Pages Navigation Menu

Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre

Welcome to the historic Ariel Opera House

Photo showing the historic 3 story brick building, The Ariel Opera House

Welcome to the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre, the historic Ariel Opera House, permanent home of The Ohio Valley Symphony, in the heart of Gallipolis, Ohio. Explore our website for upcoming performances and events, lessons, directions, and history! Be sure to contact the Ariel Opera House Box Office at 740-446-ARTS (2787) if you have any questions or if we may help you in planning your next visit to Gallipolis.

(COVID-19 Statement)

Read More

2023-24 SEASON SUBSCRIPTION! The Ohio Valley Symphony

2023-24 Season Poster showing soloists and conductorsNew subscribers click the purple button to purchase your season subscription.
Existing subscribers who wish to keep their current seats call the Box Office to order!

The Ohio Valley Symphony enters its 34th Season with a delightful and diverse selection of concerts sure to please all music lovers.  The season will see five exciting maestros conducting and feature world class soloists.

We kick things off Around the Campfire with the American Pops Orchestra founder and conductor Luke Frazier. On April 15th Luke is joined by vocalist Hilary Morrow, pianist Jacqueline Schwab and guitarist Garrett Gleason and providing The Ohio Valley Symphony with several world premiere selections as well as the music of Copland, Mussorgsky, and MacDowell.

Maestro Carl Topilow was such a hit when he appeared with The Ohio Valley Symphony a couple years ago that he is back by popular demand in a Salute to Our Veterans on November 4th.  Local singer/songwriter Shana Smith will join for a few songs.  The only question – which color clarinet will Carl choose to play?

Click the “Read More” to view & download the new season brochure!

Read More

AROUND THE CAMPFIRE, The Ohio Valley Symphony

230916-OVS-Campfire-PosterSeptember 16, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
PURCHASE TICKETS NOW

The Ariel heats up Around the Campfire with the American Pops Orchestra founder and conductor Luke Frazier.  On September 16 Luke is joined by vocalist Hilary Morrow, pianist Jacqueline Schwab and guitarist Garrett Gleason and providing The Ohio Valley Symphony with several world premiere selections as well as music of Copland, Mussorgsky and MacDowell.

Luke Frazier, conductor
Luke Frazier believes that the future of orchestral music is breaking down barriers between orchestras and audiences. Ohio Valley Bank logoThe most important priority for a modern conductor is not only musical excellence, but also creating diverse and engaging programming that brings communities together through the joy of music. Conductors are a bridge between audiences and orchestras and the responsibility that comes with that is something Luke takes to heart every day.

Read More

SALUTE TO OUR VETERANS, The Ohio Valley Symphony

231104 Concert Poster featuring Carl Topilow and Shana SmithNovember 4, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
PURCHASE TICKETS NOW
Veterans & Active Duty get 10% off! Select ‘veteran’ when choosing seats online.

Carl Topilow was such a hit when he appeared with The Ohio Valley Symphony a couple years ago that he is back by popular demand in a Salute to Our Veterans.  Local singer/songwriter Shana Smith will join for a few songs.  The only question – which color clarinet will Carl choose to play?

Carl Topilow, conductor
Carl Topilow is delighted to be returning to work again with the Ohio Valley Symphony!  Founding conductor of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, his eclectic programs have been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike. He enjoys a dual career as both conductor and clarinetist, often finding an occasion to perform a selection with the Pops on one of his brightly colored clarinets.

Read More

THE CHRISTMAS SHOW! The Ohio Valley Symphony

231202 OVS Christmas PosterDecember 2, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
PURCHASE TICKETS NOW

Maestro Steven Huang has planned another grand and memorable Christmas Show program the entire family will enjoy, featuring many songs of the season. Get your tickets early as we always sell out! Who will be the next Maestro for a Moment? Join the fun and become a candidate!

Steven Huang, conductor
Maestro Steven Huang is thrilled to return to Southeastern Ohio to the podium of The Ohio Valley Symphony, a Christmas tradition since 2018.

