Culture
Columbus Symphony Orchestra to Perform at Stuart’s Opera House March 17
By: Rachael Beardsley
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Nelsonville residents will have the opportunity to see a professional orchestra perform locally this month at Stuart’s Opera House.
The Columbus Symphony Orchestra will perform a variety of songs as well as visit local schools to teach students about classical music and give them a chance to learn about different instruments.
“This is something that Stuart’s and the Columbus Symphony have been working on for a little while,” said Brian Koscho, marketing director for Stuart’s Opera House. “Having a symphony of this stature and this importance coming down and playing at a place like Stuart’s Opera House, I think that alone makes it a really special experience.”
The orchestra will bring almost fifty of its musicians for a full-stage setup. The music will include a mixture of light classics and pops to give the audience a sampling of the orchestra’s different musical styles.
“We wanted to bring a broad representation of classical music, of what we do here in Columbus,” said Daniel Walshaw, vice president of operations and artistic planning for the orchestra. “It’s a concert that anyone can come to, whether you have a thousand CD collection of classical music or this is the first classical music concert you’ve ever been to. This is a concert for everyone.”
In addition to the show, Stuart’s Opera House and the orchestra have spent the last year planning education outreach for area students. Though specific dates have not yet been chosen, the orchestra plans to send their musicians to visit local schools, particularly Nelsonville-York school district, for workshops and small concerts. One activity they often do at elementary schools is an “instrument petting zoo” where they allow students to try out a variety of different instruments.
“We wanted to make sure we weren’t just doing a concert, we were making as big of an impact as possible on the community,” Walshaw said. “We do try to get around to the different neighborhoods around Columbus, but this is an initiative of our music director who said we want to be an orchestra who can reach out to other parts of Ohio.”
The orchestra’s internationally-recognized music director, Rossen Milanov, said he chose to begin taking the group outside of the Columbus area because he believes great art and music should not be reserved only for larger cities. Instead, he said, performers have a duty to make music accessible to all.
“The great works of composers such as Mozart and Beethoven deal with emotions that are universal to all humanity,” Milanov said in an email. “The journey from darkness to light, from despair to victory, (…) are all ideas we can relate to on a personal level, and there is no better way to experience them together then through the magic and power of the music.”
The concert will be on Sunday, March 17, at 4 p.m. Reserved seats can be purchased for $22.50 in advance or $27.50 at the door. Box seats are $27.50 in advance or $32.50 at the door.