Julia Wolfe, director of the 2024 Cincinnati May Festival. The Cincinnati Symphony is orchestra in residence at the festival. Photo by Peter Serling.
In Tuesday’s (1/9) Cincinnati Business Courier, Janelle Gelfand writes, “When the Cincinnati May Festival launches its 151st season in May, it will be guided by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Julia Wolfe as its inaugural festival director. A new leadership model at the festival aims to invigorate artistic planning by pairing the festival director in close collaboration with the director of choruses. A different festival director from a variety of artistic disciplines will be engaged each year. It is a new concept for the oldest choral festival in the Western Hemisphere. Founded in 1873, the May Festival is anchored by the May Festival Chorus, led by Director of Choruses Robert Porco, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Louis Langrée, music director. Wolfe will be festival director for the 2024 May Festival … May 17-25. In addition to receiving the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Music, Wolfe was a 2016 MacArthur Fellow…. Programs this year will feature more new music than ever before…. ‘It’s all written recently, and much of it is related to important social issues,’ said Porco, of Wolfe’s programming. ‘There are a lot of issues in society at the moment, so this may be the most relevant festival we’ve done.’ ” Steven Sunderman is the May Festival’s executive director.
