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Cincinnati native, world-traveled musician and “Goddess of the Blues,” Cheryl Renee is the kind of gal you’d want to have in your band. Not only is she an incredible pianist and singer, but she’s humble, spunky and self-sufficient. Cheryl has toured the world and continues to keep herself busy in Cincinnati’s music scene. But she doesn’t need the applause – she can often be seen shooing away the enthusiastic clapping and cheers after every set. No, there isn’t a need to remind her how good she is – she already knows. (But we’ll continue to be fan girls in the audience anyway).

Features, Music, Arts + CultureSophia EpitropoulosMarch 27, 2023Features, Celebrate Black Stories

Katie Laur: Bluegrass Musician, Storyteller, and Pioneering Woman

Katie’s voice is deep and warm. There’s a steadiness in the way she talks, rhythmic and thoughtful. Many Cincinnatians would recognize her voice after nearly 30 years on W.N.K.U. as host of “Music from the Hills of Home,” and leader of her own bluegrass band, the Katie Laur Band. Her voice is the sound of home for many.

Features, MusicHanna VanKuikenJune 28, 2021Features

Painting with Voices: Jillian Harrison-Jones and Why Representation Matters

Jillian Harrison-Jones grew up in a family of musicians and took lessons from their careers to ultimately find her passion in conducting. She started as a history major, bound for law school, but when asked what she was truly passionate about, she knew it was music. Jillian made a dramatic switch, getting a new undergrad degree and ultimately pursuing her passion to mold voices into one awesome sound.

Arts + Culture, Music, FeaturesChelsea WeaverMay 24, 2021Features, Celebrate Black Stories

The Cincinnati Symphony’s Ixi Chen: Creating Harmony from the Classroom to concert:nova

I would say that I’m a supporter. First of all, I play second clarinet in the Cincinnati Symphony. That’s been my position since 2001. I never wanted to be the star and have all the solos and glory. I was much more interested in creating harmony, playing chamber music, helping other voices shine, and being the sideman, like in a band.

Arts + Culture, Education, Features, MusicSandra Okot-KotberJanuary 31, 2020Features

Chinmayee Nagaraj: Genetics, Music, and ‘Why Not?’

Chinmayee Nagaraj is learning as she goes. She traveled across India performing as a vocalist, unsure if it would lead anywhere. She studied genetics in college, not knowing if it was a realistic career. But she knows herself.

When she speaks, she is deliberate with her words and distinct in her meaning. And her courage has paid off. She now works as a genetics counselor at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, testing different medical conditions and interacting with patients. When she’s not in the lab, she still trains as a musician, and she spreads her love for music as a teacher for young pupils. Formed by music, science, and the strength of family, Chinmayee’s perspective is one of radical bravery – to willingly throw yourself into the unknown, because, well, how else will you learn?

Science + Tech, Arts + Culture, Features, Music, Health + WellnessBlaire BartishNovember 4, 2019Features

Good (Man)ners: Kick Lee on Ending the Starving Artist

Writing for Women of Cincy has given me the opportunity to meet and share stories with influencers and change-makers throughout Cincinnati. I usually walk away from my interviews feeling inspired, but Kick Lee is quite possibly the coolest person I never knew I needed to meet. He’s created a career and a lifestyle based around helping others achieve their dreams. As the founder of the Cincinnati Music Accelerator, he’s helping local musicians realize their worth as artists and discover how to take control of their own careers.

Reported By Women: Noir – A Celebration of Female Artists

On Saturday, July 20, German synth-pop, punk rock of England, and New York's new wave converged within these hallowed walls nestled on the Kentucky border. Southgate House subjected Newport to the sound of women's rage and freedom with Noir: A Celebration of Female Artists.

August 2019, Music, Arts + CultureOlivia TaylorJuly 24, 2019Community Mix

Aprina Johnson: Transformation, Highways, and Musical Activism

I met Aprina Johnson outside of a warehouse. “You ready?” she asked. I said yes, although I wasn’t sure. I put my Subaru into drive and followed her sedan through a quick series of back alleys. We parked in a secluded area near an abandoned truck yard, and out of Aprina’s car tumbled four children plus herself. We scuttled across a road and past patches of overgrown weeds and large cement blocks, eventually making it to a highway overpass.

