Letter from the Executive Director

Welcome, and thank you for joining us for Fretless Freestyles, a celebration of our musicians’ stories through improvisation. This show is all about creativity, energy, and celebrating the voices of young artists who are changing the game.

At the Columbus Cultural Orchestra, our mission is rooted in promoting Diversity in Music Education and creating space for young musicians to explore, innovate, and express their story through sound. Tonight’s performance is a bold example of that mission in action.

You’ll hear everything from fresh student compositions crafted in GarageBand and brought to life with live improv to powerful orchestral arrangements of music by Black legends like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and Kendrick Lamar. This genre-defying evening is as much about honoring the past as it is about empowering the next generation of artists to shape the future.

As we gather in celebration of Juneteenth, Fretless Freestyles, this performance is our way of honoring the legacy of Black music and turning up the volume on what’s next.

I am so proud of the students, mentors, and musicians who have poured their creativity into this moment. We’re glad you’re here to experience it with us.

With gratitude,

Megan Wetzel

Executive Director, Columbus Cultural Orchestra

The Orchestra:

Violin I

Megan Wetzel

Anaisha Sarda

Robyn Jackson

Chris Shaw

Stephen Spottswood

Violin II

Kevin Hagans

Claudia Bowles

Amiyah Mattox

Violin III

Alice Mitro

Khali Garrett

Ani Dorohoff

Viola

Norman Cardwell

Nic Lacy

Myken Thomas

Rhea Kalvala

Cello

Elias Golla

Savannah Freeman

Duduca Taborda

Bass

Donovan Egelhoff

Megan Pantchev

DJ

Ashton Hood

Dancers

Nia Gayle

Nikki Schmidhammer

Wanna Join the Classical Crossover Crew? 🎶

We’re not your average orchestra. At the Columbus Cultural Orchestra (CCO), we teach strings with a hip hop heartbeat, blending classical training with the music students actually love, like R&B, jazz, hip hop, and original tracks they help create.

This is music education remixed:

✅ Learn violin, viola, cello, or bass from top-tier instructors

✅ Build skills in improv, composition, and GarageBand production

✅ Perform music by Black composers and legendary artists

✅ Get paid for rehearsals, concerts, and gigs

✅ Be part of a team where every voice matters

Debut Strings is for beginners and intermediate beginners.

Columbus Cultural Orchestra is for intermediate and advanced players.

Whether your child dreams of performing, composing, or just wants a creative outlet, they’ll gain confidence, discipline, and community that lasts a lifetime.

JOIN

The Program

Four Women

Nina Simone/Arr. Mark Lomax, III

Stand By Me

Ben E. King

As

Stevie Wonder/Arr. Stephen Spottswood

Rock With You

Michael Jackson/Arr. Stephen Spottswood

Killing Me Softly

Lauryn Hill/Arr. Stephen Spottswood

Luther

Kendrick Lamar/Arr. Stephen Spottswood

Heaven Knows

Stephen Spottswood

Drippy

Stephen Spottswood

Beathoven

Stephen Spottswood

Intermission - 15 min

The Remix Project

Student Composition 1

Student Composition 2

Student Composition 3

Student Composition 4

Student Composition

Special Thank You

Brian Kozicki - Lights and Sound

Ray Bruster - Videography

David Turner - Photographer

John Host - GarageBand Workshop

Kevin Hagens - Looper Pedal Workshop

Stephen Spottswood - Improv Workshop

Shaudretta Boykins - Financial Literacy Workshop

Audience Evaluation

🎤 We wanna hear from YOU! Tell us what hit right or what we could level up.

Filling out our audience evaluation form helps us keep the shows fresh, turn up the quality, and most importantly, secure those grants so we can keep bringing this fire to the stage.

🎯 Your feedback = better concerts + more opportunities for our musicians.

Thank you for being part of the Classical Crossover Crew. 💛🖤

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