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 at the Columbus Symphony are excited to celebrate the arrival of spring with the final four concerts of our Cardinal Health Masterworks season! We’re looking forward to sharing these powerful, inspirational and energetic performances with you.

On March 14, we feature our own Caroline Hong in Gershwin’s much loved and iconic Rhapsody in Blue for piano and orchestra. We pair it with two more works from the early part of the 20th century: Leoš Janáček’s Taras Bulba, an exciting illustration of Slavic legend, and Rachmaninoff 3, the great composer’s most expressively Russian symphony.

We welcome the innovative quartet of musicians who form Sandbox Percussion on March 27-28, as they perform a percussion concerto that will surprise and delight your senses. Then, our Columbus Symphony brings to life Shostakovich 8, written during World War II and considered one of the most powerful symphonies by this iconic composer.

The young American pianist Maxim Lando impressed us with his brilliant performance in Columbus back in 2024, and we knew we had to invite this rising star to come back as soon as possible! For Beethoven, Schumann & Brahms on April 17-18, we’ll open the evening with Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Schumann’s Fourth Symphony, and then Maxim will perform Brahms’ First Piano Concerto.

We close our season on May 1-2 with Orff: Triumph of Aphrodite, featuring two exquisite works for chorus, vocal soloists and orchestra. Dvořák’s The American Flag, which he composed in the United States, is based on a poem by the early American poet Joseph Rodman Drake and will get us into the patriotic spirit as we look ahead to America’s 250th anniversary celebrations this July 4. Then, the powerful voices of the Columbus Symphony Chorus and our guest soloists Aubry Ballarò, Nicholas Nestorak and Hugh Russell will bring to life Orff’s Trionfo di Afrodite, based on Latin and Greek poetry and the concluding work in the musical trilogy that begins with Carmina Burana. For this special evening of music and spectacle we are pleased to welcome on stage dancers from BalletMet in choreographed sections by the company’s Artistic Director Remi Wörtmeyer.

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!

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.