The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Classical Roots returns to historic Music Hall on Friday, April 20, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. This year’s one-night-only performance, “Under One Roof,” will celebrate the history and artistry of African American artists and audiences who helped shape Music Hall into what it is today — one of the region’s most important cultural landmarks. John Morris Russell and William Caldwell will conduct.

Legendary artists to be celebrated will include Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price, who made groundbreaking performances in Music Hall’s Springer Auditorium. The Greystone Club in Music Hall hosted such legendary artists as Billie Holliday, Cab Callaway, Sarah Vaughan, Fats Domino, and Duke Ellington. Heavyweight Champion Ezzard Charles even boxed in the North Hall Arena.

Cincinnati Pops Orchestra conductor John Morris Russel notes that the history of the African American community in Cincinnati has often been relegated to the margins of our region’s narrative, which sells our entire community short. There is beauty, courage and eloquence in the history of Music Hall and the history of Greater Cincinnati that is only truly revealed when we understand we are all under one roof.

The Classical Roots Community Mass Choir, comprised of over 150 volunteer singers from dozens of area churches, returns this year as a cornerstone of Classical Roots. The CSYO Nouveau Chamber Players, a celebrated string ensemble comprised of talented African American and Latino student musicians, will also appear. Audiences will also have an opportunity to meet the CSO/CCM Diversity Fellows, part of a groundbreaking, nationally recognized program supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that aims to increase diversity in orchestras so that they are more representative of the populations they serve.

Tickets for Classical Roots can be purchased by visiting or calling the CSO Box Office at (513) 381-3300 or by visiting this site.