Features, Arts + Culture, Outreach + Advocacy, MusicGina ReganJanuary 14, 2019Features, Celebrate Black Stories

Allyson Clifton on Music and Messiness

Allyson Clifton is a practicing music therapist who currently provides services to the Cincinnati and southeastern Indiana areas with a private practice called Keys for Success. There, she works with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities, helping them to set and accomplish goals and improve their quality of life through the art of music.

Features, Arts + Culture, Health + Wellness, MusicKayla BlantonOctober 15, 2018Features

Siri Imani on Triiibe and the Beginning of an Era

Siri Imani is a powerhouse. She and her group Triiibe aspire to change the world for the better, strategically taking on one problem at a time and providing positive representations of urban culture through music and enrichment programs.

KellyAnn Nelson: Music Is a Superpower

KellyAnn Nelson believes in empowering people and helping them to access their superpowers through music. She is the founder and artistic director of Young Professionals’ Choral Collective of Cincinnati (YPCC), an open access nonprofit choir. YPCC has a roster of 1,100 young professionals (YPs) who sign up to sing in any or all of the organization’s three arms: 1. Non-auditioned cycles which run 6-8 weeks each; 2. Community singing, which takes place around town upon request, whether at breweries or on the steps of Music Hall; and 3. The auditioned chamber choir. KellyAnn is also the managing artistic director of the Cincinnati Boychoir. Through these dual roles, she is helping to create a community of inclusion in Cincinnati.

Education, Arts + Culture, Features, MusicKyle SchottJuly 16, 2018Features

Lauren Eylise: Life, Death, and Black Girl Magic

People don’t always find it easy to reveal their true selves. Singer-songwriter Lauren Eylise, on the other hand, welcomes you with a smile and vivid stories. She’s expressive as she spills her convictions and details new music that’s on the way. We’re huddled in one of her favorite spots in Over-the-Rhine, 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab.

Arts + Culture, Features, MusicSandra Okot-KotberMarch 12, 2018Features, Celebrate Black Stories

Kate Wakefield: Life of a Musician

As the first real snowflakes of the year float down from the sky, I hurry through the overcast cold to the warmth of Northside’s The Listing Loon. Kate Wakefield, a local musician specializing in operatic vocals and haunting cello chords, is at the bar chatting with the bartender, who also happens to be her bandmate in her punk electric cello duo, Lung.

Arts + Culture, Features, MusicKelsey JohnsonJanuary 2, 2018Features

The Sound of Activism with Rachelle Caplan

On a drizzly Wednesday afternoon, Women of Cincy met up with Rachelle Caplan, founder of Ladyfest Cincinnati, in her “second living room”: Northside’s The Listing Loon (coincidentally, the same location as Women of Cincy’s first-ever happy hour). We grabbed some beers while Rachelle chatted with other regulars. “It’s like the living room everyone wants in their home,” she comments, looking around at the dark but cozy bar with patrons scattered around the tables and stools. “But, there’s usually more people than you would ever want in your own living room. So this works out.”

Arts + Culture, Features, Outreach + Advocacy, MusicKelsey JohnsonOctober 5, 2017Features

Liz Wu: The Art of Living

Liz Wu is a Cincinnati native, musician, teacher, world traveler, and writer. We talked about how she fell into a life of teaching and creative expression at 1801 Mills Avenue in Norwood, a new community meeting space that she is helping to launch.

Women in Rock: Exploring the Cincy Music Scene with Izzi Krombholz

Izzi Krombholz: editor-in-chief of Women in Rock magazine, avid concertgoer, versatile musician, and member of multiple Cincinnati-based bands. On a windy Sunday, we sat down and learned about her passion for music, the role of women in the scene, and her aspirations for Women in Rock over coffee, bloody marys, and banana daiquiris at Northside Yacht Club.

Arts + Culture, Features, MusicKelsey JohnsonMay 4, 2017Features