Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Cardinal Health Masterworks series! Each time the orchestra takes the stage, I am reminded why the Columbus Symphony holds such an essential place in our community. These past months have deepened my appreciation for the extraordinary musicians who bring the music to life, the dedicated team behind the scenes, and for you — our audience whose curiosity and commitment sustain it all.

A concert is never a one-way experience. It is shaped as much by those listening as by those performing. The shared focus in the room — the collective breath before a downbeat, the response to a soaring phrase — creates something that exists only in that moment and only because we are all present together.

At a time when many people feel isolated or pulled in countless directions, gathering for live music offers a rare opportunity to slow down and connect. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion, welcoming guests, spending time with loved ones, or simply seeking inspiration and reflection, the Symphony provides a space to be fully engaged and in the company of others. We hope these performances become part of how you mark meaningful moments throughout the year.

I look forward to continuing to meet many of you in the hall. Please don’t hesitate to say hello — I always enjoy hearing what the Symphony means to you and what brings you back.

Thank you for being here, for championing this organization, and for sharing in the music. It is a privilege to experience this season together.

With gratitude,
Maureen O'Brien,
Chief Executive Officer

Dear Friends,

All of us on stage are excited to ring in 2026 with you as our Cardinal Health Masterworks season continues! We’re looking forward to sharing more inspirational experiences that will unite us through the power of live music.

We kick off the new year on January 16-17 with Latin Rhythms and Hollywood Drama. I am pleased to welcome guest conductor Josep Vicent to the podium to lead the orchestra in a captivating concert featuring song, dance, and Erich Korngold’s cinematic Violin Concerto.

On January 23-24, I return to lead Mozart’s Requiem as you’ve never heard it before. Acclaimed American composer Gregory Spears has written a new conclusion for this unfinished masterpiece, adding a fresh contemporary twist to a staple of classical repertoire. Guest soloists and our Columbus Symphony Chorus will give voice to some of Mozart’s most emotional music.

Shake off the winter blues on February 6-7 with Price & Tchaikovsky, featuring spirited music from Aaron Copland’s ballet Rodeo and Florence Price’s elegant Second Violin Concerto. Then, we travel from 20th-century America back to Tchaikovsky’s Russia for a charming musical ride through his Symphony No. 1, “Winter Dreams.”

On February 20-21, we pair Mahler 1, the monumental first symphony by a titan of that form, with the world premiere of contemporary composer Jeffrey Mumford’s floating layers interwoven in expanding brightness, a double concerto for violin and cello that fuses rich textures, innovative harmonies, and intricate dialogue between instruments.

In a first for our Cardinal Health Masterworks series, we’re going to the movies for Amadeus Live on March 6-7! Experience the Academy Award-winning film like never before as Principal Pops Conductor Stuart Chafetz leads the orchestra and chorus in a lively fusion of cinema and music.

On behalf of our Columbus Symphony family, thank you for your continued support of our orchestra, and for joining us during the 2025-26 season. Let the music move you!

Please enjoy tonight’s performance!

Rossen Milanov,
Music Director

Mr. Milanov has established himself as a conductor with considerable national and international presence. Past positions include Music Director of Symphony Orchestra of Bulgarian National Radio, New Symphony Orchestra in Sofia, Symphony in C in New Jersey, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias (OSPA) in Spain, and Chief Conductor of the Slovenian RTV Orchestra in Ljubljana. Nationally he has appeared with the Colorado, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Seattle, and Fort Worth Symphonies, and National Symphony  Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, Link-Up education projects with Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and with the Civic Orchestra in Chicago.

Internationally, he has collaborated with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra de la Suisse Romand, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Aalborg, Latvian, and Hungarian National Symphony Orchestras and the orchestras in Toronto, Vancouver, KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic in South Africa, Mexico, Colombia, Sao Paolo, Belo Horizonte, and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. In the Far East he has appeared with NHK, Sapporo, Tokyo, Singapore Symphonies, Hyogo Performing Arts Center, Malaysian, and Hong Kong Philharmonics. Mr. Milanov has collaborated with some of the world’s preeminent artists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Renée Fleming, Midori, Christian Tetzlaff, Hilary Hahn, Dawn Upshaw, and André Watts among many others. 

