Columbus Symphony Unveils 24-25 Masterworks Season

The Columbus Symphony and Music Director Rossen Milanov have unveiled he 2024-25 Masterworks season, celebrating Maestro Milanov's 10th anniversary season with the orchestra and a season full of unforgettable moments on the Ohio Theatre stage. Subscriptions are on sale now.

HIGHLIGHTS

The CSO will present 13 Masterworks programs in the 2024-25 season. Four programs will include Sunday matinee performances.

Accompaniment programs will continue, including Preludes, Mozart to Matisse, and the popular Friday Coffee Dress events that include complimentary coffee and donuts.

The 2024-25 season opens with a celebration of John Williams' extensive award-winning music catalog, which includes some of the most popular, recognizable, and critically-acclaimed film scores in modern history. This jubilant start to Music Director Rossen Milanov's 10th Anniversary season includes the Columbus Symphony Chorus and is perfect for the entire family!

Not only does this season mark Music Director Rossen Milanov's 10th anniversary with the Symphony, but Milanov's contract was also recently extended through 2028, with an option to extend through 2030.

The orchestra will explore contemporary music, such as Michael Daugherty's Letters from Lincoln, and immerse audiences in well-known compositions, including Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Copland's Appalachian Spring, and Ravel's Boléro.

Included in the season is popular repertoire, such as Handel's Messiah, Beethoven's groundbreaking third symphony, “Eroica,” and Brahms' soaring first symphony. The season closes with a performance of Benjamin Britten's poignant War Requiem, featuring the Columbus Symphony Chorus and Columbus Children's Choir.

In a colossal collaboration between the Columbus Symphony, BalletMet, CAPA, and Opera Columbus, the arts groups together present a larger-than-life staging of West Side Story.

Guest artists will include rising young talents including pianist Maxim Lando, baritone Yazid Gray, cellist Sterling Elliott, and violinist Aubree Oliverson.

Continuing for the 2024-25 Masterworks season, all children aged 6-16 will receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.

ACCOMPANIMENTS

Preludes – Prior to Masterworks performances, the CSO will offer a 30-minute, informational talk about the works or composers to be performed that evening, hosted by WOSU's Christopher Purdy, CSO Music Director Rossen Milanov, or other special guests.

Friday Coffee Dress – Select Masterworks programs in 2024-25 season will offer $16 general admission tickets to Friday morning rehearsals. Complimentary coffee and donuts included.

Mozart to Matisse – The CSO and Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) will collaborate in a series of afternoon lectures that pair chamber music performances by CSO musicians with works from the CMA art collection. The presentations will focus on specific periods being presented in upcoming CSO Masterworks concerts, and explore the common themes and aesthetic influences between music and visual art.

College Club – This $25 student membership program provides unlimited access to concerts all season long, as well as invitations to members-only events and discounts.

2024-25 MASTERWORKS SEASON

OPENING NIGHT: A John Williams CELEBRATION

Friday, September 20, 7:30 pm; & Sunday, September 22, 2 pm

Ohio Theatre

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Dress up in your red carpet finest as our 2024-25 Masterworks season starts off with a celebration of John Williams' extensive award-winning music catalog that includes some of the most popular, recognizable, and critically acclaimed film scores in modern history. It will be a golden night with music from Star Wars, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, and more! It's a jubilant start to Music Director Rossen Milanov's 10th Anniversary season and perfect for the entire family!

WAGNER'S RING

Saturday, October 5, 7:30 pm

Ohio Theatre

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Program:

Wagner – The Ring Without Words

Be entranced by the legendary music of Richard Wagner's immense operatic Ring cycle, reimagined for concert performance by legendary conductor and composer Lorin Maazel. Themes from The Ring's four operas are expertly woven together, taking the listener on a journey through epic tales of mythical gods and heroes.

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

Friday & Saturday, November 1 & 2, 7:30 pm

Ohio Theatre

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Maxim Lando, piano

Program:

Tchaikovsky – Piano Concerto No. 2

Mussorgsky/Gorchakov – Pictures at an Exhibition

Modest Mussorgsky's magnificent Pictures at an Exhibition, which masterfully paints a musical art gallery, anchors this program in two forms: in its original version for solo piano and in a rarely-heard orchestration by Sergei Gorchakov. Up-and-coming star pianist Maxim Lando makes his Columbus Symphony debut with two virtuosic interpretations: the solo Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky's enchanting Piano Concerto No. 2.

