Columbus Symphony Partners with Local Social Service Organizations and Schools to Launch  

COLUMBUS SYMPHONY CARES

Committed to deepening its service to the community, the Columbus Symphony (CSO) has launched Columbus Symphony Cares, a new initiative wherein the CSO supports the missions of central Ohio social service organizations and schools through the creation of partnerships that bring the transformative power of music to their clients, constituencies, students, and staffs.

“Columbus Symphony Cares is intended to strengthen the CSO’s connections to our entire community and ensure that our programming is serving and benefitting all, including the most vulnerable among us,” stated CSO Executive Director Denise Rehg. “We want to foster a strong sense of belonging in our participants, and share the joy, wonder, and healing power that is inherent to the musical experience.”

In the program’s inaugural season, the CSO has established Columbus Symphony Cares partnerships with:

After-School All-Stars Ohio

Cancer Support Community Central Ohio

Columbus City Schools

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)

Catholic Social Services

Directions for Youth and Families

Goodwill Columbus

KIPP Columbus

Our Lady of Guadeloupe Center

St. Stephen’s Community House

United Way of Central Ohio

Columbus Symphony Cares offers a broad range of programming that is personalized to meet the needs and mission of each partner organization. Examples include a Columbus Symphony Career Day, after-school programming, and an LGBTQ Career Day with Directions for Youth and Families; ensemble performances and programs for seniors from Catholic Social Services and St. Stephen’s Community House; a family fun day, instrument “petting zoos,” and bilingual ensemble performances with Our Lady of Guadeloupe Center; and tickets for partner organizations’ volunteers, clients, and staff to experience Columbus Symphony Masterworks concerts.

For the schools, Columbus Symphony Cares will support student attendance at the Columbus Symphony’s Young People’s Concerts, including tickets, study guides, and bus transportation. Target districts include Columbus City Schools and Whitehall City Schools, both of which serve a large number of students from low-income, underserved neighborhoods and populations. The CSO will also partner with KIPP Columbus to offer in-school programming and opportunities for students to participate in Young People’s Concerts.

"The American Electric Power Foundation is proud to support the Columbus Symphony in making its high-quality programming available to the people who work for and are served by area nonprofit organizations, as well as students in Columbus City Schools, " said AEP Foundation President Dale Heydlauff.

www.ColumbusSymphony.com

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The 2018-19 season is made possible in part by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. The CSO also appreciates the support of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, supporting the city's artists and arts organizations since 1973, and the Robert W. Stevenson, Preston Davis, and Kenneth L. Coe and Jack Barrow funds of The Columbus Foundation, assisting donors and others in strengthening our community for the benefit of all its citizens.

About the Columbus Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1951, the Columbus Symphony is the only full-time, professional symphony in central Ohio. Through an array of innovative artistic, educational, and community outreach programming, the Columbus Symphony is reaching an expanding, more diverse audience each year. This season, the Columbus Symphony will share classical music with more than 200,000 people in central Ohio through concerts, radio broadcasts, and special programming. For more information, visit www.columbussymphony.com.

Contact:           Rolanda Copley

                        614.719.6624

                        rcopley@capa.com