Prepare for a high-voltage evening as the Columbus Symphony delivers an exhilarating lineup of rock anthems and power ballads under the baton of Stuart Chafetz. This concert joins together the heart-pounding hits of rock legends such as The Cars, Aerosmith, and Foreigner with the soul-stirring ballads of Adele, Gloria Estefan, Bonnie Raitt, and Whitney Houston. Featuring dynamic performances from Dee Donasco and Micah Wilshire, and the driving rhythms of drummer Brian Kushmaul, this program is a celebration of rock’s most iconic moments and the unforgettable ballads that continue to move us. Whether you’re a classic rock devotee or a ballad enthusiast, this night promises a memorable journey through the songs that defined a genre.

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Rock Hits & Power Ballads

Riffe Center Studio Theatres

Observe a working rehearsal as the musicians and conductor put the finishing touches on the weekend’s concert program on Friday, January 16 at 10AM. Doors open at 9AM. Tickets are $17.14; coffee and donuts are included!

Friday Coffee Dress – Latin Rhythms and Hollywood Drama

Ohio Theatre

Guest conductor Josep Vicent leads the orchestra in a captivating concert starting with Falla’s Three Cornered Hat Suite and featuring Korngold’s emotionally rich Violin Concerto that will delight you and elevate the evening with its lyrical beauty. Falla’s El amor brujo and Márquez’s Danzón No. 2 completes the program in a lively homage to Flamenco, Latin dance and Spanish passion.

Latin Rhythms and Hollywood Drama

Experience the profound beauty of Mozart’s unfinished masterpiece, now reimagined with a contemporary twist by acclaimed American composer Gregory Spears. Spears’ music seamlessly blends echoes of Bach and Mozart with Romantic harmonies and modern nuances to complete the Requiem with its missing Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei.  Join us for this unforgettable performance that bridges centuries of musical tradition with innovative artistry.

Mozart’s Requiem

Podcast link: https://youtu.be/4hagYvrYbuM

The Artelize Podcast and Kasper Holten - Pedefining Opera for the modern world

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36M5Hi6O80

The Artelize Podcast - A legacy of innovation in Opera: Celebrating Marc A. Scorca

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59E40S_EQSY

The Artelize Podcast: A love letter that was never sent

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THv6htilWtI

The Artelize Podcast and Adolfo Corrado: Mediterranean flavors, opera and social media

Observe a working rehearsal as the musicians and conductor put the finishing touches on the weekend’s concert.

Friday Coffee Dress – Price & Tchaikovsky

Experience the vibrant energy of Aaron Copland’s Rodeo. Four folk-inspired dances from the ballet come alive, bursting with frontier spirit and lively rhythms. Described as elegant and thoughtful (Cincinnati Business Courier), violinist Melissa White will capture the sounds of American classical music with the soul-stirring lyricism of Florence Price’s Second Violin Concerto. Finally, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.1 (“Winter Dreams”) will take us on a charming musical ride full of dreamy landscapes and emotional depth.

Price & Tchaikovsky

The Anonymous Lover (1780), known in French as L’Amant Anonyme, this charming two-act romantic comedy chamber opera by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges is adapted from a comedic play by Stéphanie Félicité de Genlis (Madame de Genlis). It centers on Léontine, a wealthy widow who begins receiving ardent letters and gifts from a secret admirer. Unbeknownst to her, the devoted suitor is actually her close friend Valcour, who conceals his identity out of fear of rejection. Through spirited misunderstandings and heartfelt revelations, Léontine learns the truth, culminating in a joyful resolution that celebrates the power of genuine devotion and trust. Will love win? Joseph Bologne’s stirring music is complemented by a fresh book adaptation from the pen of Obie Award-winning Boston playwright Kirsten Greenidge, mixing English dialogue with the original French singing. The third of Bologne’s six operas, The Anonymous Lover was his most successful opera, and the only one that has survived to this day. The work holds a significant place in the annals of music history, standing as one of the first known operas composed by a Black artist.

The Anonymous Lover

Palace Theatre 

This captivating concert features Jeffrey Mumford’s Double Concerto, a stunning fusion of rich textures, innovative harmonies, and intricate dialogue between the orchestra and soloists Lauren Cauley, violin, and Mariel Roberts, cello. The program culminates with Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”), a work that takes listeners on a journey through expansive soundscapes of emotion, from robust triumph to serene reflection.

Mahler 1

Celebrate the 270th anniversary of Mozart’s birth and experience the Academy Award-winning film like never before!  A breathtaking fusion of cinema and symphony, this is a must-see event for music and film lovers, with the soundtrack brought to life by Principal Pops Conductor Stuart Chafetz and the Columbus Symphony and Chorus.

Amadeus Live

Observe a working rehearsal as the musicians and conductor put the finishing touches on the weekend’s concert program on Friday, March 13 at 10AM. Doors open at 9AM. Tickets are $17.14; coffee and donuts are included!

