April 20, 200916 yr COLUMBUS SYMPHONY REVIEW Mexican conductor dazzling in debut Sunday, April 19, 2009 - 12:32 AM By Barbara Zuck for The Columbus Dispatch Mexican maestro Alondra de la Parra made a stunning debut Saturday night with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, guest conducting an all-American concert in honor of this year's Ohio State University Contemporary Music Festival. Though petite and still in her 20s, de la Parra appears both confident on the podium and precise in her direction. http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/04/18/symphony.html
April 23, 200916 yr Troupe flips at chance to perform with orchestra Thursday, April 23, 2009 - 3:23 AM By Bill Mayr for the Columbus Dispatch http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/weekender/stories/2009/04/23/9A_MD23.ART_ART_04-23-09_T7_QRDK6C0.html?sid=101
April 23, 200916 yr Nope. Not only is the CSO still around, they just announced the popular summer Picnic With The Pops series is returning after its one year hiatus due to last year's budgetary unpleasantness. Here's the story and schedule... Symphony to revive pops series http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/arts/stories/2009/04/23/1A_PICNIC_POPS.ART_ART_04-23-09_D1_P4DKJ6G.html?sid=101 2009 Schedule at www.picnicwiththepops.com.
May 11, 200916 yr Review | Columbus Symphony Pianist and conductor O'Riley injects life, joy Saturday, May 9, 2009 - 2:56 AM By Jennifer Hambrick FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Hosted by NPR's From the Top star and award-winning pianist Christopher O'Riley, last night's Columbus Symphony concert at the Palace Theatre did the struggling orchestra proud. Given the group's well-publicized moribundity of late, one wonders whether the concert's title -- "Anatomy of an Orchestra" -- might have been some kind of cruel joke. But the concert was less an autopsy and more an energetic romp through some of the most brilliantly orchestrated music in the repertory. http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/05/09/1AA_SYMPHONY_REVIEW09.ART_ART_05-09-09_A2_VFDQBC0.html?sid=101
May 17, 200916 yr Picnic with the Pops series to begin Published: Friday, May 15, 2009 - 3:46 PM EDT The Columbus Symphony Orchestra's Picnic with the Pops concert series and Popcorn Pops will be held on the lawn of Chemical Abstracts Service, 2540 Olentangy River Road, beginning June 20. Gates will open at 6 p.m. with performances beginning at 8:15 p.m. (8 p.m. for Popcorn Pops). Patrons may bring their own food and drink or purchase from on-site vendors. Tickets are available online at www.PicnicWithThePops.com or at the CSO Customer Service Center on the fifth floor of the Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St. For more information call 614-228-8600 or visit www.ColumbusSymphony.com. http://www.columbuslocalnews.com/articles/2009/05/16/tri-village_news/arts/tvuapops%205_20090515_0232pm_2.txt
May 17, 200916 yr Columbus Symphony Guests to audition for role of maestro Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 3:20 AM By Jeffrey Sheban, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Let the tryouts begin. Nine guest conductors will lead the Columbus Symphony in its 2009-10 classical season, with the hope that one will emerge as the successor to Music Director Junichi Hirokami. Eight men and one woman will guide the orchestra during the 12-concert, 24-performance series -- Oct. 9 through May 9 -- in the Ohio Theatre. Three concerts will be conducted by Gunther Herbig, a frequent guest who isn't a candidate for the permanent position. http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/05/17/1A_SYMPHONY_SEASON.ART_ART_05-17-09_E1_GVDRCQ7.html?sid=101
May 17, 200916 yr ^I haven't heard of any of these conductors, then again, who ever heard of Gustavo Dudamel a few years ago (not that I can even begin to understand the mystique of what makes a great conductor)?? Now he would have been a coup for Columbus! Just hope they doesn't screw it up this time around... http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
May 18, 200916 yr He didn't get along with the folks with the money and the Symphony nearly went bankrupt. He seemed to be a primadonna when the times called for a team player and money raiser.
