CCM ORCHESTRA SERIES PRESENTS
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, Corbett Auditorium
Mark Gibson, music director
Hannah Schendel, graduate student conductor
Featuring student artist Yucheng Zeng, violin
Enjoy contrasting views of tonality and style in a performance that features works by modern master Gabriela Lena Frank, Igor Stravinsky and Antonín Dvořák. Winner of the CCM Violin Concerto Competition, doctoral student Yucheng Zeng will be featured as soloist in Stravinsky’s virtuosic Violin Concerto in D Major, which will be conducted by doctoral student Hannah Schendel.
Apu: Tone Poem for Orchestra
Commissioned by Carnegie Hall for the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America
In Andean Peru, spirits are said to inhabit rocks, rivers and mountain peaks with the intent of keeping a watchful eye on travelers passing through highland roads. The apu is one of the more well-known spirits that is sometimes portrayed as a minor deity with a mischievous side who is rarely seen. Simple folk song and a solemn prayer often successfully placate the apu to ensure safe passage through the mountains.
Apu: Tone Poem for Orchestra begins with a short folkloric song inspired by the agile pinkillo flute, a small slender instrument that packs well into the small bags of travelers who must travel light. It is followed by the extended haillí of the second movement, a prayer to the apu, which flows attacca to the third movement in which the apu makes its’ brief but brilliant and dazzling appearance before disappearing once again into the mountain peaks.
- Gabriela Lena Frank
Yucheng Zeng, violin
Hannah Schendel, conductor
Zeng is a student of Professor Kurt Sassmannshaus
The CCM Philharmonia, under the direction of Professor and CCM Director of Orchestral Studies Mark Gibson, is recognized as one of the world’s elite conservatory orchestras. The breadth of each season’s concert series rivals many of the world’s great performing organizations, and the Philharmonia presents a body of repertoire that encompasses more than what most conservatories venture to program. The close bond between the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and CCM’s orchestral program invigorates student conductors and instrumentalists alike, and CCM’s commitment to high standards enriches the cultural life of Greater Cincinnati.
the flair and technique of a professional ensemble
Rafael's Music Notes
Mark Gibson, music director
Hannah Schendel, graduate student conductor
1 denotes principal player in Frank
2 denotes principal player in Stravinsky
3 denotes principal player in Dvorak
Stay up to date on CCM news and events by subscribing to our Next OnStage email newsletter, which is published every other Wednesday. Visit ccm.uc.edu/subscribe to sign up for email updates.
You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
August 20, 2026
Experience world-class performances by the next generation of performing and media artists at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). With more than 130 different performances and events, there is something happening nearly every week of the school year!
July 29, 2026
UC’s College-Conservatory of Music will welcome a variety of new faculty and staff members to its roster of distinguished performing and media arts experts, researchers and educators this fall.
July 27, 2026
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) recently appointed CCM alumnus Kyle A. Lamb (BM Music Education and Percussion, 2017; AD Percussion, 2020) as the organization’s next Vice President of Education and Community Engagement, effective August 3, 2026.
CCMpower is a volunteer group of fans, advocates and alumni dedicated to empowering students and fueling the future of the arts through scholarship opportunities and more.
The competitive scholarships CCMpower provides help attract and retain the best and brightest students, nurture professional development opportunities and – in turn – continue CCM’s tradition of excellence for the next generation of student-artists. Join or renew your CCMpower membership today to help provide critical scholarship funds.
Join or renew your CCMpower member today to help provide critical scholarship funds. Visit foundation.uc.edu/ccmpower to learn more.
Louise Dieterle Nippert Trust
Scholarship and Resident Artist Supporter
The Corbett Endowment at CCM
Dance Department Supporter
All-Steinway School Supporter
William L. Gasch Endowment Fund for Dance Excellence
Rachelle Bruno & Stephen Bondurant
Ellen K. Bastron
Dance Department Supporters
J. Brett Offenberger, MD and Mr. Douglas E. Duckett
Bacchus Legacy Fund
Hawks Nest Private Wealth Scholarship Fund
Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer
Ric Sweeney & David Askew
Ken and Toni Kanter
Henry and Sandy Spitz
Greg Mathein
Jim & Linda Miller
Marty & Anne Pinales
Musical Theatre Department Supporters
GLP German Light Products
Dick & Chris Russell
Upstaging, Inc.
