Dear Friends,

I am thrilled to have joined the Columbus Symphony team as its new CEO in July. I’ve spent my first months getting to know our wonderful musicians, staff, and board and connecting with arts and community leaders. As our season kicks off, I am so looking forward to meeting and hearing from you, our valued patrons and donors. Just as what we do is not possible without music and musicians at the heart, it also isn’t possible without an audience. The magical exchange of energy that circulates between the musicians onstage and your receptive ears and eyes in the hall is generative and unique to each concert. In today’s increasingly fractured and distracted world and in the midst of what has been dubbed a “loneliness crisis,” the transformative power of live symphonic musical experiences is more relevant than ever. Our concerts provide places to be in community, whether you’re on a date, new to town and looking to meet people, creating a special evening for your colleagues or clients, or spending quality time with your family. We invite you to give the gift of presence – to yourself and to your loved ones. We hope our concert experiences will lead you to choose CSO time and time again for those special moments of social spark, intellectual inspiration and family fun. Please feel free to approach me at concerts and introduce yourself – I would love to hear about your favorite CSO musical memory to date or anything else on your mind. Most importantly, thank you for your presence, for your support, and for your investment in our mission. Enjoy the season!

With gratitude,

Maureen O'Brien,
Chief Executive Officer

Dear Columbus Symphony Supporters,

Welcome to the 2025-26 Masterworks season! We are looking forward to another inspiring season of powerful musical experiences, and I look forward to sharing it with you throughout this year. We open the season with the powerful music of Beethoven and two of his most powerful compositions for Beethoven 5 on September 26-28. Acclaimed pianist Anna Federovna joins the orchestra for the majestic Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”), and the concert concludes with the iconic Fifth Symphony. On October 3-5, Scheherazade will sweep you away into an enchanted evening, full of rich orchestral textures and evocative musical storytelling. The evening includes the lush, dreamlike landscapes of Debussy’s Nocturnes, Kaija Saariaho’s Vers toi qui es si loin, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, featuring concertmaster Joanna Frankel as the “voice” of the Arabian princess, weaving fairy tales for 1001 nights. For Messiah, November 14-16, Mozart’s orchestration of Handel’s Messiah reimagines this masterpiece, allowing for an expansion of sounds through additional instruments and elevating its grandeur to new levels. We will celebrate the New Year on January 16-17 with Latin Rhythms and Hollywood Drama. Guest conductor Josep Vicent will lead the orchestra in a captivating concert featuring Falla’s Three Cornered Hat Suite and El amor brujo, Korngold’s emotionally rich Violin Concerto, and Márquez’s Danzón No. 2. On behalf of the entire Columbus Symphony family, thank you for your exceptional support of our orchestra, and for joining us for our 2025-26 season.

Please enjoy tonight’s performance!

Rossen Milanov,
Music Director