FEBRUARY 16, 2021 No. 2
Welcome to our second issue of Windows on Music Hall where you can watch a video about The Finials Restoration Project, sign up for a NEW tour, plan for our next virtual Wurlitzer concert and more.

Meanwhile, our partners at the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops, Cincinnati Opera and Cincinnati Ballet have been presenting virtual performances for the past months. Enjoy the colorful photo collage above. Also included are images from our wonderful Holiday Wurlitzer concert. Congratulations to everyone for engaging with you, our supporters and lovers of the arts, during this time.
MARKING BLACK HISTORY MONTH
In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution forbade African American contralto Marian Anderson the use of Constitution Hall in D.C. because of her race. Undeterred, she took to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and performed in front of a crowd of 75,000.

Five years later, on January 20, 1944, Ms. Anderson sang at Cincinnati Music Hall, offering the audience a mix of classical and spiritual selections. She continued to share her talents with our city well into the 1950’s.

Past and present operators of Music Hall have worked toward racial and gender equity and strived to tell the stories of those who performed on stage or supported the hall, along with the challenges they met and overcame. You can read more about them, including a venerable barber, the Queen of the Blues, the Divas of Music Hall, and the Greystone Ballroom.
BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
The Friends of Music Hall board elected five new board members at its 2020 Annual Meeting in September. This month, we introduce Carol Sampson and Diana Tisue.
Carol Sampson is an energetic, engaging and resourceful travel ambassador for Cincinnati. Many of us first met Carol when she attended Thea Tjepkema’s presentation, “Under One Roof,” at the Cincinnati Public Library. Carol’s passion for Cincinnati was evident, especially about its iconic historical tourist attractions, including Cincinnati Music Hall. She’s an established travel blogger , Findlay Market tour guide and CVB Travel Ambassador. As part of Music Hall’s renovations in 2017, she worked through Patterson Pope to renovate the CSO’s library. Carol joins our tour committee, as well as our marketing and communications committee. You’ll also find her managing our Twitter account.
Diana Tisue brings a passion for historical preservation to Friends of Music Hall. She recently returned to Cincinnati to serve as outreach manager for Cincinnati Preservation Association, after spending four years at Washington D.C,’s National Historic Trust for Historic Preservation. In 2013, as a student at the University of Cincinnati, Diana founded the Cincinnati Preservation Collective with a mission to be positive and proactive stewards of Cincinnati’s historic infrastructure. She received her degree in history and historic preservation from UC. She has joined FMH’s historical preservation and archives committee and the marketing and communications committee, while actively promoting The Finial Restoration project.
MUSES: THE WOMEN OF MUSIC HALL
Friends of Music Hall board member Thea Tjepkema discusses the legacy of the women at Music Hall on CET's Showcase with Barbara Kellar.
TAKE AN OUTDOOR TOUR
Friends of Music Hall offers Outdoor Tours of Music Hall from April through November. Explore Music Hall's history, the architecture, and the people who made it happen. Covid-19 safety measures are followed.
MEET ME IN OTR TOUR
Cincinnati Food Tours and Friends of Music Hall have joined together to present a NEW OTR opportunity. Two tours in one! On April 10 and 24, this special experience includes Music Hall’s Outdoor Tour, a tour of historic Findlay Market, a ride on the Cincinnati streetcar, lunch at Sacred Beast Diner, and a glass of beer or wine. Covid-19 safety measures are followed.
THANK YOU TO OUR FRIENDS
Your friendship and support means so much, and we wish to thank everyone who made a contribution over the past year.
As a member, your gift contributes resources needed to preserve, engage and celebrate Cincinnati Music Hall as a National Historic Landmark of international significance.
THE FINIALS RESTORATION PROJECT - VIDEO
Here's episode 1 tracking the progress of The Finials Restoration Project. Thanks to Alma Russell for her production.
WHAT INSPIRES ME
by MATT ZORY
Assistant Principal Bass, CSO
Well, it’s back in the saddle for 2021 here at Music Hall with the Cincinnati Symphony. Today we rehearsed Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals for a Lollipops concert stream. Live performances started last month. It’s a great joy to hear the sonic juice of music unleashed into a real concert hall after we have all spent so much time listening to music through speakers and headphones this past year. 
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