If your New Year’s resolution includes adding a little more culture to your life, join the Columbus Symphony and special guest conductor Edwin Outwater and special guest pianist Anna Polonsky for a weekend festival celebrating the life and music of one of the all-time great composers: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
All shows will be held at the historic Ohio Theatre. On Jan. 4 at 8 p.m., “THE PRODIGY” will highlight Mozart’s early achievements and influences, with a program that includes Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 in D Major (London) as well as Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, (Jeunehomme) and Symphony No. 40 in G Minor.
On Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m. (note early start time), “AMADEUS” will visit some of Mozart’s best known work from his early adult years. Soprano Martha Duersten-Pettit will join the other featured guest artists for this all-Mozart performance, including Overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio, Romanza from Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, the breathtaking Queen of the Night aria from Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), and Symphony No. 36 in C Major, (Linz).
As an added bonus, ticketholders are invited to stay after Saturday’s performance for a free screening of the famed 1984 movie Amadeus. A matinee performance titled “THE GENIUS” will cap off the weekend on Jan. 6 at 3 p.m., with flutist Jennifer Parker-Harley joining the special guest artists onstage. Sunday’s Selections include Mozart’s Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major, K. 16, Flute Concerto No. 1 in G Major, Overture to Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), and Symphony No. 41 in C Major (Jupiter).
Tickets are on sale now, and are $25 General Admission, or $35 Reserved Seating (loge section only—only 300 reserved seats available for each show). A Festival Pass is also available—buy a pass (one ticket to each of the three shows), and receive all three performances for the price of two. Tickets are available by calling the Columbus Symphony Customer Service Center at 614-228-8600, online at www.ColumbusSymphony.com or at the Customer Service Center, located in the Capitol Square Walkway between the Hyatt and City Center.