Welcome to your Columbus Symphony's 2025/26 Pops series! We are so glad you are here to experience these magical performances with us! Please make sure to share your photos and tag us at @columbussymphony on all social media platforms and use our hashtag #ColumbusSymphonyPops.

Dear Friends,

The most wonderful time of the year is upon us—and with it comes one of our most cherished Columbus traditions: Holiday Pops!

Each December, our stage comes alive with twinkling lights, festive music, and the warmth of community. This year, the Columbus Symphony Chorus, the Columbus Children’s Choir, and special guest artists join your Symphony to fill the hall with heavenly voices and the beloved songs and carols of the season. From timeless classics to new favorites, the music reminds us how joyful it feels to gather and celebrate together. 
We’re so glad you’re here—whether this concert is a long-held family tradition or your first time joining us. Your presence helps sustain the vibrancy of live orchestral music in our city and ensures that this magic continues to uplift generations to come.

As we close the year, we invite you to consider making a year-end gift to the Columbus Symphony. Your support fuels everything we do—from inspiring performances to music education that reaches thousands of young people across central Ohio. Every contribution, large or small, makes a meaningful difference in helping us share the transformative power of music with our community. Click here to donate. 

From all of us at the Columbus Symphony, thank you for being part of our musical family. May your holidays be filled with harmony, hope, and joy.

Maureen O'Brien
Chief Executive Officer
Columbus Symphony

Stuart Chafetz is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Columbus Symphony and Principal Pops Conductor of the Chautauqua and Marin Symphonies. Chafetz, a conductor celebrated for his dynamic and engaging podium presence, is increasingly in demand with orchestras across the continent and this season Chafetz will be on the podium in Detroit, Ft Worth, Naples, Buffalo, North Carolina and Seattle. He enjoys a special relationship with The Phoenix Symphony where he leads multiple programs annually

He’s had the privilege to work with renowned artists including Ne-Yo, Ben Folds, Natalie Merchant, Leslie Odom Jr., En Vogue, Kenny G, David Foster w/Catherine McPhee, The O’Jays, Chris Botti, 2 Cellos, Hanson, Rick Springfield, Michael Bolton, Kool & The Gang, Jefferson Starship, America, Little River Band, Brian McKnight, Roberta Flack, George Benson, Richard Chamberlain, The Chieftains, Jennifer Holliday, John Denver, Marvin Hamlisch, Thomas Hampson, Wynonna Judd, Jim Nabors, Randy Newman, Jon Kimura Parker and Bernadette Peters.

He previously held posts as resident conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and associate conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. As principal timpanist of the Honolulu Symphony for twenty years, Chafetz would also conduct the annual Nutcracker performances with Ballet Hawaii and principals from the American Ballet Theatre. It was during that time that Chafetz led numerous concerts with the Maui Symphony and Pops. He’s led numerous Spring Ballet productions at the world-renowned Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

When not on the podium, Chafetz makes his home near San Francisco, CA, with his wife Ann Krinitsky. Chafetz holds a bachelor’s degree in music performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and a master’s from the Eastman School of Music

SOPRANO I
Alleana Bammerlin
Laura Byars
Julie Cannell
Lexi Clossin
Andrea Dent
Katie DiPietro
Charlotte Rose Geary
Sarah Higley 
Makenna Koehl
Stephanie Rodriguez
Kristen Snyder
Megan Trierweiler
Victoria Zanatian

SOPRANO II
Elizabeth Jewell Becker
Susie Beecroft
Kathryn Ehle
Karissa Frische
Charlene Grant
Cassie Howard
Alexa Konstantinos
Miriam Matteson
Gretchen Mote
Elizabeth Neer
Maureen O’Brien
Amy Adele Parker
Stephanie Pikovnik
Elisabeth Ross
Mary Yarbrough
Jennifer Young

ALTO I
Leslie Armstrong
Aubrey Bailey
Amy Bergandine
Kara Carlen
Kelli Clawson
Kailey Coulter
Deborah Forsblom
Suzanne Fryer
Savannah Gonsoulin
Jessica Kahn
Hannah Miller Rowlands
Elizabeth Murphy
Cassie Otani
Wendy Rogers
Gretchen Rutz Leist
Jenna Shively
Katie Thornton
Katerina Warner
Shelli White

ALTO II

Jordan Abbruzzese
Katarina Cochrane-Yamaguchi
Lauren Grangaard
Kirby Johnson
Georgia Loftis
Janet Mulder
Melissa Obergefell
Debbie Parris
Lisa Peterson
Christina Rossi
Heather Rudisill
Laura Scobell
Laura Smith
Tara Smith
Peggy Wigglesworth

TENOR I

Justin Burkholder
Daniel Davis
Geoffrey Gear
Aaron Lashley
Adam Mesker
Richard Spires
Andrew Sutherland
Eric White
Michael Wigglesworth

TENOR II

William B. Catus III
Todd Chandler
Michael Cochran
Andy Doud
Hector Garcia Santana
Darius McBride
Matthew Norby
Paul Ricketts
Evan Stefanik
Ed VanVickle
Thom Wyatt
Jason Yoder
Aidan Young

BARITONE

Alexander Almeida
Matt Barbour
Kevin Baum
Anthony Brown
Raymond Cho
Jeffrey Davis
Jordan Elkind
Gary Everts
Keith Frische
William Gehring
Eric Gibson
Andrew Grega
Ernest Hoffman
James Legg
Gordon McKnight
Kyle Norton
David Scott
Dominic Straquadine
David Zach

BASS

Kevin Bilbrey
Jacob Conrad
Luis Falcon
Ian Furniss
Kent Maynard
Robert Moreen 
Allen Rutz
David Rutz
Andrew Shadwick
Bruce Turf
Keith Whited

DIRECTOR
Stephen Caracciolo

ACCOMPANIST
Casey Cook

BOARD CHAIR
William Gehring

CHORUS COORDINATOR
Lauren Grangaard

Emma Aring 
Ellie Armstrong-Phillips
Julia Balada-Guerau
Athina Becker
Erin Brown
Layke Burke
Martin Cabrera
Mariana Cabrera
Stephanie Chute
Rae Coe
Max Cooper
Joshua Dilgard
Keira Dively
Lilliana Donabauer
Aizik Gentile
Laure Haskins
Daniel Hernandez Duque
Ryan Hindman
Liam Hite
Christen Hoyte
Martha Jimenez
Kylie Johnson
Violet Kitchel
Grace Kleismit
Sylvia Laing
Hannah Lear
Bonnie Lowe
Isaac Lowe
Aashi Mathur
Jonathan Nicolette
Audrey Noble
Terra Page
Aarav Peter
Moriah Pockras
Varsha Rayapudi
Miriam Rule
Roshan Satiani
Colin Sauer
Aubrey Scaggs
Aiden Slisher
Miles Stover
Simon Wilcox
Jane Wootton
Ashley Zehnde