Images: College-Conservatory of Music after dark, UC Magazine, University of Cincinnati

College-Conservatory of Music after hours

by Deborah Rieselman

The largest single source of performing-arts events in the state of Ohio, the College-Conservatory of Music particularly shines after hours when stage lights come up to welcome 70,000 people to nearly 1,000 performances a year. Five theaters, with seating for 140-400 each, give almost 1,500 students an opportunity for a practical application in more than 100 majors. Furthermore, CCM programs are so highly competitive that in 2010, for example, 713 applicants vied for 20 slots in musical theater, the country’s oldest such program.

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The CCM Chamber Choir, the Chorale and Concert Orchestra, the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses, plus doctoral-student conductors take the Corbett Auditorium stage for the Feast of Carols, a decades-long tradition held each December. The young men wearing the blue vests are the St. Xavier High School Choir.

photo/Lisa Ventre

Work takes on a frantic pace all hours of the day in CCM’s production facilities, which include an 8,500 square-foot scene shop, 3,000 square-foot costume shop, design/drafting studio, sound design studio, a lighting laboratory and wig, make-up and prosthetics studios.

photo/Dottie Stover

CCM's scenes require skills of all types, including welding.

photo/Dottie Stover

CCM includes an underground garage; practice rooms in Memorial Hall, UC’s first residence hall; and the Dieterle Vocal Arts Center, the former Schmidlapp Gymnasium and the second oldest building on campus (barely seen at far left).

photo/Tyler Stober, DAAP student

The drama and theater design and production departments produced William Inge’s “Picnic” in 2010 with Ty Olwin, from Boulder, Colo., playing the part of Bomber Gutzel. In addition to main-stage and studio productions, drama and musical-theater seniors take an original showcase on the road each spring to impress New York City and Los Angeles directors, agents and managers. Job offers usually arrive before graduation.

photo/Mark Lyons

CCM Village takes its place amidst UC’s renowned signature architecture. Designed by Henry Cobb and completed in 1999, the village features a renovated and expanded Corbett Center for the Performing Arts.