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\n\tCincinnati is going all-in on getting a pop king to the Queen City. Mayor Aftab Pureval and Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney were joined by leaders from the Cincinnati Opera and a variety of regional partners on Wednesday morning (May 22) at Cincinnati Music Hall to announce a full-court-press effort to persuade Paul McCartney<\/a> to visit the city this summer for the Opera\u2019s upcoming world stage premiere of Paul McCartney\u2019s Liverpool Oratorio<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tThe summer-long \u201cCome Together, Cincy! Get Paul to Music Hall!\u201d effort aims to get Sir Paul to say \u201cyes\u201d to the invitation to celebrate the premiere in July after the former Beatle agreed to allow his first classical piece \u2014 a 1991 tribute to his hometown co-written with composer Carl Davis \u2014 to be staged in the city. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThis is a special time in Cincinnati, and the world stage premiere of Sir Paul\u2019s Liverpool Oratorio<\/em> is an incredible example of the excitement building around the Queen City,\u201d Mayor Pureval tells Billboard<\/em>. \u201cCincinnati\u2019s vibrant cultural community helps put us on the map, and our reputation as a world-class arts destination brings real eyes and real tourism into our region. Folks from around our community, and around the world, are ready to Come Together and celebrate a truly one-of-a-kind experience here in town.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe Oratorio<\/em> will be presented on the opera stage for the first time from July 19-27 at Music Hall. According to a release announcing the effort, McCartney, 81, endorsed the new production in a letter to the Opera, in which he wrote, \u201cI am writing to express my wholehearted support for this project. I believe that the Cincinnati Opera is uniquely positioned to bring this work to life in a new way, and I have no doubt that your production will be an inspiring experience for all who see it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAt press time it was unclear if McCartney was planning to travel to the city for the debut.<\/p>\n \n\tIn the meantime, the region will be blanketed with \u201cGet Paul\u201d enticements in an effort to convince the singer to return to Cincy for the first time since a 2016 arena show. The project announced on Wednesday morning will include a barrage of ads this summer featuring the Opera and McCartney on Metro buses, at the CVG international airport, at Reds and FC Cincinnati soccer games, as well as a number of iconic downtown locations. The fanfare will kick off this weekend at the city\u2019s traditional summer kick-off event, Taste of Cincinnati, which typically draws more than half a million visitors to the streets of downtown.<\/p>\n \n\tLocal residents are also encouraged to record a video tribute to Sir Paul and to post it on their socials using the hashtag #GetPaulToMusicHall, with the release saying that tagged videos amplified by the Opera and \u201cCome Together\u201d partners will be shared with McCartney\u2019s team.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to launching the \u2018Come Together, Cincy!\u2019 campaign this weekend at Taste of Cincinnati, courtesy of our partners at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber,\u201d said Cincinnati Opera CEO Chris Milligan in a statement. \u201cAttendees can stop by the Opera booth and record their video tribute to Sir Paul by sharing a favorite memory or singing a snippet of a McCartney tune\u2026 Let\u2019s get Paul to Music Hall!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe Liverpool Oratorio<\/em> live album was released in 1991 as part of a commemoration of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra\u2019s 150th anniversary. The eight-movement piece that follows a character named Shanty as it roughly sketches out McCartney\u2019s life story had its American premiere in Nov. 1991 at Carnegie Hall.<\/p>\n \n\tCheck out the full calendar of \u201cGet Paul to Music Hall!\u2019 events here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n