Robert Porco, Director of Choruses at Cincinnati May Festival, in front of Music Hall, home of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Liz Dufour.
“The Cincinnati May Festival’s director of choruses will end his tenure next year after 35 seasons,” writes Nikki Kingery in Wednesday’s (2/10) Cincinnati Business Journal. “Robert Porco, the longest-tenured director of choruses in the history of the 150-year-old May Festival, has been a conductor of choral and orchestral works for more than 40 years. He has worked with over 1,300 singers of the May Festival Chorus and prepared 532 choral works for 170 May Festival concerts…. In addition to the May Festival, Porco has prepared the chorus for 130 concerts with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops during the orchestra’s subscription seasons and summer performances at Riverbend Music Center…. The search for Porco’s successor is underway, led by the May Festival Artistic Advisory Committee composed of individuals from the May Festival board, chorus, administrative staff and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.”
