AMERICAN RHAPSODY: CALL TO FREEDOM. The Ohio Valley Symphony

April 25, 2026
at 7:30 p.m.
CLICK TO BUY TICKETS NOW!

People everywhere will be celebrating America’s 250th birthday in 2026 and the OVS has commissioned Tim Berens to write a special selection celebrating the life of Harriet Tubman for a performance on April 25. Tim’s poignant arrangement of Amazing Grace that was recently featured at the grand re-opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral will be sung on the Ariel stage by vocalist Mandy Gaines along with other selections as part of the nation’s festivities. Be a part of the creation of another live recording for later release on American Public Television.

Be the first to hear these brand new arrangements as the concert will be recorded live by a Grammy winning recording engineer as he and his team capture it all for public television and radio broadcast. Be a part of this special occasion and purchase your tickets today!

Tim Berens, conductor and arranger
Tim has walked a unique path. While studying classical guitar at CCM, an injury forced him to stop playing guitar. During the years-long recovery, he studied computer science, took a job writing software, and soon owned a small software development company, Back Office Applications. His software is used in grocery stores around the world to this day.

Maestro for a Moment FUN-draiser 2025

The Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Cultural & Performing Arts Centre and The Ohio Valley Symphony are 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, Federal Tax ID# 31-1273779

Congratulations to Cindy Sexton, Executive Director of French Art Colony, the 2025 Maestro for a Moment! The Maestro for a Moment Fundraiser is one of the highlights of The Ohio Valley Symphony’s season for both audience and orchestra! Each season’s three candidates vie for the opportunity to conduct the orchestra during the The Christmas Show in a rousing rendition of Sleigh Ride! Thank you to this year’s candidates are Gallia Co. Prosecutor Jason Holdren; Peoples Bank Branch Manager Chris Nida; and French Art Colony Executive Director Cindy Sexton for making this year’s fundraiser a success.

Click “Read More” to learn more about our candidates!

Heritage Ohio’s 2024 Historic Theatre of the Year Award

The Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre
Home of the Ohio Valley Symphony
Gallipolis

On Tuesday evening, October 15th, Heritage Ohio held their 2024 Annual Awards ceremony at the Midland Theatre in Newark, Ohio, as the opening of their annual conference. Over 100 nominations were received for 11 awards. The awards honor Ohio’s best projects, places and people who create lasting impacts through historic preservation and community revitalization.

This year’s award for the Historic Theatre of the Year Award was presented to the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre in Gallipolis.

The Historic Theatre of the Year Award is presented to the historic theatre, opera house or cinema which most embodies the spirit of historic preservation.

The Ariel Opera House, built in 1895 by the Ariel Oddfellows Lodge and designed by the state architects Packard and Yost, originally featured two street-level storefronts, a banquet hall and parlors on the second floor and a lodge room on the third floor. After changing hands several times, the Gallia Masonic Lodge acquired it in 1919, adding another storefront, a ballroom and expanded facilities in 1930. While the front portion of the building remained in use, the theatre portion closed in the mid-1960’s and fell into disrepair. Local professional musician, Lora Lynn Snow, attracted by the spectacular acoustics of the abandoned opera house, began efforts to restore it in 1987 for use by The Ohio Valley Symphony she wanted to form. With community support, the Ariel was restored preserving the original architecture such as golden oak woodwork and ornamental plaster while bringing it up to code. A Grand Re-Opening was held June 9, 1990.

In 2005, Mrs. Ann Carson Dater purchased the building and gave it to The Ohio Valley Symphony for their home in perpetuity. Subsequent work included installing energy efficient windows, a new elevator, upgraded HVAC, plaster repair and painting and a new marquee.

In 2014 the Box Office was restored recreating the original 1895 aesthetic at the street level. In 2016 with the help of the League of Historic American Theatres, the original carpet was recreated and installed. Now restored to her former glamour, the Ariel retains the nineteenth century look, but boasts state-of-the-art amenities such as Wi-Fi throughout and is ADA accessible. The Ariel is recognized as one of the top 10 restored theatres in Ohio.

Heritage Ohio Prompts economic growth through the preservation and revitalization of downtowns and neighborhoods across Ohio. Heritage Ohio is the designated statewide Ohio preservation partner with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Through saving the places that matter we can all build a community and live better. Learn more about how to get involved by visiting heritageohio.org.

Ohio Arts Council Governor’s Awards for the Arts Winner

ARTS ADMINISTRATION
Lora Snow, Executive Director
at the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre,
Home of the Ohio Valley Symphony
Gallipolis

Lora Lynn Snow is the founder and executive director of the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre in Gallipolis, home of the Ohio Valley Symphony. Lora, an oboist, was inspired in 1987 to form a professional orchestra in Gallia County and recognized the amazing acoustics in the long-neglected 1895 Ariel Opera House that had been abandoned for 25 years. Lora spearheaded the restoration and set about to organize the community toward the grand reopening of the historic Ariel in 1990 with a performance of the Ohio Valley Symphony. Mrs. Ann Carson Dater gifted the Ariel as a permanent home to the Ohio Valley Symphony (OVS) in 2005, which added an additional theatre, conference room, and banquet rooms. The OVS, now in its 30th season as the only professional orchestra in the Ohio River Valley, recently premiered Songs of Rural America on PBS nationwide with folk singer Michael Johnathon.

Having a holistic view of the arts, Lora also established a music education program, a double reed festival, a community theatre troupe, and OVS woodwind and dance programs at the Ariel. An active recitalist, clinician, and consultant with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance and education from the Ohio State University, Lora has taught at several universities and public schools covering kindergarten through graduate level inclusive. She is principal oboist for the Ohio Valley Symphony and OVS Woodwind Quintet, a member of the West Virginia Symphony, and a freelance musician.

A Video History of the Ariel Opera House

Watch the history of the Ariel Opera House unfold – from it’s opening on Christmas Day 1895 to the present.  Narrated by the founder and Executive Director Lora Lynn Snow.

Ariel Academy Online Music Lessons

The Ariel Academy is designed to help you find a teacher to guide you through your musical journeys. Whether you need to find a piano teacher for your first grader or are a professional taking orchestral auditions, a college student needing help with music theory or an aspiring composer needing guidance, you can set up one or more lessons with one of The Ohio Valley Symphony’s musicians.