Friday Coffee Dress – Rachmaninoff 3

Immerse yourself in this exhilarating concert filled with heroic sounds, dazzling virtuosity, and musical drama! Janáček’s dynamic Taras Bulba offers a vivid orchestral portrayal of heroism and sacrifice inspired by Nikolai Gogol’s tales of war and death. Symphony pianist Caroline Hong brings Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue to life with sweeping lyricism and jazzy flair. Rachmaninoff’s lush and dramatic Symphony No. 3 weaves a poignant musical tapestry that will captivate your heart and stir your soul.

Rachmaninoff 3

This evocative concert begins with the Grammy-nominated ensemble Sandbox Percussion’s performance of Viet Cuong’s Re(new)al—for percussion quartet and orchestra full of eclectic soundscapes that explore themes of transformation and resilience. Shostakovich’s Symphony No.8 is a powerful work reflecting on war as a force of destruction and suffering, while juxtaposing it with the endurance and resilience of the human spirit.

Shostakovich 8

Cole Porter’s sophisticated, sexy, and timeless songs continue to hold a unique place in society; it’s no wonder countless artists have interpreted his work across the decades. Join Tony DeSare and his guests, Aubrey Logan (trombone/vocals) and John Manzari (tap dance/vocals), as they give their fresh spin on such hits as “Night and Day,” “I Get A Kick Out of You,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Anything Goes,” “It’s De-Lovely,” “Too Darn Hot,” “You’re the Top,” and many more.

Let’s Misbehave: The Songs of Cole Porter

Musical brilliance abounds in this concert featuring works by three prominent composers from the Classical and Romantic eras. Beethoven’s overture to Egmont is part of the incidental music he composed for the play by Goethe. It portrays in a brilliant and powerful way the ideas of oppression, struggle, and freedom. Schumann’s music captures with its romantic passion and energy while offering an innovative formal design where all the movements of the symphony are linked together.

Beethoven, Schumann, & Brahms

Observe a working rehearsal as the musicians and conductor put the finishing touches on the weekend’s concert program on Friday, April 17 at 10AM. Doors open at 9AM. Tickets are $17.14; coffee and donuts are included!

Friday Coffee Dress – Beethoven, Schumann & Brahms

In a co-production with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, CAPA and Opera Columbus. Composed by Giuseppe Verdi and inspired by Alexandre Dumas Fils’s play La Dame aux camélias, La Traviata unfolds as a poignant tragedy. Officially the most performed opera worldwide, La Traviata is Verdi’s twisting love story that explores class, reputation and devotion, with heartbreaking consequences. The story centers on Violetta Valéry, a celebrated courtesan who discovers true love in the arms of Alfredo Germont. However, social pressures and Alfredo’s disapproving father compel her to renounce their love for the sake of his family’s reputation. Overcome by heartbreak and illness, Violetta ultimately finds her way back to Alfredo, but their reconciliation comes too late—she dies in his arms, underscoring the opera’s powerful themes of love, sacrifice, and societal judgment.

La Traviata

Our season concludes with this vibrant finale featuring the Columbus Symphony musicians and Chorus, and dancers from BalletMet. Dvořák’s The American Flag is a spirited blend of nationalism and folk elements that celebrates the composer’s expressions of American patriotism and freedom. Orff’s Trionfo di Afroditi is the final installment of a musical trilogy that opens with the well-known Carmina Burana. This spectacular work showcases the full power of the chorus and orchestra, explores love and beauty, and embraces the listener in its powerful climaxes.

Orff: Triumph of Aphrodite

The Cooper-Bing is an internationally recognized vocal competition that has celebrated and supported emerging young artists in opera. Dubbed “The Olympics of Opera”, this competition encourages talent, creates artistic opportunity, and helps welcome the next generation into the professional opera community. Five finalists compete for the grand prize of $10,000! The 2025 competition will be emceed by Christopher Purdy.

The Cooper-bing Competition

The Westin Great Southern Columbus

Observe a working rehearsal as the musicians and conductor put the finishing touches on the weekend’s concert program on Friday, February 6 at 10AM. Doors open at 9AM. Tickets are $17.14; coffee and donuts are included!

Events in Columbus, OH

Rock Hits & Power Ballads...

Columbus Symphony

Friday Coffee Dress – Lat...

Columbus Symphony

Latin Rhythms and Hollywo...

Columbus Symphony

Mozart’s Requiem

Columbus Symphony

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast - A ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast: A l...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

Friday Coffee Dress – Pri...

Columbus Symphony

Price & Tchaikovsky

Columbus Symphony

The Anonymous Lover

Opera Columbus

Mahler 1

Columbus Symphony

Amadeus Live

Columbus Symphony

Friday Coffee Dress – Rac...

Columbus Symphony

Rachmaninoff 3

Columbus Symphony

Shostakovich 8

Columbus Symphony

Let’s Misbehave: The Song...

Columbus Symphony

Beethoven, Schumann, & Br...

Columbus Symphony

Friday Coffee Dress – Bee...

Columbus Symphony

La Traviata

Opera Columbus

La Traviata

Columbus Symphony

Orff: Triumph of Aphrodit...

Columbus Symphony

The Cooper-bing Competiti...

Opera Columbus

Friday Coffee Dress – Pri...

Columbus Symphony