Believe me….I'm not the least bit surprised when I ask someone about the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and its world-renowned music director Mischa Santora, and I get a response like "I didn't know we had that!" or "I never heard of that!" or "Who's he?"

And indeed, why should they?  The CCO does not have the budget to "market" the orchestra and music director.  As a thrifty non-profit we invest every dollar into programming in order to deliver a world-class product.  We rely on viral and grassroots marketing…word of mouth….or the generous but often sporadic in-kind gift of local PR/Marketing firms to get the word out.  So when people are surprised to learn they actually have this 33-member professional orchestra (comprising CSO & Dayton Philharmonic musicians, CCM faculty and other professional free-lance musicians) in their city, I get a pleasant feeling of sharing the wealth, and experience an excitement of maybe converting someone to investigate the arts & culture Cincinnati offers!

Classical music, ballet, opera can intimidate people.  The arts as a whole, for too long, has presented itself as elitist, hoity-toity, food for the gods…and the "Joe the Plumber" feels uncomfortable to even try and find out what it's all about.

Let me tell you a little about the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra.  It's audience-friendly….it's an "intimate experience in classical music."  Patrons attend in more casual attire; concerts are Sunday afternoons and evenings.  Mischa will turn from the orchestra and engage the audience, explaining why he has selected the piece of music, what the audience should listen for in the piece.  Or maybe he will tell a story about the composer or an experience he had conducting in another city or country.  The CCO repertoire is different; not always classical; sometimes 20th century; sometimes Gershwin.  CCO soloists are often younger, rising stars, giving you an opportunity to hear them BEFORE they become famous.  

The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra enjoys collaborating with other local arts organizations such as Cincinnati Shakespeare Theater, Vocal Arts Ensemble, Madcap Puppet Theater – presenting unique, one-of-a-kind concerts.  The CCO is about making the live musical experience accessible to the entire community.  Ticket prices are purposely set low.  Children are always free with a paying adult.  Our free "In Your Community" concert at St. Cecilia Church, Oakley draws a packed church each year.  Last year the CCO expanded to become Orchestra-in-Residence Anderson Center.  Now in addition to our concert series at Memorial Hall in Over-the-Rhine, we also perform a concert series at the new arts & government center in Anderson Township.  

And when I receive letters like –– "I wanted to let you know how much my family and I enjoyed Musical Seasons at Anderson Center this past Sunday.  What a treat!  It's just great that we can see this talent in our own neighborhood.  Thank you very much." –– I know I'm on the right track.  It's about community and the value the orchestra can contribute to the community.

At this coming Sunday's concert, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra is joining with over 200 orchestras across the United States in a national food drive inspired by the soon-to-be-released film The Soloist, starring Robert Downey Jr.  CCO musicians, staff and volunteers will collect non-perishable food at the afternoon and evening concerts on Sunday, March 22.  All food collected will be given to the Freestore Foodbank for distribution. Feeding the body and the soul – that's a win-win for everyone.

Give yourself a break from the Dow Jones.  Escape.  Try something different this weekend – enjoy the arts & culture in Cincinnati.

I have been honest about my bias and love for this city.  My background certainly colors my views and thoughts about arts and culture in the greater Cincinnati area.

Did you know you can see theater in Cincinnati BEFORE it goes to New York?  Did you know you can experience some of the greatest choral works ever heard here in Cincinnati each May?  (People come from all over the world for May Festival.)  How many signature architect buildings dot our skyline and streetscapes? And then there's Andy Williams, Steven Spielberg, Sarah Jessica Parker, all the Clooneys, Suzanne Farrell, Jim Dine, James Levine – and so many more – all who got their start here in greater Cincinnati.

Arts and culture is a differentiator for Cincinnati.  From New York to LA, Chicago to Atlanta, Cincinnati is known for its rich arts culture and heritage.  Outside Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Opera, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Emmy-award winning Playhouse in the Park, are just a few of the many well-respected and highly-praised providers of live art experiences available here locally.  Unfortunately too many Cincinnati natives have not ventured "outside Cincinnati" to hear all the good things said about the Cincinnati arts scene.  And we all know that unless one hears it from the "outside", then the perceived value is greatly diminished.  We cut ourselves no slack what so ever.

A friend of mine remarked just yesterday that her 24-year old, gainfully employed son was going to move away because "Cincinnati is dead….there's nothing to do here!"  Good grief! Open up City Beat!  I WISH I were 24 again; single and able to take advantage of all the cool arts & culture opportunities available.  I could keep myself busy for years without ever repeating a venue!

Perception is reality, and if you think Cincinnati is a dull place to live…then you definitely need to get out more and just look around.  Try something new.  You just missed the Fine Arts Fund Sampler Weekend, but just ask someone in the know….they'll be happy to enlighten you!