January 7, 201015 yr Future bright for symphony as it reinvents itself By: Kate Seegraves Quote CityScene recently spoke with President and CEO Roland Valliere – who joined the CSO staff in August 2009 – and 30-year conducting veteran Maestro Albert-George Schram. The conversation was upbeat and enthusiastic as they discussed the challenges the symphony has faced, its triumphant return and its role in the community. READ MORE: http://www.columbuscityscene.org/the_comeback_kid.html
March 7, 201015 yr Symphony musicians accept another cut in pay Friday, March 5, 2010 - 3:40 AM By Jeffrey Sheban THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH To help keep the financially strapped Columbus Symphony afloat, musicians have agreed to wage concessions worth $1.1 million this year and next. As part of a restructuring announced yesterday, the symphony also said it wants to combine administrative functions with those of the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, potentially eliminating as many as 18 symphony staff positions and saving an additional $500,000 annually. The moves are intended to reduce expenses in the 2010-11 season to $7.5 million - down from $9 million this season - and help chip away at an estimated $500,000 deficit in the current fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/03/05/musicians-accept-another-cut-in-pay.html?sid=101
March 8, 201015 yr Essentially, the Board of the symphony has decided to quietly move the symphony back toward being a part-time symphony, which is what it was until the last thirty years or so.
March 8, 201015 yr Essentially, the Board of the symphony has decided to quietly move the symphony back toward being a part-time symphony, which is what it was until the last thirty years or so. When did the symphony originally form?
March 8, 201015 yr Essentially, the Board of the symphony has decided to quietly move the symphony back toward being a part-time symphony, which is what it was until the last thirty years or so. When did the symphony originally form? "Between the 1800s and 1950, a number of symphony orchestras were founded, existed awhile but then became extinct. Most notable of these was the Columbus Philharmonic from 1941 – 1949." But the current incarnation of the Columbus Symphony began in 1951. From: http://www.columbussymphony.com/ColumbusSymphony_Musicians.cfm and http://www.columbussymphony.com/CSO_OurHistory.cfm
March 8, 201015 yr this is really sad. Unfortunately the Col's Symph's financial woes occurred at the point when it was really getting a good national reputation. But even the most prestigious orchestras in much larger cities are having severe money problems, such as Philadelphia; and of course Cleveland has been forced to expand to more venues (Miami, and then New York next year) to maintain solvency. I hope Columbus can continue the level of artistry/professionalism that became characteristic of its performance in the past few years. Thirty years ago it was very amateurish (the conductor back then wasn't exactly considered "world class," to put it mildly). In fact, the OSU Symphony (is that still around?) sounded better! http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
March 8, 201015 yr I think there are folks in Cbus that willing to let OSU and to lesser extent Capital and Otterbein crowd out the classical music scene in the city.
March 9, 201015 yr I think there are folks in Cbus that willing to let OSU and to lesser extent Capital and Otterbein crowd out the classical music scene in the city. There is also the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra which operates out of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra which operates out of the Southern Theatre in Downtown Columbus. I don't know how this compares with other cities, but it seems like a lot of slices for the Central Ohio classical music pie.
March 9, 201015 yr Westerville has its own symphony (heavily staffed by folks associated with Otterbein). I've seen a couple other symphonies mentioned in the news as well. There is some overlap and a lot of Columbus Symphony folks teach at the colleges around the region.
