Classical Music

The Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati, under the direction of Earl Rivers, present a program of choral music for the Christmas season, spotlighting American and European 20th-century composers. Founded in 1979, for over 30 years VAE has brought the power of spectacular, powerful and thrilling choral performances to audiences of all generations. Their mission: Vocal Arts Ensemble is greater Cincinnati’s premier professional vocal ensemble dedicated to presenting passionate and innovative performances of choral music that raise and nurture the public’s appreciation of the life-enriching qualities of the choral arts. Because of the small size of the choir, as well as the distinctive venues chosen each year across the area, VAE is uniquely able to present diverse performances that engage and enchant a range of music lovers. Works presented each season range from emerging composers to the well-loved pieces of the choral canon, and it is this intimate balance of traditional yet innovative programming, as well as the creativity and passion brought to the stage by Johnson that makes VAE so unique. VAE is committed to the presentation and development of modern chamber music, and new works by internationally-known composers are annually premiered through the “Meet the Composer” series. Additional community engagements throughout the year include appearances with the May Festival and collaborations with area arts organizations.

A historically important new release, Sam Rivers Reunion: Live in New York features the reunion of octogenarian saxophonist/flutist/pianist Rivers with his groundbreaking trio of two-time Grammy Award winner Dave Holland on bass and Barry Altschul on drums. The venerated band was a mainstay at Rivers Studio RivBea the most famous venue during the loft jazz movement of the 1970s and was well-known for it's marathon fully-improvised concerts. Their powerful rapport gives no hint of the fact that they had not played together in 25 years when this concert took place in 2007. In a musical career that spanned more than 50 years, Rivers played with such disparate musicians as Miles Davis, T-Bone Walker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Cecil Taylor. He is best known for his heralded albums on Blue Note and Impulse!, and two Grammy-nominated big band recordings for RCA. The Rivers/Holland/Altschul trio, though revered in jazz circles, recorded rarely, and those out-of-print records are highly sought-after by collectors. Unfortunately, Rivers did not live to see the release of this CD; he passed away on December 26, 2011.