HANDEL'S MESSIAH

Friday & Saturday, November 15 & 16, 7:30 pm; & Sunday, November 17, 2 pm

Ohio Theatre

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Stephen Caracciolo, chorus director

Columbus Symphony Chorus

Program:

Handel – Messiah

Experience the grandeur and tradition of Messiah, Handel's exultant masterpiece, featuring the Columbus Symphony Chorus. The iconic “Hallelujah” chorus is a highlight of this beloved oratorio.

MAHLER 2

Friday & Saturday, January 24 & 25, 7:30 pm

Ohio Theatre

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Stephen Caracciolo, chorus director

Columbus Symphony Chorus

Jessica Rivera, soprano

Ronnita Miller, mezzo-soprano

         

Program:

Mahler – Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”)

Mahler's Symphony No. 2, the transcendent “Resurrection,” features the return of radiant soprano Jessica Rivera and the CSO debut of mezzo-soprano Ronnita Miller. Colossal in both length and orchestration, Mahler's second symphony offers a profound reflection on life and redemption.

BEETHOVEN'S EROICA

Friday & Saturday, January 31 & February 1, 7:30 pm

Ohio Theatre

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Sterling Elliott, cello

Program:

Corigliano – Phantasmagoria for Cello and Orchestra

Beethoven – Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)

In a Columbus Symphony co-commission, cellist Sterling Elliott performs famed composer John Corigliano's Phantasmagoria for solo cello and orchestra. Rossen leads the orchestra in Beethoven's sweeping third symphony, the “Eroica,” or “Heroic,” Symphony, written in a time of great personal despair for Beethoven as he faced the loss of his hearing while still resolving to push the boundaries of the symphonic genre.

WEST SIDE STORY

Thursday, Friday & Saturday, February 13-15, 7:30 pm; & Sunday, February 16, 2 pm

Ohio Theatre

In collaboration with BalletMet, CAPA, and Opera Columbus

Program:

Bernstein – West Side Story

The Columbus Symphony, BalletMet, Opera Columbus, and CAPA join together to present a rousing rendition of West Side Story. Embark on a journey through the gritty streets of 1950s New York City, where rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, clash in a fierce battle for dominance and survival. Set against the backdrop of Leonard Bernstein's iconic score, the timeless tale of star-crossed lovers unfolds amid a mesmerizing fusion of ballet, opera, symphony, and theater.

APPALACHIAN SPRING

Friday & Saturday, February 28 & March 1, 7:30 pm

Ohio Theatre

Thomas Wilkins, conductor

Yazid Gray, baritone

Program:                           

Copland – Appalachian Spring

Daugherty – Letters from Lincoln

Dvořák – Symphony No. 8                          

Guest conductor Thomas Wilkins leads the orchestra in this captivating program. Copland's sparkling Appalachian Spring is considered one of his finest works. Michael Daugherty's Letters from Lincoln, written in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, features baritone soloist Yazid Gray. Dvořák's poetic eighth symphony is full of charm, inspired by the composer's reflections on nature and life.

ALL MOZART

Friday & Saturday, March 14 & 15, 7:30 pm; & Sunday, March 16, 2 pm

Ohio Theatre

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Orli Shaham, piano

Program:                 

Mozart – Overture to Così fan tutte

Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 20                           

Mozart – Symphony No. 38 (“Prague”)

Join us for a celebration of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, featuring three of his mature works. Così fan tutte, Mozart's 1789 operatic romantic comedy, begins with the delightful overture featured here. Described as “a first-rate Mozartean” by The Chicago Tribune, pianist Orli Shaham showcases her expertise in Mozart's virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 20. Completing this program is Symphony No. 38, titled “Prague” for the location of its first performance. This extraordinary work demonstrates the sophisticated and complex symphonic writing of Mozart's later years.

