Classical Concert 1
Romeo and Juliet
October 18, 2008
7:30 PM, Jim Rouse Theatre

Darkness meets light in this magical program! Whether it’s a Bohemian overture that says life is a bustling carnival, an Argentinean composer probing weighty poems in Spanish, Yiddish, and by Emily Dickinson, or a 20th-Century Russian composer’s take on the 17th century’s most famous English play, this concert brings together many of the diverse voices that sing together to tell the human story: our overarching goal for this season.

Young People's Concert
Peter and the Wolf
Saturday, November 8, 2008
12:30 PM & 3:00 PM, Jim Rouse Theatre

One of our most popular events! Join our full orchestra for a dramatic presentation of this classic orchestral story plus other fun music designed to get kids excited about music and the orchestra. Don’t miss our musical instrument petting zoo where your child can actually try out many of the instruments from the concert!

Classical Concert 2
Sibelius’ First
Saturday, January 10, 2009
7:30 PM, Jim Rouse Theatre

Part meditation on America, the Beautiful, orchestras across the country co-commissioned this modern masterpiece from one of America’s most respected living composers. Then we feature soloists from your own Columbia Orchestra in one of Haydn’s most beautiful works. Finally, we travel to Finland in one of Sibelius’s most gripping, romantic works.

Symphonic Pops
Saturday, February 7, 2009
7:30 PM, Jim Rouse Theatre

Variety is the spice of Pops! Broadway’s greatest hits, music from films like Ben Hur, Rocky and Doctor Zhivago, the magic of Disney, or Spirituals featuring the McDaniel College Gospel Choir … Your only problem will be picking which great melody to whistle on the way home!

Classical Concert 3
Beethoven and Bernstein
Saturday, March 28, 2009
7:30 PM, Jim Rouse Theatre

Though Beethoven’s contemporaries criticized its lack of melody, Wagner acknowledged Beethoven’s Seventh as “the apotheosis of the dance.” Although Bernstein was warned his show didn’t have a single “hit” before its premiere, these dance numbers have become among Broadways’ most well-known tunes. As a highlight to every season we pair the great voices of the past with our youngest virtuosos, the winners of our Young Artist competition.

Classical Concert 4
From the Present to the Past
Saturday, June 6, 2009
7:30 PM, Jim Rouse Theatre

Two great composers explore what it means to be part of a musical tradition. Building on the enthusiasm for our performance of Tan Dun’s Paper Concerto, this mixed-media cello concerto bridges the ancient world with our technological era as Chinese folk musicians perform on video along with our live Western orchestra. And was Brahms the most traditional or progressive composer of his age? His last symphony says “yes” to both!