July 18, 2026
Featured Event
News
A beloved summer tradition returns with iconic artists and unforgettable performances. Tickets on sale now!
🎼 ✍️ Let`s talk about our 26/27 Cardinal Health Masterworks composers. Check our season with the link in our bio!
Get to know our very own Principal Violist, Karl Pedersen! Find out more about what makes our orchestra so special with the link in our bio!
Karl Pedersen joined the Columbus Symphony as Principal Viola at the start of the 2011-12 season. In the summer, Karl performs at the Chautauqua Institution in New York as a member of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra.
Born in Kansas City, MO, Karl received his Bachelor of Music at the University of Iowa under Christine Rutledge. He completed his Master of Music at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University as a student of Victoria Chiang and former Philadelphia Orchestra violist, Stephen Wyrczynski.
He previously enjoyed the role of Sancho Panza in a performance of Strauss’ Don Quixote with the Columbus Symphony.
An avid chamber musician, Karl is a former member of the Meridian String Quartet, which held residencies from 2008-2011 at the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, CO. Outside the United States, he has performed in France, Spain, and the Dominican Republic, and he has appeared on stage preceding speeches by Colin Powell and Oprah.
In 2005 and 2006, Karl was awarded the Peabody Career Development Grant. His chamber music performances can be heard on Performance Today on public radio. He is currently on faculty at Ohio Wesleyan University, and he has been a Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) Columbus Makes Art featured artist since 2015.
One iconic voice and one unforgettable night. Single ticket table seats are now on sale for LeAnne Rimes! Purchase with the link in our bio or head to picnicwiththepops.com
Join us for the Alan Parsons Live Project on July 25th at 8pm with THE Alan Parsons. Tickets with the link in our bio!
Table seat single tickets on sale now! Head to the link in our bio to purchase and get the perks we know you want.
☀️🎻 Looking to beat the heat? Join Assistant Conductor Elias Miller in Powell for a perfect summer evening as he leads the Columbus Symphony in a delightful and invigorating hour-long concert 🎵🎼 Tickets can be purchased with the link in our bio!
Contemporary composer Viet Cuong’s spirited Next Week’s Trees is “a meditation on the persistence of hope in an ever-fragile world” inspired by the words of poet Mary Oliver. Haydn’s Symphony No. 39 is known as “Tempesta di mare” due to its exhilarating turbulence reminiscent of a storm at sea. The program concludes with the warm and lush sounds of Dvořák’s perennially popular Serenade for Strings.
Don`t just take our word for it, look at what these real paying patrons thought of their Nationwide Picnic with the Pops experience! Tickets with the link in our bio!
🎂🎉 HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY BEE-THOVEN! Help celebrate with us at Symphony Surprise, a FREE family concert at the Columbus Commons. Learn more at the link in our bio!
Today we are celebrating the mascot who always makes us smile. You might`ve won 3rd place in Best of the Bus this year... but you are #1 in our hearts forever.
Did you know July 10th is also National Don`t Step on a Bee Day? How fitting.
Thank you to Honda for making these concerts free this summer.
#throwbackthursday to 1984 and this amazing poster we found! On August 5th, 1984, Christian Badea, the music director at the time, took the Columbus Symphony Orchestra to Lancaster to perform the 1812 overture with REAL cannons and fireworks!
🎼 🌰 From intern to employee... Welcome back Ava!
Ava Contenza is an arts administrator and marketing professional with experience in artistic planning, event production, and audience engagement. She recently joined the Columbus Symphony Orchestra as Artistic Coordinator, supporting artistic programming and artist hospitality initiatives.
Ava earned her Bachelor of Arts in Arts Management from The Ohio State University with minors in Music, Media and Enterprise, and Media and Society. Her previous work includes roles with PromoWest Productions, the New Albany Symphony, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Columbus Crew, and the Columbus Symphony`s marketing and events team. She is passionate about creating meaningful arts experiences that connect artists and audiences.
‼️Tickets are now on sale with the link in our bio for the Columbus Symphony’s 75th Anniversary Concert at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. The Symphony will perform on the Perelman Stage inside the Stern Auditorium at the iconic venue at 8PM on Wednesday, October 28. Find details at the Columbus Symphony’s website with the link in our bio, and additional details and ticketing information at Carnegie Hall’s website.
July 7th is National Day of Rock N` Roll! Read about how it has shaped the Columbus Symphony!
Meet Principal Bass, Rudy Albach! Rudy has performed internationally on stages in Germany, Denmark, and China. Rudy earned his Master’s Degree in music performance from Rice University and his Bachelor’s from the Peabody Institute. His primary teachers include Paul Ellison, Paul Johnson, and Linda McKnight. A native of New Jersey, Rudy was born into a very musical family with both of his parents being professional musicians in New York City.
To learn more about Who We Are head to the link in our bio!
The votes are in and.... We`re winners! Thank you so much Columbus!
1st Place in Best Summer Concert Series - Nationwide Picnic with the Pops
2nd Place in Best Act in Town - Columbus Symphony
3rd Place in Best Hometown Mascot - Bee-thoven
Oh... That`s what a snare drum sounds like? Right... #columbussymphony #cso75
Link in bio for tickets to our last couple of our Nationwide Picnic with the Pops!
News
Celebrating 75 Years of World-Class Artistry, Meaningful Collaboration, and a Commitment to Community.
Subscriptions on sale now.
Single tickets on sale May 4th.
News
The Columbus Symphony is excited to announce the appointment of Maureen O’Brien as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective July 15, 2025. With a distinguished career in arts leadership and a deep commitment to community engagement, O’Brien will lead the organization into its next chapter of artistic excellence and innovation and bring to fruition the vision of a future home for the orchestra.
