Columbus Symphony Orchestra is returning with thirteen Masterworks programs for the 2024-2025 season. This year the Symphony is celebrating Music Director Rossen Milanov’s 10th year at Columbus Symphony Orchestra with a packed season featuring award-winning music.
Corinne Mares
Rossen Milanov
The orchestra season will be full of variety and musical performances for anyone and everyone, performing some of the most renowned, recognizable scores of all time.
Expect to hear some Beethoven classics and contemporary pieces from Michael Daugherty and Copland. The Symphony will partner with other city arts groups such as the BalletMet, CAPA and Opera Columbus for the presentation of West Side Story at the Ohio Theatre in 2025.
The Columbus Symphony Masterworks schedule is as follows:
Sept. 20-22: A John Williams Celebration
The Masterworks season kicks off with music from John Williams’ most critically acclaimed film scores. The show will feature music from iconic movies such as Saving Private Ryan, Star Wars, Schindler’s List and many others.
Oct. 5: Wagner’s Ring
Music from Richard Wagner’s The Ring comes to the stage for a legendary concert performance. The symphony commemorates conductor and composer Lorin Maazel with a beautiful journey of themes from Ring’s four operas.
Nov. 1-2: Piano Concerto No. 2 & Pictures at an Exhibition
The symphony will be featuring Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition in two musical performances. A solo piano version will be accompanied by an orchestration conducted by Sergei Gorchakov. The program will also include the debut of pianist Maxim Lando and his performance of Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
Nov. 15-17: Handel’s Messiah
Enjoy an evening of music featuring the Columbus Symphony Chorus for a performance that highlights Handel’s Messiah. The program is conducted by Rossen Milanov, working with the chorus director Stephen Caracciolo.
Jan. 24-25: Mahler Symphony No. 2
Corinne Mares
CSO Chorus
Experience the vocal sounds of soprano Jessica Rivera and mezzo-soprano Ronnita Miller through their collaboration with the symphony orchestra and chorus. Milanov sets the scene for a riveting orchestral experience that features Mahler’s Symphony No. 2.
Jan. 31-Feb. 1: Beethoven’s Eroica
The program features cellist, Sterling Elliott, performing composer John Corigliano’s Phantasmagoria solo. Experience Beethoven’s journey through personal turmoil and loss through the lyrical sounds of the orchestra. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 tells the story of the historic composer and his experiences through time.
Feb. 13-16: West Side Story
Experience the timeless story of two lovers and their struggle for romance in 1950s New York City. Torn between rival gangs and the feelings they have for one another, West Side Story is a collaboration between the Symphony, BalletMet, CAPA and Opera Columbus and is sure to be an unforgettable weekend of production.
Feb. 28-March 1: Appalachian Spring
Copland’s Appalachian Spring will be presented at the Ohio Theatre featuring guest conductor Thomas Wilkins for an evening of sweet symphony sounds. The program will also include Daugherty’s Letters from Lincoln and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, which reflects the inspiration of the composer.
March 14-16: All Mozart
The program includes Mozart’s Overture to Cosi fan tutte, Piano Concerto No. 20 and Symphony No. 38 and features Orli Shaham on the piano. Experience the astonishing and refined works of Mozart’s finest compositions.
March 21-22: Boléro
The symphony features a collection of some of the most well-known and extraordinary orchestrated compositions. The program includes Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Weber, Bloch’s Schelomo, Bizet’s L'Arlésienne and Suite No. 1 and Ravel’s Boléro. Featuring Luis Biava on the cello, Schelomo tells the story of Bloch’s Jewish heritage and the inspiration from his past.
April 4-5: Bach and Brahms
The symphony will feature soloists Joanna Frankel on the violin and Hugo Souza on the oboe for an evening of stunning musical performances. The program will include music from Joan Tower’s Duets, Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin C Minor and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, which highlights the beauty of orchestral music.
May 16-17: Tchaikovsky Spectacular
Featuring Tchaikovsky’s masterful pieces such as Prelude from The Queen of Spades, Violin Concerto and Symphony No. 6, expect an evening of powerful and alluring music. Each piece presents a new experience from joy to sorrow in his personal life. With Aubree Oliverson featured on the violin, the symphony offers a vast landscape of musical emotion.
May 23-24: Britten’s War Requiem
The final performance for the 2024-2025 Masterworks program commemorates legendary composer, Benjamin Britten, and his career. The symphony will feature the Columbus Symphony Chorus, the Columbus Children’s Chorus and three soloists on various instruments. The epic performance tells the story of one man’s pacifism during the midst of world war.
Amber Phipps is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at aphipps@cityscenemediagroup.com.
