2027 Cincinnati May Festival Announces Schedule
The oldest choral festival in the Western Hemisphere continues with a lineup of six performances directed by conductor Marin Alsop. Opening night is May 21, 2027, and tickets are on sale now.
The first Cincinnati May Festival took place in 1873 at Saengerfest Hall, the predecessor to Cincinnati Music Hall, which stands on the same site today. Founded on the idea of bringing a music to the city, the May Festival has continued that tradition through large-scale choral and orchestral performances. This year’s festival celebrates Cincinnati’s history and the festival’s enduring legacy.
“The 2027 festival offers many engaging ways to celebrate the one instrument that connects us all: the human voice,” Julianne Akins Smith, executive director of the Cincinnati May Festival, said in a Oct. 27, 2026, press release announcing the lineup of performances. “We are thrilled that Marin Alsop has joined us this season as festival director.”
Here’s a look at what’s coming to Cincinnati Music Hall May 21 through 29, 2027.
The 2027 Cincinnati May Festival director, Marin Alsop. Alsop is the first woman to serve as the head of major orchestras in the U.S., South America, Austria and Great Britain (photo by Nancy Horowitz).
May 21 | Fire in my Mouth
The opening night of the festival features more than 100 voices from the May Festival Chorus’ sopranos and altos alongside the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The program honors the immigrant women involved in New York’s deadliest industrial disaster, the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
May 22 | Handel’s Esther
Experience this performance of George Frideric Handel’s “Esther,” a retelling of the biblical story through song, by the Vocal Arts Ensemble and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
May 23 | A Singer’s Journey: Voice of Today & Tomorrow
See more than 200 tenors and basses combine voices to share the journey of a singer from childhood to adulthood. Five choirs will perform music from across nine centuries.
May 25 | The Story of Billie Jean in Concert
The Vocal Arts Ensemble and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra tell the story of tennis player and women’s rights activist Billie Jean King, who defeated former men’s No. 1 Bobby Riggs in the famous “Battle of the Sexes” at the 1973 U.S. Open.
May 28 | Across the Line of Dreams
Two choirs, two orchestras and two conductors come together to celebrate the lives and legacies of Harriet Tubman and Rani Lakshmibai two freedom fighters with commonalities despite being from different parts of the world.
May 29 | Beethoven 9: A Joyful Festival Finale
Alsop leads the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and May Festival Chorus through a celebratory finale with guest soloists showcasing the festival’s dedication to the evolution of choral music. The concert opens with the U.S. premiere of “The Book of Hours“ by Grammy-nominated British composer Anna Clyne and will close with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9., honoring the 200th anniversary of his death.
1241 Elm St., Cincinnati, 513/381-3300, mayfestival.com
All-access festival passes are on sale from $143.50. All other passes to the 2027 May Festival go on sale Nov. 20 and single tickets go on sale in January, 2027. Purchase passes at the box office, online at mayfestival.com or by calling the box office at 513/381-3300.
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