Thomas More University has announced a partnership with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra (CCO) to present Healing & Understanding: We Are One, a five-day festival featuring lectures and concerts that takes place Oct. 22-26 at locations throughout the greater Cincinnati area along with several virtual options. The festival is funded through a grant provided by ArtsWave.
Festival programming features a strong Thomas More University presence with the Thomas More choruses, Daniel Parsley, DMA, assistant professor of music in the department of creative media, Jillian Harrison-Jones, DMA, adjunct professor of music, and local artist Michael Thompson who graduated from the University in 2021, all taking part in events. As Visual Artist-in-residence, Thompson will create a piece of art over the five-day festival to be revealed at the final event. Parsley, who is also the CCO’s assistant conductor, leads the festival.
“At the most basic level, Healing & Understanding seeks to offer a platform for conversations to highlight both the strengths and shortcomings of our community,” said Parsley. “The festival is the product of nearly two years of visioning, planning, partnering, and seeking understanding. Both Thomas More University and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra found a common passion in creating a platform for equity in our community. We are thankful for our collaborators, venues, sponsors, and artists for making this festival possible.”
The festival will utilize music and artistic expression as a method to explore race and justice in America and invites open conversation and exploration of these issues through community partnerships. Highlights include free admission to the National Underground Railroad Center on Sunday, Oct. 23 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. with pop-up performances by several local performing arts groups as well as a culminating concert at Christ Church Cathedral on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. with more than 150 musicians performing together.
All events are free to attend, although reservations are required to ensure venue attendance limitations are not surpassed. Additional artistic collaborators include the Cincinnati Youth Choir, Cincinnati Boychoir, MUSE, Cincinnati Men’s Chorus, Voices of Hartford, Classical Roots, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, ArtsWave, and more.
For additional information on the festival and to register for events, visit www.ccocincinnati.org.
For more information about Thomas More University, visit www.thomasmore.edu.
Thomas More University
