“It isn’t merely the grace and power of their dancing or the beauty of their singing that rivets the attention, but the sheer joy and love that emanates from their being.”
Paul Simon

For 60 years, South Africa’s five-time Grammy Award winners, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has warmed the hearts of audiences worldwide with uplifting vocal harmonies, signature dance moves and charming onstage banter. It was Paul Simon’s 1987 Graceland album that introduced Ladysmith Black Mambazo to the world. The late former South African President Nelson Mandela designated the group “South Africa’s cultural ambassadors to the world,” a title the members carry with them with the highest honor. In 2018 the group received not one but two Grammy Award nominations for two separate albums, a first in the history of World Music. These two nominations brought their career total to 19 Grammy Award nominations. One of these albums, Shaka Zulu Revisited, won Best World Music Album. This was the group’s fifth Grammy Award win, the most for any World Music group. In 2019, Ladysmith Black Mambazo collaborated for the third time with the famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company on a production entitled Lindiwe and released an album with songs from the show.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo has performed for millions of people, singing a message of peace, love and harmony.

Jazz at the Memo Presents

The Carmon DeLeone Quartet – “Time After Time”

This superb quartet of Cincinnati’s finest artists will be celebrating both the common and uncommon rhythmic grooves in jazz.  From 3’s & 4’s, to 5’s, 6’s & 8’s – it’ll all be there, and ALL of it swingin’!

Yes, of course Dave Brubeck will be represented, but also surprises from André Previn, Benny Golson, Miles Davis, Leonard Bernstein, Fats Waller, Bill Evans, and more!

Featuring Randy Villars (piano), Rick VanMatre (saxophone), Aaron Jacobs (bass), Carmon DeLeone (drums)

Doors at 6:30p, Show 7:00 – 9:00p

About Jazz at the Memo: Bop your winter blues with Jazz at the Memo as the popular series returns to the beautiful and acoustically superb Anderson Theater at Memorial Hall. Enjoy the finest of Cincinnati’s thriving jazz scene, including some of the region’s premier women and BIPOC artists, in intimate and often surprising performances. Fantastic acts making their JATM debuts in 2024 include boogie phenom Ben Levin, vocalist Wendell Anderson, the Luso-Brazilian fusion of Duo Rocha Gandara and the Four Strangers Quartet with their tribute to John Coltrane.

Subscription packages now available! Don’t want to miss a beat of jazz this winter? Purchase our Jazz at the Memo subscription package and receive reserved seating for all 17 winter performances, representing a savings of $64 in ticketing fees.

Beginning in May, the party moves outdoors! Join us across the street for Washington Park’s “Jazz in the Park,” Monday evenings through October (excepting holidays); and for Fountain Square’s “Jazz at the Square” programs, Tuesday evenings May through September.

Learn more HERE.

Pick 3 recitals for $90 available now! Call 977-8838 to order

with Donna Loewy, piano

Young Chinese horn player Yun Zeng was born into a musical family in 1999 and started learning French horn with his father, Jie Zeng, at age six. In 2012, he was selected to the ‘Best of Best project’, specially provided to young talented musicians by the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China. As a soloist, Yun Zeng has performed some of the most renowned French horn repertoire with symphony orchestras and is currently shining on international stages.

He has had a chain of successes in international competitions: 2nd prize at The International Competition of Young Musicians in Vladivostok, Russia in 2012; 2nd prize at the Jeju International Brass Competition in South Korea – the youngest prize winner in its history; 2nd prize in the Professional Division of the 2015 International Horn Competition of America; 1st prize at the Lieksa International Horn Competition in Finland in 2016; 1st prize at the International Competition “Città di Porcia” in 2017; and 2nd prize at the Prague Spring International Competition in 2018.

In 2019 Zeng won first prize in the newly introduced brass instrument category of the International Tchaikovsky Competition, and in 2021 he was awarded 2nd Prize in the horn category at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, Germany. In 2022, at age 22, Zeng won the audition for principal horn of one of the oldest orchestras in the world (founded in 1570), Staatskapelle Berlin, a much-coveted post for any brass player.

“Playing the French horn is like dancing on a high wire” Yun Zeng has observed, adding it is “difficult to play and probably the most difficult of all orchestral instruments…It’s not only about technique but also about a sense of beauty up there.”

