CSO to Perform World Premiere of Work by OSU’s Donald Harris

CSO Music Director Jean-Marie Zeitouni will lead the Columbus Symphony in the world premiere of Donald Harris' Symphony No. 2, the first commissioned piece for the CSO in more than 20 years. Harris, Professor Emeritus of Composition and Theory for The Ohio State University, composed the traditional four-movement, large-scale symphony over a five-year period and describes it as a kaleidoscope, which is also the title he chose for the first movement.

"Seeing the patterns change as the kaleidoscope is shaken up or rotated has intrigued everyone at one time or other," statEd Harris. "So too the motifs, harmonies, rhythms, or colors of my symphony can be seen (or heard) as resulting from a musical shaking up."

The instrumentation of the four movements (Kaleidoscope, Arioso, Grave, and Tarentella) is marked by an extended use of percussion, used sparingly in the first movement and not at all in the second and third. The fourth movement calls for the use of 14 different percussion instruments plus timpani and harp. Even though the instrumentation is large, particularly the woodwinds, calling for three flutes, two oboes, English horn, four clarinets, two bassoons, and contrabassoon, as well as the large assemblage of percussion, there is frequently a chamber orchestra feel to the piece.

The program also includes Mozart's Overture to Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) and Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra.

WOSU's Christopher Purdy will hold a free, pre-concert lecture about the program for ticket holders at 7pm each night on the fourth floor of the Ohio Theatre's Galbreath Pavilion.

The Columbus Symphony presents The Satirist & the Philosopher at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.) on Friday and Saturday, April 13 and 14, at 8pm daily. Tickets are $24.75-$68 and can be purchased at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 228-8600 or (800) 745-3000. The Ohio Theatre Ticket Office will also be open two hours prior to each performance. Students between the ages of 13-19 may purchase $5 PNC Arts Alive All Access tickets while available.

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Lighting Design - Top 3

1. Jen Schriever, Michael Arden - The Lost Boys

38.7% of votes

2. Jack Knowles - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

11.2% of votes

3. Kevin Adams - Chess

6.7% of votes

Vote Now! View Live Stats