CINCINNATI, OH (May 24, 2026) —The Cincinnati May Festival has announced acclaimed conductor Marin Alsop as its 2027 Festival Director. Alsop will bring her extensive experience on the international stage, advocacy for gender and education equity, and a dynamic approach to both conducting and repertoire to the year-long directorship. The 2027 May Festival will take place May 17-30, 2027, and will feature the U.S. premiere of a new work by Anna Clyne, 2024 Festival Director Julia Wolfe’s Fire in My Mouth, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with text by former Poet Laureate of the U.S. Tracy K. Smith and Roxanna Panufnik’s Across the Line of Dreams. Alsop and May Festival Director of Choruses Matthew Swanson are set to curate a series of concerts and activities that, through music, showcase the power of women’s voices and celebrates the contribution of women throughout history.

Read the full official announcement here.