April 5, 201015 yr [Cross-posted in Columbus: Arts News & Discussion] Symphony turns administrative functions over to CAPA Business First of Columbus Wednesday, March 31, 2010 In the face of lingering financial troubles, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra has struck a deal to turn over its administrative operations to CAPA under a new five-year agreement that officials say will bolster the nonprofit’s business model and keep it afloat. CAPA, the nonprofit arts group that operates downtown’s historic theaters, said beginning Monday it will take on all finance, accounting, marketing, advertising, publicity, human resources and other back-office functions for the symphony. CAPA already runs back-office operations for other arts organizations in town, including CATCO, the Phoenix Theatre for Children and the Franklin Park Conservatory. With the new arrangement, the orchestra expects to save more than $750,000 in its 2010-11 season. An additional $1 million in savings came from an earlier deal with musicians, who accepted a 23 percent pay cut for the upcoming season. Full article: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/03/29/daily20.html
September 20, 201014 yr Columbus Symphony Orchestra ends season in the black Thursday, September 16, 2010 By Jeffrey Sheban THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Cost-cutting, corporate support and taxpayer dollars all helped the cash-strapped Columbus Symphony end its 2009-10 season with a surplus of about $200,000, officials will announce today. As recently as March, symphony leaders were projecting a possible deficit as high as $1.5 million for the year ended Aug. 31. Stepping up with large donations were Battelle Memorial Institute ($900,000), Nationwide ($350,000), American Electric Power ($300,000), Limited Brands ($150,000), and Huntington National Bank ($100,000). Franklin County and the City of Columbus each kicked in $250,000 for the symphony, with the county agreeing to give that amount for two more years. Musicians also contributed to the turnaround, giving up paid vacation last year worth $120,000 and accepting a 23 percent pay cut in the current year, saving the orchestra $1 million. To reduce costs, the symphony signed a five-year deal in April to combine administrative functions with those of the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts. Under the arrangement, the symphony reduced its office staff by two-thirds to save about $500,000 annually. CAPA handles accounting, marketing, fundraising and ticketing. Full article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2010/09/16/orchestra-ends-season-in-the-black.html
October 6, 201014 yr Columbus Symphony names Zeitouni as music director Young Canadian will strive to boost attendance Updated: Tuesday, October 5, 2010 - 03:23 PM By Jeffrey Sheban, The Columbus Dispatch After a near-death experience and two years without a maestro, the Columbus Symphony has turned to a youthful French Canadian to help restore some lost luster. Montreal native Jean-Marie Zeitouni was introduced today as the seventh music director in the symphony's 60-year history. He replaces Junichi Hirokami, a musician-favorite who broke ranks with management during a six-month shutdown in 2008 and was sent packing to his native Japan. Zeitouni emerged from a field of nine contenders during an 18-month search. Under the terms of his four-year contract, he will be responsible for the repertoire, programming and artistic direction of the approximately 50-member orchestra. Full article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/10/05/columbus-symphony-music-director.html?sid=101
January 27, 201114 yr Politics intrude on symphony concert Wednesday, January 26, 2011 By Michael Grossberg THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Lang Lang will perform Thursday with the Columbus Symphony amid a controversy regarding a song that the Chinese pianist recently played at the White House. My Motherland, one of two selections he performed last week for Chinese President Hu Jintao, fueled a debate afterward when reports called it a well-known anti-American tune of propaganda in China. Longtime symphony patron Sally Larrimer, 60, sees the controversy as overblown. "The symphony is about music, not politics," said the Bexley resident, who hopes to attend the Thursday event. "Even if My Motherland is a nationalistic song," she said, "so was Yankee Doodle Dandy." In a statement issued Tuesday, the Columbus Symphony management said it had received fewer than a half-dozen calls and e-mail messages about the flap, and no requests for ticket refunds. The concert at the Ohio Theatre was booked more than a year ago. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2011/01/26/politics-intrude-on-symphony-concert.html
January 29, 201114 yr Columbus Symphony: Pianist Lang Lang a birthday treat Friday, January 28, 2011 - 12:20 AM By Barbara Zuck For The Columbus Dispatch The Columbus Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 60th birthday at the Ohio Theatre this weekend with an enormous cake and an enormous talent. While the cake, at least the one wheeled onstage, might have been inedible, the talent - pianist Lang Lang - was nothing short of delectable. The Chinese pianist's life defines prodigy. He began playing at age 3, with a public career following a few years later. Lang Lang already was a sensation when he made his Columbus debut in 2004 with a recital, under the auspices of the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, in the Riffe Center's Capitol Theatre. The difference between that performance and last night's with the Columbus Symphony represents far more than a few years' artistic growth. It represents the glorious triumph of talent and intelligence over the sometime-curse of being a child star. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/arts/stories/2011/01/28/review_lang_lang.html
