Rossen Milanov, Music Director
Next Event:
OVERVIEW
Each season, the wide-ranging education programs of the Columbus Symphony connect hundreds of thousands of young people, families, educators, students, and aspiring musicians of all ages. These creative experiences nurture the finest musical talent at all levels and harness the power of the arts to make a meaningful difference in young people’s lives.
Field Trips
Each year, thousands of students throughout the greater Columbus area participate in the Columbus Symphony’s Young People’s Concerts. These concerts are held at the Ohio Theatre and are thematically based, grade-appropriate, and aligned with current Ohio Academic Standards. Our Concert Guidebooks include pre- and post- concert listening maps, worksheets, and activities designed to guide student learning and provide a comprehensive wraparound educational experience.
Location: Ohio Theater (39 E State St, Columbus, OH 43215)
Time: all concerts start at 10:30am
Tickets: $5 per student/chaperone, with scholarships available for all Title I schools
Transportation: Bee-thoven Express Bus Grants are available for all concerts and are open to all schools!
S is for Symphony takes students on an epic musical adventure with Montana Miller and Savannah as they search for the Lost Letters of the Ancient Alphabet. When the letters needed to complete a mysterious musical score disappear, our explorer’s journey through the world of the orchestra to track them down. Along the way, they encounter legendary characters who each hold clues to the missing letters. Through storytelling, audience participation, and a vibrant selection of orchestral music, students will discover how instruments, rhythms, and melodies bring stories to life.
This program is approximately 45 minutes in length.
Program Includes:
Mozart: Overture to Don Giovanni
John Williams: Raiders March
Stravinsky: Infernal Dance from The Firebird
Grieg: In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt
Mozart: “Non so più” from Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492
Arr. McKenzie: Medley from KPop Demon Hunters
Preview this program with our Spotify playlist:
Blast off on an interstellar musical adventure where music and science collide! Designed for students in grades 3–6, Solar System Symphony takes students on a Magic School Bus-style journey through our solar system as they help a group of curious aliens discover where they have landed, or perhaps help extraterrestrial visitors create the ultimate playlist for our solar system. Along the way, students will encounter musical clues and unexpected discoveries, encouraging them to listen closely and figure out what the orchestra is telling them.
Through music inspired by the cosmos, students will discover how composers use instruments, dynamics, tempo, rhythm, and musical expression to bring planets, space, and the mysteries of the universe to life. Students will listen, imagine, investigate, and explore as they experience the solar system through the sound of a live orchestra.
This program is approximately 55 minutes in length.
Program TBA
Explore the stories and musical ideas behind two iconic works in Decoded Classics: Barber & Beethoven. The program features CSO’s Young Musicians Concerto Competition winner Jonah Davis performing the first movement of Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, showcasing the artistry and expression of this powerful concerto.
The Columbus Symphony continues with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, Eroica, a groundbreaking work that transformed the symphonic tradition. Through Decoded Classics, the CSO will explore the themes, innovations, and musical storytelling within Beethoven’s revolutionary masterpiece, revealing how ideas of heroism, conflict, and triumph are brought to life through sound.
Program Includes:
Barber: Violin Concerto Mvt. 1
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3
Jonah Davis
Jonah Davis is a sophomore at Bexley High School and has been playing the violin for eleven years. A student of Paula Korak, Jonah attended Center Stage Strings at the University of Michigan in summer 2025, where he studied with internationally recognized pedagogue Simon James.
An avid chamber musician, Jonah is a founding member of the Lumen String Quartet through Chamber Music Connection (CMC), under the artistic direction of Deborah Barrett Price. The Lumen String Quartet was a finalist in the 2024 Saint Paul String Quartet Competition, one of the nation’s leading competitions for high school string quartets. Through CMC, Jonah has also participated in masterclasses with internationally acclaimed ensembles, including the Brentano, Calidore, Leonkoro, and Cavani Quartets, as well as distinguished chamber musicians Peter Salaff and Annie Fullard.
Jonah is a member of the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra. In addition to his musical studies, he is an active volunteer with SMILE, a student-led organization of high school musicians from across the Columbus area that brings chamber music and other performances to older members of the Central Ohio community.
Carnegie Hall’s Link Up program pairs professional orchestras with students in grades 3–5, providing a free, high-quality, yearlong music curriculum that teachers can implement in their classrooms. The program includes teaching materials, online video and audio resources, and professional development and support to help teachers create an engaging musical experience for their students.
The Link Up Program introduces students to the orchestra through active music-making, listening, singing, movement, and instrumental performance. Throughout the year, students explore an interactive curriculum and learn repertoire in their classrooms before joining a professional orchestra for a culminating concert. During the performance, students sing and play instruments from their seats alongside the orchestra.
Through this collaborative experience, students develop musical skills while gaining a deeper understanding of the orchestra and discovering that they can be active participants in making music not simply listeners.