Aimee Mann is one of the most distinguished singer-songwriters of her generation. Her successful solo career has spanned several decades with several Grammy nominations, two Grammy award and the release of nine critically acclaimed solo albums, including the profoundly popular soundtrack for the film Magnolia, which garnered an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination for Best Song in 2000.  Time magazine has said, “Mann has the same skill that great tunesmiths like McCartney and Neil Young have: the knack for writing simple, beautiful, instantly engaging songs, ” while NPR voted her one of the “TOP 10 Best Living Songwriters” along with Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. Her latest release is called "Mental Illness" which won her a Grammy for Best Folk Album.

Earlier in her musical life, Mann fronted the band “Til Tuesday”, releasing three albums. She has also made numerous memorable cameo appearances in films such as The Big Lebowski and TV shows like Portlandia and The Daily Show.

Aimee Mann’s Soundcheck Experience
VIP package includes

– One premium reserved ticket in the first 15 rows -or- GA ticket (where applicable)
– Invitation to a private pre-show soundcheck performance with Aimee Mann (with songs that will not be performed during the regular show)
– Limited edition cartoon booklet drawn by Aimee Mann
– Commemorative Aimee Mann tour laminate
– First access merch shopping and a $10 merchandise coupon redeemable at this show only
– Early entry into the venue

Jazz at the Memo Presents

The Music of Weather Report, feat. noisepolice

A celebration of the music of jazz-fusion band Weather Report featuring songs by Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, & Jaco Pastorius.

Featuring Eric Liechliter (EWI), Dominic Marino (keyboard), Aaron Jacobs (electric bass), Tom Buckley (drums) and special guest Josh Kline (tenor sax)

Doors at 6:30p, Show 7:00 – 9:00p

About Jazz at the Memo: Bop your winter blues with Jazz at the Memo as the popular series returns to the beautiful and acoustically superb Anderson Theater at Memorial Hall. Enjoy the finest of Cincinnati’s thriving jazz scene, including some of the region’s premier women and BIPOC artists, in intimate and often surprising performances. Fantastic acts making their JATM debuts in 2024 include boogie phenom Ben Levin, vocalist Wendell Anderson, the Luso-Brazilian fusion of Duo Rocha Gandara and the Four Strangers Quartet with their tribute to John Coltrane.

Subscription packages now available! Don’t want to miss a beat of jazz this winter? Purchase our Jazz at the Memo subscription package and receive reserved seating for all 17 winter performances, representing a savings of $64 in ticketing fees.

Beginning in May, the party moves outdoors! Join us across the street for Washington Park’s “Jazz in the Park,” Monday evenings through October (excepting holidays); and for Fountain Square’s “Jazz at the Square” programs, Tuesday evenings May through September.

Learn more HERE.

Jazz at the Memo Presents

Vibes & Vocals, Keys, Skins & Strings: The Paul Hawthorne – Tom Schneider Duo

Vibist-vocalist Paul Hawthorne and pianist-vocalist Tom Schneider present a varied program of music from a repertoire developed over decades performing together, in a mix of styles including jazz, ballads, standards, blues and bossa nova.  Tom and bassist Matt Holt performed together for many years at the Cincinnatian Hotel as two-thirds of the Philip Paul Trio, appearing on the Memorial Hall stage in 2021, when the legendary drummer was 95.

Featuring Paul Hawthorne (vibes & vocals), Tom Schnieder (piano & vocals), Matt Holt (bass) and Alex Merk (drums)

Doors at 6:30p, Show 7:00 – 9:00p

About Jazz at the Memo: Bop your winter blues with Jazz at the Memo as the popular series returns to the beautiful and acoustically superb Anderson Theater at Memorial Hall. Enjoy the finest of Cincinnati’s thriving jazz scene, including some of the region’s premier women and BIPOC artists, in intimate and often surprising performances. Fantastic acts making their JATM debuts in 2024 include boogie phenom Ben Levin, vocalist Wendell Anderson, the Luso-Brazilian fusion of Duo Rocha Gandara and the Four Strangers Quartet with their tribute to John Coltrane.

Subscription packages now available! Don’t want to miss a beat of jazz this winter? Purchase our Jazz at the Memo subscription package and receive reserved seating for all 17 winter performances, representing a savings of $64 in ticketing fees.

Beginning in May, the party moves outdoors! Join us across the street for Washington Park’s “Jazz in the Park,” Monday evenings through October (excepting holidays); and for Fountain Square’s “Jazz at the Square” programs, Tuesday evenings May through September.

Learn more HERE.

“I’d Rather Hear the Danish String Quartet Than Any Other Foursome…chords all have a diamond edge, tunes pour like molten silver, staccato passages skip like stones across a lake.” – New York Magazine

The Danish String Quartet is among the world’s most in demand classical ensembles―in an elite group with this season’s Pavel Haas Quartet and with the Quator Èbéne, coming to our series in 2025-26. These ensembles often must be scheduled two-three years in advance. The DSQ was in Cincinnati to perform on March 12, 2020, but Covid had other plans. It was three years before we could bring them back to actually play.

