Public working rehearsal with conductor Rossen Milanov and the Columbus Symphony, with Mahler's Fifth Symphony and Hovhaness's 'Mysterious Mountain'.
Rossen Milanov leads the Columbus Symphony through a working rehearsal at the Ohio Theatre on Friday, March 19, 2027. It's part of the Friday Coffee Dress series, which lets the public sit in as the musicians and conductor put the finishing touches on the program for the weekend's concert. The rehearsal runs from 10 AM to 12:30 PM, with doors opening at 9 AM.
The morning is split between two symphonies. The first half is by Hovhaness, a prolific 20th-century American composer. The second half is Mahler's Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp Minor, a monumental work that opens with an iconic trumpet solo leading a funeral march and ends in lively, celebratory D major. In between, there's a Scherzo of Austrian dances and horn solos, and the touching Adagietto for strings and harp—cited as Mahler's most famous composition and a musical love letter to his wife, Alma.
Because it's a rehearsal, you're seeing the process rather than a polished performance. You'll hear the orchestra work through the music with Milanov at the podium, polishing the details before the full concert. It's a different way to experience a symphony—less about the final product and more about how it gets there.
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Tickets include free coffee and donuts while supplies last. New this year, you can also buy a mimosa or Bloody Mary from the Ohio Theatre bar. The rehearsal is at the Ohio Theatre, 39 E State Street, Columbus, 43215, from 10 AM to 12:30 PM on Friday, March 19, with doors opening at 9 AM.