Link Up! The Orchestra Sings
Melody is one of the universal elements of music and defines the music we know and love. A great melody can express ideas and emotions, help tell a story, and bring people together through song. Composers create melodies through a combination of rhythmic patterns, sweeping contours, and expressive qualities. Through the Link Up repertoire, hands-on activities, and a culminating interactive performance with a professional orchestra, we will explore what makes a melody great.
Program includes:
Cabaniss: Come to Play
Beethoven: Ode to Joy
Stravinsky: “Finale” from Firebird
Dvořák: “New World” Symphony
Esmail: Ram Tori Maya
Papoulis: Oye
To Access Carnegie Hall’s Free Online Resources CLICK HERE
Participating Schools Receive:
School Requirements
Final student counts and full payments are due to the Columbus Symphony 14 days before the concert.
School field trips play an important role in arts education efforts, providing exposure to arts events otherwise inaccessible to many students. The Bee-thoven Express Grant program helps schools and other educational groups defray transportation costs to attend Columbus Symphony Young People’s Concerts. These early arts experiences create new relationships between Ohio’s youth and the Columbus Symphony, and support in-school arts learning activities critical to overall academic development.
GRANT AWARDS: Applicants may request up to $600. No match is required.
ELIGIBILITY: Eligible organizations include, but are not limited to, public, private, charter, or parochial schools (pre-kindergarten through secondary) and associations of home-schooled students. Multiple applications from a single school district are permissible within a single fiscal year. When funds are limited, priority will be given to new applicants. Priority status is also given to rural and urban students from underserved areas of Ohio. All applicants must possess nonprofit status or nonprofit intent.
HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS: The Bee-thoven Express Grant program supports transportation costs for educational field trips to the Columbus Symphony Young People’s Concert for grades K-12. Applicants are responsible for making all transportation and destination arrangements. Funds must be used for field trip-related travel expenses, including but not limited to securing buses or vans and licensed drivers, fuel and parking costs, and accessibility expenses.
HOW TO APPLY: Applications must be submitted via application here. Applications must include a copy of a document verifying the estimated transportation cost (a purchase order, written estimate, transportation company contract, vehicle rental agreement, letter from a superintendent or other authorizing official, etc.).
REVIEW CRITERIA: CSO staff members evaluate and score grant applications.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications accepted on a rolling basis throughout the 2026-2027 season.
For more information please contact: education@columbussymphony.com
Experience a Working Rehearsal with the Columbus Symphony!
Each season, the Columbus Symphony opens several of its working dress rehearsals to middle school and high school music students. These unique opportunities provide an insider’s view of how the orchestra and conductor prepare for an upcoming Masterworks concert refining details, balancing sections, and shaping the music for performance.
All open rehearsals take place at the Ohio Theatre and begin at 10:00 AM.
Rehearsals are presented in two sessions:
Session 1: 10:00 – 11:15 AM
Session 2: 11:35 AM – 12:00 PM
An intermission will take place between both sessions. Groups are welcome to stay for the second session.
Tickets: $5 per seat, or free for Title I schools
* Each ticket includes a free donut!
AT YOUR SCHOOL
**Our In School Concerts are FREE to all schools and are subject to availability throughout the season. **
Conductor Elias Miller and fabulous special guests take students on a musical game-show adventure where they’ll listen, guess, and compete to Name That Tune! With the Columbus Symphony performing live, students will be challenged to recognize familiar melodies, musical clues, and surprising orchestral sounds.
Packed with plenty of opportunities for participation, students will play along, make musical guesses, respond to challenges, and put their listening skills to the test. But the big question is: Can they outsmart the conductor and beat the orchestra at its own game?
(Suggested for grades 3-5 with flexibility)
Featured repertoire includes:
Barroso: Brazil
Tchaikovsky: Selections from Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
Offenbach: “Can-Can” from Orpheus in the Underworld
Grieg: “In the Hall of the Mountain King” from Peer Gynt
Rossini: “Gallop” from William Tell Overture
Sousa: Stars and Stripes Forever
Arr. McKenzie: Medley from K-Pop Demon Hunters
This interactive concert is aligned with Ohio’s Learning Standards for Music and supports classroom learning through engaging, age-appropriate musical experiences. Whether students are new to orchestra or already learning an instrument, they’ll be inspired to listen, move, and think musically!
Mindful Music Moments is a Tier 1 PBIS-aligned program that helps students start their day with calm, focus, and creativity. In partnership with the Columbus Symphony and The Well, this daily listening practice features 3 minutes of orchestral, jazz, world, and new music, paired with simple mindfulness prompts. Teachers can easily incorporate the program during morning announcements or as a classroom routine to support self-awareness, emotional regulation, and music appreciation.
A limited number of free subscriptions are available to Columbus City Schools on a first-come, first-served basis.
online Resources
Explore the magical world of music with us! Designed just for kids, this fun and interactive site lets you meet famous composers, discover all the instruments in the orchestra, and learn what to expect at a real live symphony concert. Play games, test your music knowledge, and dive into exciting activities that bring the power of music to life. Whether you’re just getting started or already love orchestra music, there’s something here for everyone. Let the adventure begin!
Have a question or want to learn more? Contact: education@columbussymphony.com