Cincinnati Opera’s newest release is a live recording of the world premiere production of Blind Injustice, with music by Scott Davenport Richards and libretto by David Cote. Developed in collaboration with the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP) and the Cincinnati-based ensemble Young Professionals Choral Collective, Blind Injustice explores the true stories of six individuals who were wrongfully imprisoned and ultimately freed by the OIP. The opera’s narrative was drawn from the book Blind Injustice written by OIP director and formal federal prosecutor Mark Godsey, as well as personal interviews with the six exonerees. The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra’s John Morris Russell conducts, with stage direction and dramaturgy by Robin Guarino. Hailed as “a powerful piece of music theater” by The Wall Street Journal and “a moving new work” by Opera News, Cincinnati Opera’s world premiere production of Blind Injustice explores the true stories of six individuals who were tried, convicted, imprisoned, and ultimately freed by the Ohio Innocence Project. With a “rich soundscape” (NPR’s All Things Considered) featuring elements of opera, pop, jazz, and blues, Blind Injustice interweaves the exonerees’ individual stories to create a moving portrait of perseverance, grace, and forgiveness.

Voyage is the newest release from the Cincinnati Pops conducted by John Morris Russell and features the world premiere recording of the title track by Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing and the historic “giant leap for mankind.” This 96th Cincinnati Pops album draws inspiration from the stars and also features selections from Holst’s The Planets, as well as science fiction favorites from both the big and small screens.

American Originals: 1918 is the newest release from the Cincinnati Pops conducted by John Morris Russell and features iconic American songs interpreted by a diverse array of acclaimed musical collaborators including MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Rhiannon Giddens, Grammy-winning Steep Canyon Rangers, Americana artist Pokey LaFarge, and tap dancer Robyn Watson. The follow-up to the Pops’ innovative American Originals album, American Originals: 1918 reimagines songs first brought to life in the first third of the 20th century as well as American popular standards from World War I and some of the first well-known tunes from the advent of jazz. The 95th Cincinnati Pops album includes fresh new renditions of “Over There,” “God Bless America,” “Swing Along,” “Memphis Blues,” “I’m Just Wild About Harry,” “How Ya Gonna Keep ‘em Down on the Farm,” and “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” among many other classic tunes. In addition, the collection includes the world premiere of Grammy-nominated composer Peter Boyer’s “In the Cause of the Free,” commissioned by the Pops to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I.

The Cincinnati May Festival Chorus, the official chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops, performs a capella traditional Christmas carols under the direction of Robert Porco. The May Festival Chorus has earned acclaim locally, nationally, and internationally for its musicality, vast range of repertoire and sheer power of sound. The Chorus of 145 professionally trained singers is the core artistic element of the Cincinnati May Festival as well as the official chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops. Founded in 1873, the annual May Festival is the oldest, and one of the most prestigious, choral festivals in the Western Hemisphere. In this release, the Chorus performs sublime a capella arrangements of traditional Christmas hymns and carols.

Since its founding, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has maintained an unfaltering commitment to commissioning new music, resulting in substantial new works from a diverse array of composers including Aaron Copland and Philip Glass. For the 2015-16 season, three exciting international composers originating from three different continents, Sebastian Currier, Thierry Escaich and Zhou Tian, were each commissioned to write a new concerto for orchestra, showcasing the virtuosity, style, and sound of the CSO, thus furthering a genre championed by the likes of Bartók and Lutoslawski. The resulting three works featured on this live recording represent the culmination of this exciting project, and once again affirms the CSO’s core value of being a place of experimentation.

Superheroes!, the latest release from John Morris Russell and the Cincinnati Pops, showcases some of Hollywood’s grandest musical scores from recent blockbusters, such as The Avengers, The Dark Knight, Iron Man 2, X-Men: The Last Stand, Thor, Spider-Man, and Captain America: The First Avenger, and also features themes from television classics including “The Adventures of Superman,” “Wonder Woman,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Batman,” “Super Friends,” and more. This action-packed collection, with a special appearance by actor Adam West (“Batman,” 1960s), pays tribute to the heroes of our imagination and celebrates the wonderful creativity of Hollywood’s most accomplished and acclaimed composers. Also includes the world premiere of The Launch (Conduktor’s Theme).