ProMusica celebrates Timothy Russell's "Grand Finale"

Dr. Seuss once said, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Such is the case this weekend as ProMusica Chamber Orchestra presents the Grande Finale of co-founder and Music Director Timothy Russell's tenure with ProMusica. The Bravo, Maestro! performance will take place at 5 pm Saturday and 7 pm Sunday at Southern Theatre. Russell will step into the role of conductor laureate, returning each year to conduct “founders’ dayâ€? concerts, the first of which will take place next season on January 26-27, 2014. When a pair of twenty-somethings met in the late 70s and decided Columbus needed a chamber orchestra, there were probably those who decided Russell and Richard Early were a little nuts.  Now, 34 seasons later, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra stays true to it's mission of moving music forward with a musical blend of past and present. This weekend is quintessentially ProMusica, as my good friend Timothy Russell conducts a Mozart overture and Beethoven's 7th Symphony, then welcomes young cellist Joshua Roman to the stage for two works.  Tchaikovsky's magnificent Rococo Variations...and a World Premiere, Dreamsongs for Solo Cello and Chamber Orchestra, which was written for the occasion by Aaron Jay Kernis, who will be in Columbus for the performance. This promises to be an exciting weekend of music making!  Central Ohio has been blessed with many 'firsts' because of Timothy Russell and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.  As Timothy and I have our final 'Coda' conversations following the performances, we shall revel in what has been, and look forward to many more conversations to come.