BOLÉRO

Friday & Saturday, March 21 & 22, 7:30 pm

Ohio Theatre

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Luis Biava, cello

Program:                                     

Hindemith – Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Weber

Bloch - Schelomo                           

Bizet - L'Arlésienne, Suite No. 1

Ravel – Boléro                    

The symphonic favorites featured on this program are what keep us coming back for more! Enjoy Ravel's famous Boléro, a mesmerizing showcase for many of the instruments of the orchestra. Hindemith's brilliant Symphonic Metamorphosis is his most well-known output and was immediately embraced by the public upon its premiere in 1944. Bloch's glorious Schelomo: “Hebrew Rhapsody,” celebrates his Jewish heritage and features CSO principal cellist Luis Biava as soloist. Bizet's exciting L'Arlésienne Suite No. 1 is inspired by the folk dances of Provence.

BACH AND BRAHMS

Friday & Saturday, April 4 & 5, 7:30 pm

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Hugo Souza, oboe

Joanna Frankel, violin

Program:                                     

Tower - Duets                     

Bach – Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C Minor                                    

Brahms - Symphony No. 1               

Hear the CSO's own talented musicians as soloists: Concertmaster Joanna Frankel and principal oboist Hugo Souza perform Bach's captivating C minor concerto for oboe and violin. Joan Tower's Duets spotlights shifting pairs of instruments in duet configurations. Brahms' first symphony famously took the composer 20 years to complete, resulting in a work of stunning power and beauty, cemented as a pillar in orchestral music.

TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR

Friday & Saturday, May 16 & 17, 7:30 pm

Ohio Theatre

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Aubree Oliverson, violin

Program:                                     

Tchaikovsky – Prelude from The Queen of Spades

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto

Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 6 (“Pathetique”)

A master of drama and romance, Tchaikovsky's music transports us to his distinctive musical landscape. On this program are some of his most beloved works. Aubree Oliverson, whose performances have been described as “powerful… brimming with confidence and joy” (Miami New Times) returns to Columbus with the exquisite Violin Concerto. The sixth symphony, Tchaikovsky's last, is a passionate triumph from a composer at the pinnacle of his career. 

BRITTEN'S WAR REQUIEM

Friday & Saturday, May 23 & 24, 7:30 pm

Ohio Theatre

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Abigail Rethwisch, soprano

Jonathan Burton, tenor

Andrew Garland, baritone

Columbus Symphony Chorus

Columbus Children's Chorus

Program:                                     

Britten – War Requiem

Witness Benjamin Britten's powerful War Requiem, a testament to the composer's lifelong pacifism. This massive work is scored for full symphony orchestra, chamber orchestra, three soloists, choir, boys' choir, and organ, with texts from the Latin Requiem Mass and anti-war poems by Wilfred Owen, an English soldier killed in battle during World War I. Written for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, built after the destruction of the medieval cathedral during World War II, the War Requiem premiered in 1962.

Subscriptions are on sale now and can be purchased in-person at the CBUSArts Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), online at www.ColumbusSymphony.com, or by phone at (614) 469-0939.

Most packages are “create your own,” a feature designed to give patrons the ability to curate their own experience. All subscribers receive discounted tickets, free ticket exchanges, a discount on additional tickets, and other benefits depending on the package selected. Patrons may also choose to pay in two separate payments.

 

The following packages are available:

 

Masterworks 10-13 - Includes any 10-12 Masterworks programs of the patron's choice OR all 13 Masterworks programs, free parking for one vehicle to each concert, four free tickets for friends or family to attend any Masterworks performance, and an invitation to the 2024-25 season kick-off party. Masterworks 10-13 subscriptions range from $288-$1,007.

Masterworks 6-9 – Includes any 6-9 Masterworks programs of the patron's choice, two free tickets for friends or family to attend any Masterworks performance, and an invitation to the 2024-25 season kick-off party. Subscriptions range from $190-$822.

Masterworks 4-5 – Includes any 4-5 Masterworks programs of the patron's choice and an invitation to the 2024-25 season kick-off party. Subscriptions range from $140-$525.

College Club – Students that purchase a $25 College Club membership will receive one admission to each Masterworks concert in the season. Membership also includes the ability to purchase up to four additional student tickets per concert at $8 each.

Single tickets will go on sale at 10 am on Monday, June 3. 

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