studio sessions
Opera stars shine in intimate cabaret-style performances
Cincinnati Opera artists take to the cabaret stage in these intimate performances at Music Hall’s Wilks Studio. Each 90-minute performance includes musical selections that shine a spotlight on the amazing artistry and personal stories of these talented performers. Get ready for two remarkable nights of sound and splendor with our stars!
SOUL & SOUND 2.0: The Gospel of Tomorrow
Thursday, June 25, 2026
8:00 pm • wilks studio
Hosted by poet Tifara Brown and featuring pianists Kevin Miller and Donald Lee III, and countertenor G. Thomas Allen, this intimate cabaret-style performance is more than a concert—it is a living, breathing ceremony, rooted in the gospel tradition and expanded through virtuosic performance and storytelling. Together we remember and reimagine the power of Black music across time, from the sacred foundation of spirituals into the heart of gospel, through the freedom of jazz and the depth of Black classical excellence, and into a bold Afrofuturist horizon.
$47 general admission
$70 reserved seating (SOLD OUT—join the waitlist)
(Note: Cabaret tables will be seated with 4 persons per table.)
MATTHEW WHITE IN RECITAL
wedNEsday, July 1, 2026
8:00 pm • wilks studio
Following his 2025 starring role as Cavaradossi in Tosca, and, in anticipation of his appearance as this season’s Don José in Carmen, tenor Matthew White takes to the cabaret stage for his first solo recital ever (!). Expect an enthralling evening of music—from opera arias to Appalachian folk tunes—along with Cincinnati Opera’s Head of Music Staff, pianist James Maverick.
$47 general admission
$70 reserved seating (SOLD OUT—join the waitlist)
(Note: Cabaret tables will be seated with 4 persons per table.)
A Look Back
Photos from our very first Studio Session on July 12, 2023, featuring mezzo-soprano Emily Fons with pianists Andrew Crooks and Matthew Umphreys. Photos by Philip Groshong
