Celebration 2026: Comfort and Joy — Public Concert

The Ohio State University School of Music brings Celebration 2026: Comfort and Joy to Mershon Auditorium on Friday, December 4, from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM. It's a public concert that puts the school's students and faculty on display, and the format is a bit different from your standard recital: they've built the evening as a fast-paced, collage-style performance that moves through a spectrum of sounds, moods, and styles.

That collage is the point of the night. Instead of one ensemble taking the stage for a full set, the program cycles through bands, choirs, jazz, orchestral and chamber ensembles, and soloists. It's a wide range of music in one sitting, and they've worked in a good helping of holiday tunes to fit the December date. The whole thing runs about 90 minutes with no intermission, so it's a single stretch of music rather than a long night with a break in the middle.

It's one of several ways the School of Music opens its doors to the public. They also program youth concerts at Mershon for school groups in grades 4 through 12, which usually sell out, and they welcome high school jazz combos and big bands of all ability levels to High School Jazz Band Day as part of the Annual Ohio State Jazz Festival held in the spring semester. This public concert is the one geared toward a general audience.

Tickets are $21 for the general public. There's a reduced price of $11 for adults 55 and over, youth 18 and under, Ohio State college students, and Alumni Association members—and that lower price applies when you buy in person at the Wexner Center for the Arts Visitor Desk, where there are no service fees. The show runs from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM at Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St., in Columbus.