Jazz at the Memo Presents

Mandy Gaines Sings of Love & Happiness

Celebrate Valentine’s Day a couple nights early with a very special concert by world class Jazz Vocalist Mandy Gaines and her sensitive, soulful, and swinging accompanists, Guitarist Brad Myers and Bassist Chris Berg, as they take you on a whirlwind tour of classic songs of love and happiness from the Great American Songbook. You don’t want to miss the magic and intimacy of Mandy’s dynamic voice in this beautiful acoustic space.

Doors at 6:30p, Show 7:00 – 9:00p

About Jazz at the Memo: Bop your winter blues with Jazz at the Memo as the popular series returns to the beautiful and acoustically superb Anderson Theater at Memorial Hall. Enjoy the finest of Cincinnati’s thriving jazz scene, including some of the region’s premier women and BIPOC artists, in intimate and often surprising performances. Fantastic acts making their JATM debuts in 2024 include boogie phenom Ben Levin, vocalist Wendell Anderson, the Luso-Brazilian fusion of Duo Rocha Gandara and the Four Strangers Quartet with their tribute to John Coltrane.

Subscription packages now available! Don’t want to miss a beat of jazz this winter? Purchase our Jazz at the Memo subscription package and receive reserved seating for all 17 winter performances, representing a savings of $64 in ticketing fees.

Beginning in May, the party moves outdoors! Join us across the street for Washington Park’s “Jazz in the Park,” Monday evenings through October (excepting holidays); and for Fountain Square’s “Jazz at the Square” programs, Tuesday evenings May through September.

Learn more HERE.

Jazz at the Memo Presents

Mambo Combo – Cuba and Puerto Rico do Carnival Too!

Take a mini tour through the “musical back streets ” of Old San Juan & Havana where rhythm and dance are the wellsprings of life.

Michael Sharfe (bass), Brian Batchelor-Glader (piano), Tim McCord (saxophone, flute ), John Zappa (trumpet), Jeff Mellott (drums) and Baba Charles Miller (percussion), with special guest Tina De Alderete (vocals)

Doors at 6:30p, Show 7:00 – 9:00p

About Jazz at the Memo: Bop your winter blues with Jazz at the Memo as the popular series returns to the beautiful and acoustically superb Anderson Theater at Memorial Hall. Enjoy the finest of Cincinnati’s thriving jazz scene, including some of the region’s premier women and BIPOC artists, in intimate and often surprising performances. Fantastic acts making their JATM debuts in 2024 include boogie phenom Ben Levin, vocalist Wendell Anderson, the Luso-Brazilian fusion of Duo Rocha Gandara and the Four Strangers Quartet with their tribute to John Coltrane.

Subscription packages now available! Don’t want to miss a beat of jazz this winter? Purchase our Jazz at the Memo subscription package and receive reserved seating for all 17 winter performances, representing a savings of $64 in ticketing fees.

Beginning in May, the party moves outdoors! Join us across the street for Washington Park’s “Jazz in the Park,” Monday evenings through October (excepting holidays); and for Fountain Square’s “Jazz at the Square” programs, Tuesday evenings May through September.

Learn more HERE.

Dive into the rich tapestry of Schoenberg’s repertoire with concert:nova, continuing the 16-year journey we started with “Demystifying Schoenberg.”

This time, we’re deconstructing his early masterpiece, Pelleas und Melisande, through the U.S. premiere of Levi Hammer’s new arrangement. Originally scored for a grand orchestra, Hammer refashions this work for a more intimate group of thirteen (in the spirit of Schoenberg’s own Society for Private Musical Performances – a salon he created for debuting new works…no critics allowed!).

This performance pairs the lush, narrative-driven Pelleas with the stark poignancy of his String Trio. Crafted in the wake of a life-altering heart attack, the Trio is a raw, auditory journey through illness and convalescence. Complementing these are some of Schoenberg’s Cabaret Songs, gems that offer a glimpse into his Berlin days, published only after his death.

Through these diverse works, we explore Schoenberg’s unparalleled capacity to express the inexpressible, marrying the complex and the captivating, the cerebral and the sensual.

Concert:nova invites you to experience the paradoxical beauty of Schoenberg’s world. Join us in discovering the shared heartbeat within his diverse body of work, where every note promises both a challenge and a revelation.

We hope you’ll join us for this bold blend of intimacy and intensity.