February 26, 201114 yr Contract increases base pay for Columbus Symphony Saturday, February 26, 2011 By Jeffrey Sheban, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Here's some news that should be music to the ears of Columbus Symphony musicians: Wages are going up. The orchestra board and the Central Ohio Federation of Musicians Local 103 have reached a new four-year contract restoring a portion of the wages lost since 2008, when a financial crisis spurred a five-month shutdown. The new contract, starting Sept. 1, gradually increases the $35,000 base salary for full-time musicians to $40,000 by the 2015-16 season. Most musicians make more than the base because of their years of service and senior status. Also starting in September, the guaranteed weeks of employment will increase from 25 to 26. "I'm very pleased that the new agreement gives better financial conditions to the musicians," said Jean-Marie Zeitouni, the recently hired music director. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2011/02/26/contract-increases-base-pay.html?sid=101
April 1, 201411 yr From June 2013: Zeitouni to leave Columbus Symphony when contract expires The coming season will be the last with Jean-Marie Zeitouni as conductor of the Columbus Symphony. The French Canadian, the eighth music director in the 62-year history of the orchestra, has led the symphony under a four-year contract that, by mutual agreement, won’t be renewed by the board. More: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2013/06/18/zeitouni-done-when-contract-expires.html From March 2014: As Zeitouni bows out, guests set to conduct Columbus Symphony Change is afoot for the 2014-15 season of the Columbus Symphony. With Jean-Marie Zeitouni to move on in August after four years as music director, all but one of the 12 “Masterworks” programs — the core of the symphony schedule — will be led by guest conductors. More: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2014/03/16/1-as-zeitouni-bows-out-guests-set-to-conduct.html
September 11, 201410 yr The Columbus Symphony announced their new conductor/music director, who will begin a four-year contract in 2015: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2014/09/10/columbus-symphony-to-tap-milanov-as-new-conductor.html http://www.columbusunderground.com/columbus-symphony-names-rossen-milanov-as-new-music-director
July 8, 20159 yr Last month, the Columbus Symphony signed a new contract with their musicians. The new three-year contract goes into effect on effect on September 1: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2015/06/12/SYMPHONY_CONTRACT.html
April 26, 20169 yr Picnic With the Pops lineup for summer adds beats with Nelly By Ken Gordon, The Columbus Dispatch Sunday, April 24, 2016 - 9:17 AM The annual Picnic With the Pops series promises to seem hipper this year, especially when hip-hop artist Nelly performs July 9 with the Columbus Symphony. The two-time Grammy-winning rapper, who has sold more than 20 million albums, is working to produce his first symphonic show, which will make its debut in Columbus as a highlight of the 2016 pops schedule. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2016/04/24/1-picnic-with-the-pops-pops-lineup-for-summer-adds-beats-with-nelly.html
June 16, 20178 yr Picnic With the Pops announce schedule, including rapper Common For the second year in a row, the annual Picnic With the Pops series will fuse orchestral arrangements with hip-hop. Common, a rapper based in Chicago who is known for his politically and socially conscious lyrics, will perform July 15 with the Columbus Symphony as part of the eight-show summer series at the Columbus Commons in Downtown. The 45-year-old Grammy winner’s show will follow a year after hip-hop star Nelly joined the symphony in entertaining a capacity Pops crowd. The success of that Pops segment last year, dubbed “A Night of Symphonic Hip-Hop,” prompted organizers to feature it again with another musician. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20170428/picnic-with-pops-announce-schedule-including-rapper-common
August 10, 20177 yr Dispatch profile on Joanna Frankel, who is the first female musician in the Columbus Symphony Orchestra's 66-year history to serve as concertmaster — the violinist who leads the violin and strings section of the orchestra: http://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20170713/frankel-hitting-right-notes-as-first-woman-to-serve-as-columbus-symphonys-concertmaster
August 26, 20204 yr Columbus Symphony launching outdoor neighborhood concert tour The Columbus Symphony is returning this fall with a series of outdoor, socially distanced concerts. The chamber orchestra and ensemble performances will rotate throughout Central Ohio, hitting stops in Downtown Columbus, New Albany, Dublin, Westerville, Gahanna and Delaware. The 45-minute performances will be free to the community, but reservations are required to manage crowds. Face masks will be required and all audience members will have their temperatures taken upon arrival. The symphony's return comes as ProMusica Chamber Orchestra also launches an outdoor concert series, a signal that live music is finally returning to Central Ohio after a spring and summer of canceled events because of Covid-19. MORE: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2020/08/25/columbus-symphony.html
February 3, 20214 yr Couple of articles about how the Columbus Symphony Orchestra is weathering the covid crisis: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2020/11/09/columbus-symphony-musicians-covid.html https://www.columbusunderground.com/the-columbus-symphony-survives-and-thrives-in-an-uncertain-arts-landscape-gw1
Create an account or sign in to comment