chorus, and Ambassadors Ensemble from the Cincinnati Boychoir join forces for a monumental choral music event at Music Hall. Inspired by Fleming’s work in promoting the healing power of music, this unique performance will highlight the transformative effects of community and singing together. The program, called “Chasing the Dawn: A Choral Journey,” will showcase a range of musical styles, as each chorus brings its own distinct voice to the stage. Innovative staging and dynamic lighting effects will create a visually immersive experience of sound and light that enhances the emotional depth of the choral performances. The program will include music by Lili Boulanger, Morten Lauridsen, and others, as well as arrangements by Swanson and Holmes.
The following week on Thursday, May 22, the May Festival continues with a special presentation of Kevin Puts’ innovative new work, The Brightness of Light, a series of songs chronicling the romance of two major 20th-century artists—painter Georgia O’Keeffe and photographer Alfred Stieglitz. Drawn from thousands of letters, and accompanied by projections of O’Keeffe’s iconic floral paintings designed by Wendall Harrington, the performance will weave together their correspondences, revealing the fragility of love and the yearning to hold onto it. Renée Fleming, singing as Georgia O’Keeffe, will be joined by baritone Rod Gilfry as Alfred Stieglitz. The program also includes Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music and Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms. Former May Festival Principal Conductor Juanjo Mena will conduct the performance.
The 2025 May Festival concludes on Saturday, May 24, with Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene, inspired by Fleming’s 2023 Grammy Award-winning album of the same name. Paired with a film provided by the National Geographic Society, the multimedia program charts humanity’s evolving relationship with nature, in the context of climate change, through a blend of Romantic and contemporary songs performed by Fleming, including works by composers Nico Muhly, Kevin Puts and Lord of the Rings’ Howard Shore. The May Festival Chorus joins Fleming for the grand Festival conclusion, with works by Giacomo Puccini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Richard Rodgers.