From the Queen City hails another ‘Prince of Pops’ — John Morris Russell

Known as the Queen City, Cincinnati has anointed a king of its classical music scene: conductor John Morris Russell (who will lead the holiday revue Merry, Merry Chicago! here on Dec. 19-23). Over three decades, Russell cemented his status through tours of duty in the Ohio metropolis. 

Arriving in 1995 at the city’s Music Hall as the assistant conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Russell became associate conductor a year later. In 2006, he left Cincinnati for the Windsor (Ontario) Symphony Orchestra, where he had been music director since 2001 (while retaining his Cincy duties). Then in 2011, Russell returned to Cincinnati to ascend the podium of the legendary Erich Kunzel, who as the founder of the Cincinnati Pops in 1977 and its conductor until his death in 2009, turned the ensemble into a global phenomenon.

“You never really expect to come back,” Russell said in an interview with Fanfare magazine, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s house publication. “The second time around has been even better than the first. It’s been immensely gratifying.”

Russell, however, knew he faced a daunting challenge. Kunzel had conducted pops concerts all over the nation and the globe, leading the Boston Pops more than 100 times, often telecast on PBS, and recording more than 90 discs with the Cincinnati Pops. 

So who could possibly take up Kunzel’s mantle as the Prince of Pops, as he was affectionately known.

“When John was announced as the new Pops conductor, not only was the response among the musicians very positive, but you could also feel that there was an enormous sense of relief throughout the whole organization,” said Paul Frankenfeld, who retired as orchestra’s associate principal viola in June 2022.

When he returned to Cincinnati, Russell eagerly hoped to reap the benefits of some of the programs that he had helped to launch as the CSO’s associate conductor.

“One never expects to harvest the seeds you planted 20 years ago,” Russell said. “You don’t think you’re actually going to get to see how the music you engender in audiences makes a difference. But I realized that many of those parents who had taken their kids to the Family Concerts were back at Pops concerts, singing along with artists they loved. Their kids were now off in college. And those parents were among our biggest fans. And their kids who came to Music Hall for their first experiences are the same ones who are here on date night.”

Of his early years in Cincinnati, Russell recalled, “It was a great position. And I had so much freedom within my small purview. I got to conduct all sorts of music.”

When you’re an associate conductor, however, you are “the chief cook and bottle washer,” he said. "You’re the conductor who gets handed all the ’other’ concerts, the ones that tend not to garner headlines or attract world-famous guest artists. Think Young People’s Concerts. And every manner of outreach performance you can imagine."

Russell, who started out leading youth orchestras in his hometown of Cleveland, welcomed all of those opportunities.

“Every concert is a springboard for great creativity,” said Russell, who doesn’t see any great divides among genres or audiences. “It doesn’t make any difference who the audience is or what their ages or experiences are. They’re there to hear music. And we’re there to share it with them."

In Cincinnati’s Movers and Makers magazine, Russell expounded on that philosophy, speaking of his “mantra for doing family concerts. You have to make sure to play the good stuff. I don’t think you do anyone any favors by dumbing it down. Whether you’re playing in someone’s church or a shopping mall or a major concert hall, you play the good stuff — always.”

For Russell, the good stuff definitely means holiday music. Over his time with the Cincinnati Pops, the ensemble has recorded two holiday-themed discs: “Home for the Holidays” (2012), on the orchestra’s own Fanfare Cincinnati label, and “JOY!” (2023), available on streaming platforms.

“It’s what we love to do at the Pops — sharing the holiday spirit and bringing folks together through inspirational music, performed with virtuosity and panache," Russell said in promotional materials for the project. “All of the music on this album was inspired by the hundreds of holiday recordings I’ve collected over the years. Though all of the tracks represent beloved traditional tunes, the arrangements are anything but traditional, and we can’t wait to share ‘JOY!’ with everyone this season.”