The Columbus Symphony Orchestra is pleased to present Prokofiev’s Masterpiece on Saturday, April 22, 2017. Prokofiev’s all-encompassing Fifth Symphony may well be the best symphony written in the 20^th century. Paired with Khachaturian’s electric violin concerto and Mussorgsky’s powerful tone poem, this performance brings the season to a stunning conclusion.

At 6:00 PM prior to the evening’s concert, we will be honoring Maestro George Del Gobbo with a champagne and dessert reception as we celebrate his 30^th Anniversary serving the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and the surrounding community. Del Gobbo began his musical education on the violin at age 12. An interest in conducting soon followed and he pursued both disciplines throughout his training at the Eastman School of Music and the Catholic University of America. The most profound influence on his musical thinking came during the time he spent as a student of Maestro Franco Ferrara at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Prior to his tenure in Columbus, Del Gobbo served as the Associate Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Conductor of the Fort Worth Ballet, Director of Orchestral Studies at Texan Christian University, and Music Director and Conductor of the Youth Orchestra of Greater Fort Worth. In addition has appeared as guest conductor with orchestras around the country and in South America including the Orquesta Classica de Santiago and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Concepcion both in Chile.

Attend “Know the Score” at 6:30 PM in the Studio Theatre, a casual pre-concert conversation with Music Director and Conductor George Del Gobbo sure to provide more insight into the repertoire on the evening’s concert.

Del Gobbo commented, “No composer in history could make an orchestra sound as amazing as Richard Strauss could. His tone poems (mostly written when he was a very young man) are legendary for their brilliant orchestrations. "Death and Transfiguration" is one of the best of them. Works by Debussy and Elgar round out a program that offers the CSO's wonderful musicians the chance to shine. It's acoustic. It's live music. It's fantastic.”

This 7:30 PM concert features Mayuko Kamio on the electric violin. Japanese violinist Mayuko Kamio, the gold medalist of the 2007 International Tchaikovsky Competition, is widely praised for her luxurious silken tone, long expressive phrasing and virtuoso techniques. The New York Times has called Ms. Kamio an "exciting young musician" and "a radiant talent." Ms. Kamio made her concerto debut in Tokyo at the age of ten under the baton of Charles Dutoit, in a concert broadcast on NHK television. Since then, she has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops conducted by Keith Lockhart, the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich with Mstislav Rostropovich, and the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. 

“Prokofiev’s Masterpiece” is presented by Aflac, 103.7 Litefm, Boomer 102.5, Marriott Columbus, and WLTZ.

Tickets are $5 to $38 and may be purchased at the RiverCenter Box Office, Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 5:30 PM or one hour prior to the performance (enter doors located on Broadway). Student tickets are available for $10. Tickets for children under 12 years of age are $5. For more information call the RiverCenter Box Office at 706.256.3612 or visit us online at www.csoga.org.

Final Dress Rehearsal - for this concert is on Saturday March 18^th beginning at 12:30 PM. We encourage attendance from all members of the community including those who are unable to attend the evening concert or looking for a “behind-the-scenes” look into the ensemble. It is also a great way to introduce your children to a live musical experience. Continuing the tradition, this informal and all-inclusive atmosphere is breaking the financial barrier by encouraging attendees to “pay what you want.” Audience members set their own prices to eliminate hesitation and allow new viewers to partake in the music being created by the CSO. For more information visit csoga.org or call (706) 256-3645.