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Louis Langrée, Music Director
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is a dynamic ensemble of some of the world’s finest musicians. The fifth oldest symphony orchestra in the US and the oldest orchestra in Ohio, the CSO has played a leading role in the cultural life of Greater Cincinnati and the Midwest since its founding in 1895.
Louis Langrée began his tenure as the CSO’s 13th Music Director in the 2013/2014 season. A champion of new music, the Orchestra has given American premieres of works by such composers as Debussy, Ravel, Mahler and Bartók and has commissioned works that have since become mainstays of the classical repertoire.
The Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra is Cincinnati’s ambassador with over ten million units sold, many of which have received Grammy awards and nominations. In January of 2010, the CSO launched its own record label, now known as Fanfare Cincinnati, which currently boasts six releases.
The Orchestra also performs as the Cincinnati Pops under the direction of John Morris Russell, and the CSO is the official orchestra for the Cincinnati May Festival, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Ballet and the World Piano Competition.
The CSO was the first American orchestra to make a world tour sponsored by the US Department of State and continues to tour domestically and internationally, most recently to Europe in 2008, Japan in 2009 and a recent Asia tour in March 2017. Askonas Holt toured the CSO in summer 2017 throughout Europe.
