A Letter from Maureen O’Brien, CEO of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra

Dear CSO Family,

I am so delighted to have joined the team in mid-July. I come to Columbus after 10 years at New World Symphony in Miami, an orchestral academy for young aspiring professional musicians that also serves as a research & design arm for the field of classical music. I have also worked at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, as well as Midori & Friends and Orchestra of St. Luke’s in NYC. I am a musician by training, beginning with piano (my mom is a piano teacher), then flute, which I went on to study through college, and I have also been a choral singer for most of my life. I love to travel and am passionate about languages – I double-majored in French and Music and have been learning Spanish more recently.  I am also an avid social dancer of Argentine tango and “mom” to a 4-year-old rescue husky, Stark. My husband Carlos, is an emergency physician in pediatrics and will be joining Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the fall. 

In my first few weeks, I’ve enjoyed spending time getting to know Rossen, our wonderful musicians, staff, and board, and starting to meet community leaders. As our new season approaches, I am very much looking forward to meeting you, our valued audience members and supporters. There is so much to be excited about and to build upon as we continue to bring world-class music and music education to our community.  We want CSO to be a place where everyone feels welcome. Please feel invited to approach me at concerts and events or reach out to me through this open form to share your favorite memory with the CSO, your ideas, and any tips for me as I start to explore my new home.

Most importantly, I want to say thank you – thank you for choosing to spend time with us, experiencing the transformative power of live symphonic music, thank you for supporting us, and thank you for being our ambassadors with your friends and your networks.  Here’s to co-creating the next exciting chapter for our Columbus Symphony!

With gratitude,

Maureen