Mr. Huang has conducted orchestras and operas across the country and around the world. At the age of twenty-one Mr. Huang served as Music Director of the Bach Society Orchestra of Harvard University, where he received his undergraduate degree. While at Harvard, Mr. Huang also directed the Lowell House Opera (the oldest continuously running opera company in New England). Holzer logoRecently, he successfully concluded a sixteen-year appointment as Associate Professor and Director of Orchestras at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where he brought the program to new achievements, including earning competitive accolades and awards, through over 200 performances that included symphonic concerts, opera, musical theater, and Halloween pops.

Read More

THE ENIGMATIC ELGAR! The Ohio Valley Symphony

240316 OVS Elgar PosterMarch 16, 2024
at 7:30 p.m.
PURCHASE TICKETS NOW

British composer Edward Elgar’s music will be featured when the Cincinnati Symphony’s principal cellist Ilya Finkelshteyn joins Maestro François López-Ferrer and the OVS for the Cello Concerto, Op. 36. Paired with that is Elgar’s Enigma Variations which continues to capture music lovers attention with its haunting melodies and wistful musical descriptions of his friends for each of the 14 movements.

François López-Ferrer, conductor
Spanish-American conductor François López-Ferrer currently serves as Resident Conductor of the Académie of the Opéra de Paris. Former Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and May Festival, and a 2021-22’ Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, López-Ferrer stepped in for Louis Langrée with the CSO in January of 2022 for the US premiere of Mark Simpson’s Violin Concerto with Nicola Benedetti to great critical acclaim.

Read More

BRAHMS AND BEYOND! The Ohio Valley Symphony

240427 OVS Brahms PosterApril 27, 2024
at 7:30 p.m.
PURCHASE TICKETS NOW

West Virginia native and Cincinnati Symphony violinist Charles Morey will perform the Suite for Violin and Orchestra by African-American composer William Grant Still.  The OVS will play Brahms Symphony No. 2, Op. 73 under the direction of Maestro Scott E. Woodard.  What could be better!

Dr. Scott E. Woodard, conductor
Maestro Dr. Scott E. Woodard was born in Huntington, WV and is proud to be a life-long West Virginian. He is the Music Director of the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra in Hamilton, Ohio, the Founding Music Director of the West Virginia State Philharmonic Orchestra of Charleston, WV, the Principal Guest Conductor of the Rimini Chamber Orchestra in Rimini, Italy, and the former Cover Conductor of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. His primary teachers were Dr. Leonid Korchmar of the St. Petersburg State Conservatory of Music and the Mariinsky Theatre and Dr. Oleg Proskuryna. Scott is the recipient of First Prizes at the International Conductor’s Workshop Competition (Macon, GA) and the International Academy of Advanced Conducting (St. Petersburg, Russian Federation).

Read More

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.

Read More

Moxie Events presents THE FOUR C NOTES, Tribute to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons

230729 The Four C NotesJuly 29, 2023
Evening
at 7:30 p.m.
Purchase Tickets Now

Moxie Events presents and brings THE FOUR C NOTES to the Ariel Opera House stage on July 29th!

The Four C Notes are the Nation’s premiere tribute act dedicated to recreating the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons!  Created by John Michael Coppola, best known for his appearance in Chicago’s long-running production of the Broadway smash hit Jersey Boys, this show delivers all your favorites including Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like A Man, Workin’ My Way Back to You (Babe), Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You, Let’s Hang On, and many, many more! Moxie Events Logo

With their vintage dance moves and high-energy performance, you’ll sing and dance the night away!

Premium seats are available for Rows A-F and Row AA and BB in the balcony. Group of 10 or more tickets get 10% off!

Door open 7:00 p.m. Concert starts at 7:30. This is a Moxie Events Production.

Read More

Moxie Events presents A TRIBUTE TO MOTOWN

JUNE 17, 2023
Evening
at 7:30 p.m.
Purchase Tickets Now

Tickets for the originally scheduled March 25th 7:30 p.m. concert will be honored at this rescheduled 7:30 p.m. show!