Last week I was engaged in cocktail talk with a former New Yorker – Brooklyn to be exact…"can't you tell by the way I speak?"  Over the period of maybe twenty minutes, I was informed about everything wrong with the world, the economy, with Cincinnati, my business, etc. and how to fix it…hire him!  Of course!!

Actually he had some legitimate and interesting perspectives and I rather enjoyed the banter… until it came to Over-the-Rhine.

He happened to see my Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra brochure that advertised our concerts at Memorial Hall – Over-the-Rhine – and immediately told me "that's your problem.  Over-the-Rhine. No one will come!  Play somewhere people feel safe."

For the first seven years of my life, I lived in Over-the-Rhine.  I was born on West Elder Street, grew up with Poetker's Candy and Bill's Bakery, went to St. Francis Seraph School.  We got our groceries from Bolte's Tea & Spice, meat from Pop Shultz the butcher, and vegetables and cheese from Findlay Market.

Of course being that young, I only viewed the area from my second story porch, but my teenage brothers were out in the neighborhood, socializing at the drugstore or at the movies.  They would come home and tell about the antics of "Vine Street Betty".  This hushed dinner conversation stimulated my imagination, especially since I was too young to understand the concept of cross-dressing!

The old neighborhood was changing….most of the Irish and German families had moved up to Price Hill (as eventually did my parents) and the immigrant Appalachians began to inhabit the area, followed closely by many African-Americans who were displaced after the West End was torn down to create Queensgate.

Yes the old neighborhood has changed, but like all things it continues to change.  There are a great number of people who continue to believe in the area and have taken leadership roles to breathe new life back into an area raped by slum landlords making money on the backs of the poor.

Yes I am biased when it comes to Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine.  It's still there and I encourage everyone to come down and see for themselves.  When you get to the cobblestone street in front of Memorial Hall and look across at Washington Park, you can almost visualize the streetcar traffic, the children playing, and faintly hear the music from a past period.  And if you walk inside Memorial Hall, you can experience an intimate classical setting with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the Vocal Arts Ensemble on Sunday March 22, at 2:00PM in a beautiful Hannaford designed concert hall.

Why I am so excited about Cincinnati?  Read tomorrow's blog.

I'm a born and Westside-raised Cincinnatian.  So I will immediately admit a bias to the city.  As a boy, my parents took me to all the places of note – Eden Park, Mt. Storm, Ault Park, the Krohn Conservatory, the Art and Taft Museums, the Zoo, Coney Island.   I was taught to appreciate the diverse and unique architecture of the city ranging from churches to theaters to concert halls to hotels.  I learned about the rich heritage of the city's inclines, riverboats, and trains.

From the age of 12 I had the privilege to travel by bus – ALONE!  Saturday excursions would begin with a bus ride downtown from my Price Hill home for an early morning music lesson, followed by meeting friends and touring downtown – maybe taking in a show at the Albee, Grand, Palace, Capitol or Keith's – then an excursion ride through the city on other bus routes before heading back home.  As I grew old enough to drive, I was lucky enough to "inherit" a car of my own which allowed me and my friends to expand our investigation of the outlying Cincinnati neighborhoods of Greenhills, Finneytown, Sharonville, Montgomery, Indian Hill.

What this provided us was the opportunity to experience a diverse Cincinnati and appreciate its ethnicity, charm and beauty in a way most Cincinnatians today (native or transplants) never have.   And it's nurtured a pride in this city that I readily proclaim.

My daughters never had the chance to experience that 1950s freedom to jump a bus and ride throughout the city, but that didn't stop them from learning about downtown and how Cincinnati was laid out.  As a game when they were little, we memorized the names of the north/south streets in order from Plum to Broadway.  We showed them the church where we were married, the hotel where we had our reception.  As they grew up we would take them to shows at the Taft and Aronoff, concerts at Music Hall, visit the CAC.  We shopped at Findlay Market and went to the Ensemble Theatre.  Their knowledge of downtown Cincinnati always amazed their friends at school, who were usually clueless about the city beyond Kenwood Mall.

So when the first wedding became a reality….a downtown Cincinnati wedding in May was my daughter's choice.  Her new husband's family and friends (from the suburbs of Detroit) were so impressed with the city, the downtown area and all it had to offer.  Their many compliments and good remarks about Cincinnati fanned the hometown pride in me and allowed me to see my city in a different way – through the eyes of a guest – and it looked good.

Now all the girls live out of town, one because of school and two because of marriage, but there is a warm spot in their heart for Cincinnati, downtown/suburbs, arts & culture, Bengals/Reds, the Zoo…they all are on their list of things to do when they come home to visit.  The grass may look greener on the other side, but there's no place like home.

Robert P. Kellison
Executive Director
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra