Friends of Music Hall

10/09/2026

✨ FMH is Lighting Music Hall! Enjoy a glowing new blog: Shedding Light on the Illuminating History of Music Hall –from 1878 gas jets to Edison’s first bulbs, the dazzling 1888 Exposition “Cincinnati’s first Blink,” the 1923 Tower of Jewels, and Lumenocity. Discover how Music Hall still shines. See Music Hall's façade lit during BLINK 2026, then come inside for FMH's Blink in the Ballroom.

Also, stay tuned: coming soon, FMH is lighting Hannaford’s High Victorian Gothic façade with new state-of-the-art exterior LEDs in 2026.

By Thea Tjepkema Let’s shed some light on the history of lighting in and on Music Hall and Cincinnati, from … Read More

09/02/2026

Friends of Music Hall is pleased to be participating in Ohio Open Doors 2026 with History Connection. This is a statewide event when local sponsors open their historic buildings and landmarks to the public for free tours and programs.

We will be offering two free Indoor Tours of Cincinnati Music Hall on September 10 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Join program guides for a 2-hour tour that explores a variety of private and public spaces and hear the remarkable stories of Cincinnati Music Hall. If you have an interest in history, music, theater, architecture, or Cincinnati culture, this will be a real treat!

Register today at

Friends of Music Hall is delighted to offer two Indoor Tours of Cincinnati Music Hall as part of Ohio Open Doors 2026. Join Friends of Music Hall prog

08/28/2026

On this date, August 28, 1983, after eight performances, Camelot proved to be a royal box-office blockbuster at Music Hall. Famous actors Richard Harris, as King Arthur, and Mary D’Arcy, as Guenevere, portrayed the love, chivalry, and morality of the Arthurian legends in Lerner and Loewe’s beloved musical, presented as a traveling production. Broadway musicals had a regular run at Music Hall from 1975 through 1977, with a few additional shows appearing in the 1980s.

08/14/2026

Check out this week's Beatles Trivia. Tickets are still available for Come Together Live: The Beatles' Legacy on the Mighty Wurlitzer on Thursday, August 20 at 7 p.m.

Visit cincinnatiarts.org or call (513) 621-2787 [ARTS] to reserve your seats.

06/29/2026

FMH tour guide Gayley Hautzenroeder (cellist & educator at CCM prep) and FMH admin staff Julien Monick (CCM DMA grad & composer) collaborated with Dr. Whitney Gaskins and Delano White with the Gaskins Foundation to film a segment for Stemulating Adventures, an educational children's media series that helps young learners explore STEM concepts through real-world places, people and stories. The segment at Music Hall shows viewers how sound, vibration, materials and architecture interact. Planned release date is July 3. Also pictured are tour guides (and FMH board members) Lynne Reckman and Linda Kiefer. https://www.youtube.com/

06/22/2026

On Saturday, the Friends of Music Hall hosted 276 students and 35 faculty from the KY Governor's School for the Arts. The program for highly talented high school sophomores and juniors is in residency at NKU for 3 weeks. FMH tour guides showed them beautiful performance spaces, shared Cincinnati Music Hall's rich history and wowed the students by playing Star Wars on the Mighty Wurlitzer.

06/17/2026

In celebration of Pride Month, join us for an Outdoor Tour of Music Hall on Wednesday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m. Led by FMH historian and tour guide Thea Tjepkema and followed by a private social hour at The Symphony Hotel. Ticket price includes a 60-minute guided tour, one complimentary beverage and lite bites.

https://www.cincinnatiarts.org/events/detail/classical-pride-tour-24

06/09/2026

JAM & JIVE IN MUSIC HALL!
On June 9, 1943, Music Hall hosted a thrilling night of Black entertainment legends. The audience in Springer Auditorium heard the first sounds of Rock ‘n’ Roll from Sister Rosetta Tharpe, “The Godmother of Rock n Roll,” singing while playing her sizzling electric guitar backed by King Records' Dynamaestro Lucky Millinder and his Blazing Recording Orchestra. The seminal Doo-Wop vocal group The Ink Spots, made famous on WLW, sang their hits “If I Cared a Little Bit Less” and “Every Night About This Time.” Famous tap dancer Clayton “Peg-Leg” Bates wowed the crowd with his American Bomber move, jumping five and a half feet in the air, spinning around, and landing on his prosthetic leg. Harlem comedy duo Red and Curley provided laughs to an evening packed with talent. Coke and b**r were sold up and down the aisles, and following the show, the celebration continued as the artists performed for a four-hour dance in the Music Hall Ballroom.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe with Lucky Millinder & his Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnWz2AJ4I7s
The Ink Spots “If I Cared A Little Bit Less”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI2vVG5-cHY
Peg-Leg Bates dancing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hayM4B7hcBQ
About Clayton Peg-Leg Bates life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV_KZcj7Eww