MusicNOW is a contemporary music and arts festival founded in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Chamber Music Cincinnati. President Audrey Luna and guitarist and composer Bryce Dessner curated this inaugural season. It was originally held at the Contemporary Arts Center and later moved to Memorial Hall, a small historic theater located in the city's historic Over-the-Rhine district. Festival performers have included contemporary music advocates Bang on a Can All-Stars and Kronos Quartet as well as indie rock groups such as Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors and The National. Two annual elements of the festival have been the inclusion of visual art, including installations by Karl Jensen, and new music commissions.
Quick Facts Location(s), Years active ...
| MusicNOW Festival |
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| Location(s) | Cincinnati |
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| Years active | 2006 |
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In 2014, MusicNOW became part of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's annual subscription season. This inclusion ceased in 2018, when MusicNOW expanded to be held in association with Homecoming, a new music festival curated and headlined by The National, essentially merging the two festivals into an expansive city-wide event, though the two festivals are ticketed separately.[1][2]
After a two-year break in 2019–20, MusicNOW will return, and will take place on 07-09 May 2021. 2020 saw the festival get cancelled caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
2006 edition
The 2006 Festival was held at the Contemporary Arts Center, April 26–30, and featured Awadagin Pratt, CelloProject, Bell Orchestre, Glenn Kotche, Clogs, The Books, David Cossin, Kyaw Kyaw Naing, Erik Friedlander, Bell Orchestre,
2008 edition
In 2008, Andrew Bird, fresh from recording, shared many of the songs from his recent release. The first evening of festival featured world premieres from Doveman and Aaron Dessner, Nico Muhly, and Sufjan Stevens.
Additional performances by Bang on a Can All-Stars, Bill Frisell, Grizzly Bear, The Dirty Projectors, Ben Verdery, and Glenn Kotche.
2011 edition
In its sixth year, the MusicNOW Festival featured performances from The National, Sharon Van Etten, Little Scream, Owen Pallett, Tim Hecker, Shara Worden, Richard Reed Parry, yMusic, Megafaun, and Sounds of the South, a collaboration between Megafaun and Fight the Big Bull.
2013 edition
In its eighth year, the MusicNOW Festival featured performances from Glen Hansard, Tinariwen and Steve Reich among others. It also featured artwork by Cincinnati-born artists Nathlie Provosty and Jessie Henson.
2014 edition
In its ninth year, the MusicNOW Festival featured performances from eighth blackbird, Bryce and Aaron Dessner, Olga Bell, Louis Langree, Bonnie "prince" Billy and more. It featured musical compositions by Bryce and Aaron Dessner, Nico Muhly, Scriabin, Krzysztof Penderecki, Jonny Greenwood, David Lang, and Prokofiev.
2015 edition
MusicNOW celebrated its decennial with five nights of music spread throughout three venues. Performers included Lone Bellow Perfume Genius, Mina Tindle, The National, and Will Butler. This year also celebrated the release of a ten-year compilation album, featuring a decade of music performed at the festival.
2016 edition
In its eleventh year, MusicNOW Festival featured Punch Brothers, Sam Amidon, Luluc and Chris Thile, as well as performances by Kronos Quartet, Musical America Artist of the Year Jenny Koh, and Composer-in-Residence and Pulitzer Prize winner Julia Wolfe. The weekend also included a special world premiere full orchestra version of Bryce Dessner's Aheym, performed by the CSO and Kronos Quartet, as well as the U.S. premiere of Dessner's Réponse Lutoslawski, performed by the CSO.
2020 edition
This was supposed to return after two years following its last in 2018. The Black Lives Matter protests, coupled by the pandemic, caused the 14th festival to defer to 2021.