The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra announces that Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Olga Bell will be the opening act for the MusicNOW Festival on Saturday, March 22. Ms. Bell will perform from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Music Hall lobby. A former classical piano prodigy, Ms. Bell is known for her wide range of composition styles and songwriting ranging from electronic to dance and acoustic. She has performed at such venues as Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. In addition to Ms. Bell’s performance, the CSO has also added Will Oldham (often known as “Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy”) to the Festival. The actor and songwriter known for his “folk-punk” style will perform an acoustic set at the top of the concert program beginning at 8 p.m. in Music Hall’s Springer Auditorium.

Following Mr. Oldham’s performance, the CSO will perform the previously-announced Polymorphia by Penderecki and Jonny Greenwood’s (of the rock band Radiohead) 48 Responses to Polymorphia. The second half of the performance is comprised of the world premiere of David Lang’s mountain as well as Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite.

The CSO’s pioneering MusicNOW collaboration represents a spirit of experimentation permeating Louis Langrée’s inaugural season as CSO Music Director. The Festival will begins on Friday, March 21 with works by Bryce Dessner, Scriabin and a world premiere by Nico Muhly. Local band Little Lights will be performing pre-concert on Friday.

Both performances will take place at Cincinnati’s historic Music Hall. Tickets for each concert (which include the opening act by Olga Bell) are still available and start at $12. More information and tickets are available by calling the CSO Box Office at (513) 381-3300 or visiting www.cincinnatisymphony.org/musicnow.