Moxie Events presents and brings to the stage A TRIBUTE TO MOTOWN!

This high energy homage to the legends  of Motown will transport you back in time as you visit the very best of “Hitsville, USA!” The show features a cast of 15 power-house vocalists who embody everyone from Diana Ross & The Supremes to Marvin Gay & The Jackson Five! The show has received rave reviews and sold out theaters throughout its highly acclaimed tour.A highlight of the show includes an extensive set of all your favorite “Temptations” choreography and songs.Moxie Events Logo

Accompanied by a six-piece band with horns, their songbook delivers all of your favorite hits like, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough to Midnight Train to Georgia.” Creative Director Ms. Martha Brogden, whose credits include the national tour of Dreamgirls and the highly acclaimed Legends of Jazz, describes the show as “simply dynamic and loaded with talent.”

“This music has transcended generations and will continue to do so. There is something magical about Motown and we’re happy to bring it to The Ariel Opera House,” said Jennifer Saul Campbell of Moxie Events, the shows production company. 

Premium seats are available for Rows A-F and Row AA and BB in the balcony. Group of 10 or more tickets get 10% off!

Door open 7:00 p.m. Concert starts at 7:30. This is a Moxie Events Production.

Read More

THE FLEETWOOD MAC EXPERIENCE!

Fleetwood Mac Experience PosterMAY 13, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
Purchase Tickets Now

Join the historic Ariel Theatre in welcoming Moxi Events presentation of America’s #1 Fleetwood Mac Tribute Band The FMX Experience.

The FMX Experience will recreate the legendary look and sound of the one and only Fleetwood Mac.

The evening will feature all of their beloved hits! You’ll hear Dreams, Go Your Own Way, Landslide, Silver Springs, Don’t Stop, Everywhere, Rhiannon, You Make Love Fun, and many more!!

Premium seats are Rows A-F and Row AA and BB in the balcony.
Group of 10 or more 10% discount available!

Doors open at 7:00 p.m.

Read More

The Roarin’ Twenties! The Ohio Valley Symphony

230520 OVS Roaring PosterMAY 20, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
Purchase Tickets Now

100 years ago a new age was dawning, the skirts were shorter, the money flowed freely and the the Roarin’ Twenties brought in a whole new style of American music. Be at the Ariel Opera House on May 20th to celebrate an entire concert of brand new arrangements of Roarin’ Twenties music by Cincinnati Pops Principal Arranger Tim Berens featuring vocalist Mandy Gaines and pianist Michael Chertock.Ohio Arts Council Logo

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 as well as a CD. Be a part of this special occasion and purchase your tickets today!

This concert is presented in part by support from The Ohio Arts Council and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Read More

VETERANS MEMORIAL TRIBUTE The Wheeling Jamboree

230527-Jamboree-Poster-Rev-DMay 27, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
Purchase Tickets Now

Join the historic Ariel Opera House in welcoming the Wheeling Jamboree featuring Billy Payne and Shana Smith!

The members of the Wheeling Jamboree USA staff band are not only veterans of the legendary show but are known for backing and performing with the icons of country music! The Jamboree band is recognized as top-shelf musicians by those inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.

Originating in 1933, The Wheeling Jamboree is “The Country Music Show with Tradition Like None Other!”Hampton Inn & Super 8 Logos

Billy Payne, a native West Virginian, played for many years with the Waylon Jennings Band and has shared the stage with many Country music legends. Performing throughout the U.S. and Europe, he has enjoyed gaining fans along the way with his traditional style of music and is a member of the Wheeling Jamboree. He has scored 2-top ten independent country songs and one on the Top 30.

Shana Smith, a country singer/songwriter, has called southern Ohio her home for the better part of a decade. Recording and performing in Nashville with some of the best musicians and artists. She was inducted as an artist member of the Wheeling Jamboree in 2014 and a member of the Country Music Association. Shana has released several independent albums and continues to write and perform.

