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.

View this post on Instagram

Our #FeaturedFriday doubles as a #FlashbackFriday today as we take a look at the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre in Gallipolis, Ohio. The first image in this video is from the opera house’s grand opening celebration in 1895, and the second is a photo taken in 2019 by #OHGovernorsAwards2020 #ArtsAdministration award winner Lora Lynn Snow. A professional oboist and Gallipolis resident, Lora was integral to the restoration of this architectural and artistic jewel in Southeast Ohio. . Under Lora’s leadership, the community came together to clear the pigeon manure and other debris that had collected in the Ariel during its 25 years of disuse. Inspired by the opera house’s marvelous acoustics, Lora envisioned the restored space as a top-class performance venue for internationally renowned musicians and ensembles, including the Ohio Valley Symphony (OVS), the only professional orchestra in the Ohio River valley. In 1990, the newly restored Ariel Opera House celebrated its grand opening with a performance by the Symphony, and it has since welcomed many guest conductors and artists to its stage, including folk singer Michael Johnathon, who recently performed “Songs of Rural America” with the OVS in a concert that was nationally broadcast on PBS. . As executive director of the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre, Lora has worked to engage audiences through a holistic view of the arts, establishing at the Ariel a music education program, a double reed festival, a community theatre troupe, OVS woodwind and dance programs, and more. She is principal oboist for the Ohio Valley Symphony and OVS Woodwind Quintet, a member of the West Virginia Symphony, and a freelance musician. . We’re thrilled to recognize Lora’s passionate dedication to leadership in the arts with this award! Come celebrate with us and learn more about Lora and all our winners at the 2020 Governor’s Awards luncheon on March 25. Get your tickets today via the link in our bio! . Photos courtesy of Lora Lynn Snow | #ArtsAdministration #OhioArtists #ArtsOhio #ArielOperaHouse #Gallipolis #OhioHistory #OperaHouse

A post shared by Ohio Arts Council (@ohioartscouncil) on Feb 28, 2020 at 11:07am PST

Paul Robert Simón, In Memoriam

Paul Robert Simón
President, Ariel Board of Directors

From Executive Director
Lora Lynn Snow

Paul Simón, President of the Ariel Board of Directors, passed away February 25, 2021. He transformed the board bringing in members with a wide variety of professional skills and he led us ever upward as we completed the restoration of our 1895 opera house. He will be greatly missed.

Paul was a renaissance man. He ran his farm but once owned an antique shop. He was head of the Mason County Emergency Team that stepped in to work at a moment’s notice, and he collected art. While working on the Main Street Committee he found out a community’s ranking could be elevated with certain amenities so he started an art gallery in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Through his many contacts he was able to get the Pitcairn family to loan art work to The Gallery at 409 – and while he was at it, he also found a soloist in the same family, violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn, for The Ohio Valley Symphony.

Paul worked with the Mason County Community Foundation that dispersed funds to worthy organizations and he was able to convince them to fund a string program facilitated by the OVS in the schools. He was a Rotarian and came to that via his father, Dr. Mel Simon, who ran a medical mission in the Philippines for over 30 years with Rotary support and with Paul’s help. Paul’s family home is a beautifully restored historic home, circa 1860.

Paul was a man of many interests, and he loved the Ariel and The Ohio Valley Symphony. He introduced numerous people to the symphony by inviting them to come and sit with him in what he liked to call “President’s Row.” Sometimes he would even escort them there in his limousine – a favorite story for him was how he traded a golf cart for that classic limo!

Paul loved people and he was always at concerts greeting people as they came in and spending time with them at concert receptions. He had a great gift for conversation and made it a point to get to know audience members and artists alike. Paul could easily speak with everyone from farmers to the governor and find common ground. If someone was in the hospital or in trouble and needing help, Paul was there to lend a shoulder and a hand.

These times of social distancing keeps us from those we care about, keeps us from gathering to mourn and to celebrate, keeps us from sharing the beauty of the music of The Ohio Valley Symphony. When we can safely return to the stage and once again elevate people to that place only music can take us, we will do a concert to honor Paul Simón and our journey together to make the Ariel Opera House what it is today.

A private family service was held on Monday, March 1st, 2021 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Point Pleasant, WV, followed by memorial service and interment at the Ohio Valley Memory Gardens in Gallipolis, OH. In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting the organizations that Paul was passionate about: the Ariel Ann-Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre in Gallipolis, OH, the Community Foundation of Mason County in Point Pleasant, WV and Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Point Pleasant, WV.

To donate to the Ariel and The Ohio Valley Symphony in memory of Paul, please click the Paypal link below.

From the Ariel Board of Directors…

(Paul’s online obituary can be found here.)

Ariel Opera House COVID-19 Statement

Following the order of the Governor of the State of Ohio, the Ariel Opera House is temporarily closed due to COVID-19.

Virtual music lessons will be available via the Ariel Academy.  Watch this page for updates!

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.

Gift Certificates Available!

An Ariel Opera House Gift Certificate is the perfect way to share the music – and at the same time give support to the arts in your community! Gift certificates can be for specific dollar values or even for “a year of lessons”!* Purchase a Season Subscription to The Ohio Valley Symphony’s upcoming 2020-2021 concert season – or just purchase a gift for an upcoming show!

Call the Box Office today at 740-446-ARTS!

*Purchase your certificate before December 15th to have it mailed to the recipient in time for Christmas or stop by and pick it up. Gift Certificates may be used for Ariel Opera House presented concerts, events, and merchandise. Gift Certificates may not be accepted for concert and events presented by others.