You are holding in your hands our new brochure, revealing an irresistible collection of artistic experiences we have designed for you! It also unveils our new logo, along with additional information about the upcoming season that I trust you will find inspiring and will hopefully ignite your explorer’s curiosity.
Among the many highlights of the season, I would like to focus on our two principal themes:
Project: Nature is an initiative that aims to put nature in context as an elemental force of inspiration, poetry, beauty, consolation, and exuberance, through its artistic reflection in the works of some of the greatest composers. In addition, we have established partnerships with several conservancy organizations and together we would like to bring awareness of the important role the nature plays in our lives. Look for a comprehensive schedule of events that will be posted on our website, such as the unveiling of the Columbus Symphony Grove in Franklin Park, nature walks ending with musical performances,
and special multimedia presentations during our concerts.
Focus: Creative Women is an exciting series of events, including concerts, lectures, master classes, and conversations with female artists and composers. Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw will give a workshop for local composers, Andreia Pinto-Coreia will compose a new work for us, the music of cult composer Kaja Saariajo will sound on the stage of Ohio Theatre, and the Ohio-based composer Margaret Brewer will be featured on the closing concert of the season. We will welcome pianists Natasha Paremski and Simone Dinnerstein, violinist Jennifer Koh, and conductor JoAnn Faletta to what promises to be a significant platform for celebrating women’s contributions in the field of music.
As always, I hope that the music moves you and we can share together in another year of unforgettable musical experiences!
Yours,
Rossen Milanov Music Director
Brahms’s German Requiem
With Columbus Symphony Chorus
Accents
Joshua Bell Returns
Joshua Bell returns to Columbus! One night only!
Strauss’s Alpine Symphony
With photographic essay by Stephen Pariser
Flamenco Festival Verdi’s Aida
In collaboration with Opera Columbus
With dancer Griset Damas and Rodrigo’s Guitar Concerto
Debussy: Impressionism
La Mer and Three Nocturnes
Two Russian Winter Festivals
With focus on the music of Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and Rachmaninoff Beethoven Marathon
All five Beethoven Piano concertos experienced in one weekend
Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique
Romantic icon
Spanish
Accompaniments
Throughout the season, events and additional concerts accompany the main Masterworks concerts.
Preludes
Each Masterworks performance will include a 30-minute, pre-concert dialogue with a variety of speakers, including Rossen, WOSU’s Christopher Purdy, and Subject Matter lecturers. Each Prelude takes place in the theatre beginning at 7pm.
Postludes
Patrons are invited to stay after the concert and enjoy a variety of Postlude events following select performances. Postludes could include the performance of an additional, related work for a small ensemble, a post-performance talk-back with Rossen and the featured guest, dance demonstrations, or food and drink tastings.
Mozart to Matisse
The Columbus Symphony and Columbus Museum of Art will collaborate in a series of afternoon lectures that pair chamber music performances by Symphony musicians with works from the CMA art collection. The presentation will focus on specific periods in upcoming CSO Masterworks concerts and explore the common themes and aesthetic influences between music and visual art. These events will take place at the CMA.
Subject Matter
Throughout the season, Preludes take on a unique twist as professors from The Ohio State University give engaging lectures that connect the evening’s music with related topics.
Friday Coffee Dress
(Friday Dress Rehearsals)
Select Masterworks programs in 2017–18 will offer $10 general admission tickets to Friday morning dress rehearsals. Experience a working rehearsal with repertoire selected by Rossen. Coffee and snacks are included in the ticket price!
Season Themes
Two themes are threaded throughout the 2017–18 Masterworks Series, unifying the thirteen artistically independent concerts.
&
Project: Nature
Exploring symphonic works inspired by natural wonders to bring awareness of our relationship with the Earth through art. Partnerships with The Nature Conservancy, Branch Out Columbus, and the Grange Insurance Audubon Center combine nature initiatives with orchestral art.
Focus: Creative Women
Engaging with living female composers, conductors, and performers to celebrate their creative output. Partnerships with the Columbus Museum of Art and the League of American Orchestras broaden the artistic platforms.
Concerts
17 • 18
Photo: Stephen Pariser
An Alpine Symphony
September 22–23, 2017 | 8pm • Ohio Theatre Nature
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Program
Respighi: I pini di Roma [The Pines of Rome]
Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie, (An Alpine Symphony) Op. 64
For centuries, landscape painters have tried to capture the awesome power of Nature. Maestro Milanov and the Columbus Symphony perform two of the most iconic symphonic landscapes. Alpine Symphony will feature a photographic essay by Stephen Pariser filmed in the Swiss Alps. Brass players from the OSU School of Music sit alongside Columbus Symphony musicians in The Pines of Rome to enhance the musical experience.
