The Central Ohio Symphony is launching its 43rd season this fall, ready to reconnect with its audience and the greater Delaware Community.
“We are excited to announce five concerts for our subscription season this year,” said Executive Director Warren W. Hyer, noting that adding a fifth concert has been a long-range goal of the Symphony board, Music Director Jaime Morales-Matos and himself. “We have programming from our 2019-2020 season that we are completing this season. One notable event is a world premiere, with narration and film, on black holes! We will launch our “Play It Again” series during the season, a National Endowment for the Arts and Ohio Arts Council funded project to give composers a chance for a second or third performance of their composition after its debut. And while we are including standard orchestral repertoire, including Mozart and Brahms, we are also presenting works that reflect the full spectrum of the richness and diversity of orchestral music today.
“Our musicians last played an indoor concert before a live audience on March 1, 2020. We cannot wait to reengage with enthusiasm with our audience. Our musicians and Music Director Jaime Morales-Matos are eager and excited to be back this fall. Our outdoor 4th of July concert this summer showed us that our audience feels very much the same way.”
Hyer also spoke about the challenges of presenting live music when there are public health concerns to take into consideration.
“We know there will be variables in the public health setting throughout the season. Our debut concert is being presented twice to allow for more spacing. Our concerts in 2022 are later in the year to give health conditions a chance to improve. Our concerts will likely be shorter than in the past. We are striving to be very flexible to give everybody the very best experience possible.”
As part of that flexibility, the Symphony is planning to record concerts for later viewing by patrons and working on live streaming of the concerts.
The 43rd season will present the following:
• Debut Concert, Saturday, Nov. 6, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.: To Boldly Go…presented by PNC Arts Alive: Symphony 41, Jupiter by W. A. Mozart; Into the Void (World Premiere) by Jacob Reed, with narration by Paul Sutter.
• Holiday Concert, Sunday, Dec. 12, at 2 & 4:30 p.m.: two identical concerts of seasonal music.
• Sunday, March 13, 2022, at 3 p.m.: Motordom by Jennifer Jolley (debut of the “Play It Again” project); La Traviata by Guiseppe Verdi, concert presentation with Keyona Willis, soprano, Brandon Scott Russell, tenor, Michael Young, baritone, and the Delaware Community Chorus.
• Saturday, April 30, 2022, at 7:30 p.m.: Tragic Overture by Johannes Brahms; Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra by Renee Michael Torres (part of the “Play It Again” project), with guest artist Nancy Gamso; Symphony No. 1 by J. Brahms.
• Saturday, May 21, 2022, 7:30 p.m.: Building CommUnity Presented by PNC Arts Alive: Trumpet Concerto by Arturo Marquez, with guest artist Pacho Flores, trumpet; Ellis Island: The Dream of America, by Peter Boyer, with actors, narrators, and videos.
All concerts take place in Gray Chapel auditorium on the Ohio Wesleyan campus in Delaware.
Subscribers may purchase season tickets online, by telephone, or just by walking in the door of the Symphony office at 24 E. Winter St. in downtown Delaware. The Symphony briefly holds seats for the prior year’s subscribers and then the staff fills new season ticket orders on a “first come, first served” basis. Because of public health conditions, seats for previous and first-time subscribers will be filled as close as possible to the patron’s request.
Individuals who hold tickets for the April 2020 concert of Ellis Island and the Marquez Trumpet Concerto will be able to attend the May concert, even if they no longer have their tickets.
“We know exactly who you are and look forward to your joining us,” said Hyer.
More information about ordering season tickets may be found on the Symphony website at www.centralohiosymphony.org, at the Symphony office at 24 E. Winter Street, or by calling the Symphony at 740-362-1799.
The Symphony is supported by the Ohio Arts Council, the City of Delaware, and through a partnership with Ohio Wesleyan University.