During his eleven-year tenure with The Phiadelphia Orchestra, Milanov conducted more than 200 performances. In 2015, he completed a 15-year tenure as Music Director of the nationally recognized training orchestra Symphony in C in New Jersey and in 2013 a 17-year  tenure with the New Symphony Orchestra in his native city of Sofia, Bulgaria. His passion for new music has resulted in numerous world premieres of works by composers such as Derek Bermel, Mason Bates, Caroline Shaw, Philip Glass, Richard Danielpour, Nicolas Maw, and Gabriel Prokofiev, among others.

Noted for his versatility, Milanov is also a welcomed presence in the worlds of opera and ballet.  He has collaborated with Komische Oper Berlin (Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtzensk), Opera Oviedo with the Spanish premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Mazzepa and Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle (awarded best Spanish production for 2015), Opera Columbus (Verdi’s La Traviata, Aida, Rigoletto, and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin). At The Princeton Festival he conducted productions of Britten’s Albert Herring, Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg, and Rossini’s Barber of Seville. 

An experienced ballet conductor, he has been seen at New York City Ballet and collaborated with some of the best known choreographers of our time such as Mats Ek, Benjamin Millepied, and most recently Alexei Ratmansky in the critically acclaimed revival of Swan Lake in Zurich with Zurich Ballet and in Paris with La Scala Ballet.

Under his leadership the Columbus Symphony has expanded its reach by connecting original programing with community-wide initiatives such as focusing on women composers, nature conservancy, presenting original festivals, and supporting and commissioning new music. In Princeton under his leadership the orchestra has established an excellent artistic reputation and has been recognized for its innovation and vital role in the community. Since 2022, Rossen Milanov is also the Music Director of The Princeton Festival. 

Rossen Milanov studied conducting at the Bulgarian Music Academy, Tanglewood Music Center, Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and The Juilliard School in New York, where he received the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship.

Mr. Milanov is an avid biker. A passionate chef, he often dedicates his culinary talents to various charities.

Rossen Milanov is a former scholarship recipient and current board member of Cyril and Methodius Foundation in Bulgaria.

For twelve years he was a professional choral bass at Washington National Cathedral where he also served as the cover conductor for masses, choral evenings, and special services. He has performed choral masterworks with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Juilliard Orchestra, the American Symphony, and the orchestra of Washington National Cathedral with such renowned conductors as Robert Shaw, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Kurt Masur, Erich Kunzel, Michael McCarthy, and James Levine.

Known nationally as a composer and arranger, Caracciolo’s choral works are performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe. He is a composer with MorningStar Music Publishers, E.C. Schirmer, Kjos Music, and Roger Dean Publishing, and is active as a consultant for various educational, ecclesiastical, and professional organizations.

His publications—including commissions for the acclaimed professional vocal ensemble, Cantus—appear on numerous professional, collegiate, and cathedral repertoire lists, and may be heard on nationally distributed recordings as well as syndicated radio broadcasts including the well-known Sunday program, With Heart and Voice.

Dr. Caracciolo concurrently serves as Artistic Director of ProArteOHIO, Central Ohio’s premier professional vocal ensemble. Under his leadership, the ensemble consistently garners high praise for its beauty of tone, remarkable blend, and exceptional commitment to elegant text phrasing. Previous conducting posts include the Maryland Choral Society and choral ensembles at the University of Maryland-Baltimore, Roberts Wesleyan College, the Ohio University School of Music, and Denison University. Caracciolo holds a doctoral degree in conducting from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, a master’s degree in conducting from Westminster Choir College, and a bachelor’s degree in music education from the Capital University Conservatory of Music.