Theater Design & Production Supporter
The Estate of Genevieve Smith
Opera Production Supporter
Rafael and Kimberly de Acha
Opera D’Arte Supporter
The Friedlander Family
Dr. Randolph L. Wadsworth
Judith Schonbach Landgren and Peter Landgren
Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen
Elizabeth C.B. Sittenfeld
Elizabeth Stone
Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman
Mrs. Theodore W. Striker
Mrs. Harry M. Hoffheimer
Ariel Quartet Supporters
The Friedlander Family
Karl Zipser
Chamber Music at CCM
Elizabeth Ann Leman Muennich MD, PhD, in memory of John Leman
Jan Rogers
Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation
Choral Studies Supporters
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph W. Hirschhorn
Philharmonia Supporters
Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation
Starling Pre-Collegiate Supporter
Starling Strings Supporter
Holly Brians Ragusa and Damon Ragusa
Dr. Timothy E. and Janet L. Johnson
Thom Miles and Roberta Gary
Strader Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation
Dr. Stephen G. Schaeffer
Organ Department Supporters
Keyboard Club of Cincinnati
L. Ried Schott
Carl Rhodes & Lori Luchtman-Jones
Piano Department Supporters
Kevin and Nancy Rhein
Wind Studies Supporters
Willis Music
LINKS Instrument Donation Supporter
Supporters listed as of August 2026
The Cincinnati area and the land that the University of Cincinnati has been built on is the native homeland of the Indigenous Algonquian speaking tribes, including the Delaware, Miami, and Shawnee tribes.
Located in the CCM Atrium, the Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 1-5 p.m.; and one hour prior to curtain for all ticketed performances. MasterCard, Visa and Discover cards are accepted.
Convenient parking is available in the CCM Garage at the base of Corry Boulevard off of Jefferson Avenue. Additional parking is available in garages throughout the UC campus. Any questions concerning on-campus parking should be directed to UC Parking Services at 513-556-2283.
If you find that you cannot attend your performance, your tickets may be donated for tax credit as a charitable contribution. Simply notify the Box Office prior to the performance to release your seats, and give your name and address. A tax donation receipt will be mailed to you.
If you have lost an item, contact lost and found at 513-556-9413.
The House Manager has been instructed to minimize the disturbance to patrons already seated when accommodating latecomers. The director and producer of each production select times that are least likely to interrupt the performance, and latecomers will be seated only during these times. Latecomers who miss these opportunities will not be admitted until intermission. Children under the age of 6 will not be admitted.
The video or audio recording of performances is prohibited.
The use of cameras, with or without flashes, recording devices, cellular phones and other electronic devices inside the theater is prohibited. Please leave them with the House Manager.
Smoking and refreshments are not permitted in the theater. Effective May 1, 2017, smoking and tobacco use (including chewing tobacco and electronic cigarettes) shall be prohibited by students, staff, faculty, visitors, vendors and contractors at all times in or on University of Cincinnati properties, including events on university property during non-school hours. This includes all shelters, indoor and outdoor theaters and athletic facilities, bridges, walkways, sidewalks, residence halls, parking lots, and street parking and garages owned by the university.
Telex listening devices are available for checkout during performances in both Patricia Corbett Theater and Corbett Auditorium. Please inquire at the Box Office.
Wheelchair seating is available in both Corbett Auditorium and Patricia Corbett Theater. Seating is limited, so reservations should be made with the Box Office when ordering tickets. These seats are subject to availability.
The Box Office can accommodate groups for major productions and concerts. Preview and benefit performances are also available for some productions. For more information, call the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183.
CCM's faculty and staff and its state-of-the-art facilities make possible the professional training and exceptional education on which CCM believes the future of the arts relies. The school's roster of eminent faculty regularly receives distinguished honors for creative and scholarly work, and its alumni have achieved notable success in the performing and media arts. More than 150 internationally recognized faculty members work with students from around the world, specializing in eight areas of study.
Performance dates and repertoire are subject to change. View CCM's current calendar of events.
The purpose of these performances is educational, and they are part of a University of Cincinnati academic program.