Events › Cincinnati From Scratch 2026

Join us at the Cincinnati Public Library's Downtown Atrium on Sunday, May 24th at 2pm, for this year's Cincinnati From Scratch! Hear EIGHT new pieces written by young musicians in Cincinnati specifically for this event.

The From Scratch program is a long-term creative music education endeavor in partnership with the students of the Cincinnati Symphony’s Youth Orchestra and Nouveau programs. Guided by the philosophy that the students are already the experts in their own creativity, co-directors Hannah Christiansen and Joe Bricker provide a series of group and individual workshops to introduce students to writing music and ultimately commission each student to write brand new works for violin and percussion.

At the end of the workshops, the students oversee a professional recording of their work and introduce the live premiere of their pieces at a performance event which also includes an experimental live-group composition/performance: audience members will learn principles of music notation and engage with a new piece to be interpreted on the spot, creating a uniquely personal and empowering connection to contemporary music.

Entry is free, registration not required.