Accompaniments
Prelude: Christopher Purdy and Rossen Milanov
Photo essay: Steven Pariser
Beethoven: Pastoral Symphony
October 20–21, 2017 | 8pm • Southern Theatre
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Caroline Shaw, violin
Program
Haydn: Symphony No. 59 in A Major, Hob. 1:59 (“The Fire”)
Caroline Shaw: Lo
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Major Op. 68 (“Pastoral”)
Ludwig van Beethoven and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw are spaced two centuries apart, but both composers speak with a provocative voice that is raw, earthy, and dug deep from the soul.
Accompaniments
Prelude: Christopher Purdy
Postlude (Fri): Thurber Bar
Postlude (Sat): Talk-back with Caroline Shaw
Bonus event: Meet at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center for a Pastoral Symphony-inspired guided walk through the Scioto Audubon Metro Park on Sunday, Oct. 22 2pm, culminating in a performance of a Beethoven string quartet by Columbus Symphony musicians.
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra
Albeniz: Chants d’Espagne
Chapi: La Revoltosa: Preludio
Grammy® Award-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux and flamenco
dancer Griset Damas join the Columbus Symphony in an all-Spanish evening. Teeming with passion and exoticism, the program spans the genres of the Iberian Peninsula, from flamenco to zarzuela.
Accompaniments
Mozart to Matisse: The Art of Spain, Nov. 1 | 2pm
Friday Coffee Dress: Nov. 3 10am
Prelude (Fri): Subject Matter: Casticismo and National Identity in Spanish Music, Art and Culture, 1800–1900.
Prof. Rebecca Haidt, OSU Dept. of Spanish and Portugese
Prelude (Sat): Christopher Purdy
Postlude: Lobby Fiesta! with Spanish dance and music.
Spanish Flamenco Festival
Photo:
Photo: Andrea Joynt
Russian Winter Festival I: Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky
January 19–20, 2018 | 8pm • Ohio Theatre
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Natasha Paremski, piano
Program
Mussorgsky: A Night on a Bald Mountain
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 (“Classical”)
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy
The Russian Winter Festival returns with passionate, exotic, and exuberant selections from the vast treasury of Russian repertoire!
Accompaniments
Mozart to Matisse: Russian Landscapes, Jan. 17 | 2pm
Friday Coffee Dress: Jan. 19 | 10am
Prelude: Christopher Purdy and Rossen Milanov
Postlude (Fri.): Talk-back with the artists
Postlude (Sat.): Vodka tasting
Aida in Concert In Collaboration with Opera Columbus
February 2, 2018 | 8pm & February 4, 2018 | 3pm • Ohio Theatre
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Mary Birnbaum, director
Columbus Symphony Chorus
Ronald J. Jenkins, chorus director
Cast
Michelle Johnson, Aida
Marc Heller, Radamès
Laura Tucker, Amneris
Brian Major, Amonasro
Program
Verdi: Aida
Amid the magnificence of ancient Egypt, an Ethiopian princess and an Egyptian prince are entwined in a tragic love story. This is a uniquely Columbus collaboration with Opera Columbus, the Columbus Zoo, and members of The Ohio State University Marching Band!
Accompaniments:
Prelude: Christopher Purdy
Russian Winter Festival II: Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff
February 9–10, 2018 | 8pm • Ohio Theatre
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Program
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No.1 in A Minor, Op. 99
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27
Grammy® Award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich takes on the edgy realism of Shostakovich, which is juxtaposed with the romantic world of Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony.
Accompaniments
Friday Coffee Dress: Feb. 9 | 10am
Prelude: Subject Matter: Russia in War and Revolution: The Worlds of Rachamaninoff and Shostakovich Dr. Nicholas Breyfogle, OSU Dept. of History
Postlude: Shostakovich String Quartet performance by Columbus Symphony musicians
Photo: Luca Valenta
Beethoven Marathon
February 23–24, 2018 | 8pm • Southern Theatre
Courtney Lewis, conductor
Inon Barnatan, piano
Program
Beethoven: The five Piano Concertos over two nights
Friday:
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 19
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
Saturday:
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73 (“Emperor”)
Two nights. All five Beethoven piano concertos. Pure bliss.
Celebrated Israeli pianist Inon Barnatan and British conductor
Courtney Lewis collaborate to bring a one-of-a-kind experience to Columbus.
Accompaniments
Prelude: Christopher Purdy
Postlude (Fri.): Thurber Bar
Postlude (Sat.): Beethoven: Octet for Winds, Op. 103
Photo: Marco Borggreve
Photo: Steven Pariser
Mozart to Brahms via Paris
March 2–3, 2018 8pm • Ohio Theatre
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Alexi Kenney, violin
Program
Boulanger: D’un soir triste
Boulanger: D’un matin de printemps
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K. 216
Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68
A perfect pairing of Mozart and Brahms, accompanied by the lush, impressionstic music of Lili Boulanger conducted by JoAnn Falletta, who blazed the trail for the great female maestras of the late 20th century.
Accompaniments
Friday Coffee Dress: Mar. 2 | 10am
Prelude: Christopher Purdy
Postlude: Talk-back with the artists
Photo: Yang Bao
Photo: David Adam Beloff
Mendelssohn’s “Scottish,” Copland, and Beethoven
March 16–17, 2018 | 8pm • Ohio Theatre
Jayce Ogren, conductor
David Thomas, clarinet
Program
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21
Copland: Clarinet Concerto
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 (“Scottish”)
The rustic romanticism of Mendelssohn and the coarseness of youthful Beethoven are juxtaposed with a virtuosic concerto written for the legendary jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman, performed by David Thomas, Principal Clarinetist of the Columbus Symphony.
Accompaniments
Prelude: Christopher Purdy
Photo: Pavana Stetzik
Brahms: Requiem
March 23–24, 2018 | 8pm • Ohio Theatre
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Abigail Rethwisch, soprano
Jarrett Ott, baritone
Columbus Symphony Chorus
Ronald J. Jenkins, chorus director
Program
Saariaho: Leino Songs, for soprano and orchestra
Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 (A German Requiem)
Brahms’s A German Requiem is a work that surpasses religious context to convey peace and hope through the power of music. This program pairs the music of Brahms with a mystical song cycle by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho.
Accompaniments
Mozart to Matisse: Women Artists, Mar. 21 | 2pm
Prelude: Subject Matter: Poetry in Music
Prof. Jeremy Glazier, Ohio Dominican Univ. Dept. of English
Postlude: Talk-back with the artists
Photo: Dario Acosta
April 6–7, 2018 | 8pm • Ohio Theatre Symphonie Fantastique
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Jennifer Koh, violin
Program
Andreia Pinto-Correia: Ciprés*
Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14
The extraordinary tale of an intoxicated artist caught in a dream-turned-nightmare comes to life in Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. The magic of Berlioz is reflected in the work of Andreia Pinto-Correia, who blends Iberian folk tunes into her eccentric musical language.
Accompaniments
Friday Coffee Dress: Apr. 6 | 10am
Prelude: Christopher Purdy
Postlude: Talk-back with the artists
*World premiere made possible by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulman Foundation.
Photo: Juergen Frank Creative Women
Impressionistic Scenes
April 13–14, 2018 | 8pm • Ohio Theatre
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Simone Dinnerstein, piano
Columbus Symphony Women’s Chorus
Ronald J. Jenkins, chorus director
Program
Debussy: Nocturnes
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488
Saad Haddad: Columbus Symphony commission and world premiere
Debussy: La Mer
In commemoration of Debussy in the centennial of his death,
Maestro Milanov and the Columbus Symphony perform two of his most iconic works, revealing a world of impressionistic wonder.
Accompaniments
Mozart to Matisse: Impressionism and the Sea, Apr. 11 | 2pm
Prelude: Subject Matter: Moods and Views of the Ocean
Dr. Lawrence Krissek, OSU School of Earth Sciences
Postlude: Talk-back with the artists
Photo: Lisa Marie Mazzucco
Joshua Bell Returns!
SPECIAL EVENT: May 10, 2018 | 8pm • Ohio Theatre
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin
Program
Margaret Brouwer: Pulse
Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98
For one night only, classical music’s star violinist returns to the Columbus Symphony for the first time since 1999, to perform the deeply romantic concerto of Max Bruch. Maestro Milanov closes the season with Brahms’s glowing final symphony.
Accompaniments
Prelude: Christopher Purdy
Photo: Chris Lee
2017–18 Leadership Supporters
Partners in Project: Nature
Subscription Prices, Packages, and Benefits!
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39 East State Street Columbus, OH 43215
Attn: CSO
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For more information visit our website at columbussymphony.com
Thank you for your support!
We look forward to seeing you at the Symphony.
Masterworks 12
Includes all 12 Masterworks programs in the Ohio and Southern Theatres, free parking for one vehicle to each concert, and four free tickets for friends or family to attend any Masterworks performance. Subscription packages range from $276–$744.
Masterworks Pick 4
Choose any four Masterworks programs from any of the 12 Masterworks programs in both the Ohio and Southern Theatres. Subscription packages for four concerts range from $88–$260.
College Club
Students that purchase a $25 annual membership will receive free admission for one to all Masterworks concerts and postconcert events all season long, special membership emails, and the ability to purchase up to four additional student tickets for $8 each.
Ohio 10
Includes the ten Masterworks programs to be performed in the Ohio Theatre and two free tickets for friends or family to attend any Masterworks performance. Subscription packages range from $230–$620.
Southern 2
Includes the two Masterworks programs to be performed in the Southern Theatre. Subscription packages range from $46–$124.
Masterworks Pick 5
Choose any five Masterworks programs from any of the 12 Masterworks programs in both the Ohio and Southern Theatres. Subscription packages for five concerts range from $100–$315.
Flex Ticket Subscription
Choose your own concerts, any night, any theatre, any series. Must purchase a minimum of six Flex Tickets. Subscription packages start at $270.