Read More

THE JOHN GEE BLACK HISTORICAL CENTER’s 25th Anniversary Celebration

230640 John Gee Historical Center PosterJune 10, 2023
at 4:00 p.m.
FREE EVENT

The John Gee Black Historical Center’s 25th Anniversary Celebration
A milestone celebration of the 25 years of the John Gee Black Historical Center – Southeastern Ohio’s first and only African-American museum. This event is an open invitation to learn, engage, and take an active part in expanding the future of the John Gee Black Historical Center through diversity education and community partnerships.
Doors open at 3:00pm, program starts at 4:00pm 

 

Read More

Appalachian Spring, The Ohio Valley Symphony

230415 OVS PosterAPRIL 15, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
Purchase Tickets Now
Aaron Copland’s immortal Appalachian Spring is the perfect musical description of April and we are happy to have Maestro Scott Woodard to conduct this monumental concert piece that was lost when a previous season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Commissioned by the indomitable Martha Graham and her dancers for a ballet by the same name, Appalachian Spring (originally titled Ballet for Martha). The Shaker hymn Simple Gifts is quoted extensively in this piece. The ballet premiered in 1944 for an ensemble of only 13 instruments, Copland later extracted music to form the Suite then expanded the orchestration to the version most of us know it by today.
In keeping with the spring theme, other music included on the program is Johann Strauss, Jr.’s Fruhlingsstimmen (Voices of Spring) and waltz lovers will not be disappointed in all the beautiful and romantic melodies in this exquisite piece. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Overture pays homage to the season as does living composer Daniel Perttu’s To Spring.

Ohio Valley Bank logo

Read More

April Foolishness, The Ohio Valley Symphony

230401 OVS Fools PosterAPRIL 1, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
Purchase Tickets Now

We all need a bit of levity in our lives and April 1st is the perfect time for it.  Maestro Peter Stafford Wilson will lead the OVS in an evening of whimsy and farce.  Canon Brent Sturm will join him with tongue planted firmly in cheek narrating The Young Lutheran’s Guide to the Orchestra.  This demos each instrument of the orchestra and the narrator lets us know why a good Lutheran would not want to play it! Also on the program is Vaughan Williams Aristophanic Suite (remember Aristophanes is the father of comedy), William Walton’s Facade Suite No. 1 and Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kije Suite (music written for one of the earliest sound movies about a fictitious soldier).

Read More

A TRIBUTE TO MOTOWN! 2 Shows!

230325 MOTOWN POSTER - postponedMARCH 25, 2023 POSTPONED!
7:30 p.m. evening
Purchase Tickets Now

DUE TO A MAJOR POWER OUTAGE IN THE GALLIPOLIS REGION, THE EVENING PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN POSTPONED.  Your tickets will be honored at the rescheduled performance, so please hold onto them! If you have questions, Patrons who purchased tickets online may contact Etix via your ticket purchase confirmation email. Patrons who purchased tickets at the Box Office, please call and leave a message at 740-446-2787.

We will contact you with a new date when it is announced!

This high energy homage to the legends  of Motown will transport you back in time as you visit the very best of “Hitsville, USA!” The show features a cast of 15 power-house vocalists who embody everyone from Diana Ross & The Supremes to Marvin Gay & The Jackson Five! The show has received rave reviews and sold out theaters throughout its highly acclaimed tour.A highlight of the show includes an extensive set of all your favorite “Temptations” choreography and songs.

Accompanied by a six-piece band with horns, their songbook delivers all of your favorite hits like, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough to Midnight Train to Georgia.” Creative Director Ms. Martha Brogden, whose credits include the national tour of Dreamgirls and the highly acclaimed Legends of Jazz, describes the show as “simply dynamic and loaded with talent.”

“This music has transcended generations and will continue to do so. There is something magical about Motown and we’re happy to bring it to The Ariel Opera House,” said Jennifer Saul Campbell of Moxie Events, the shows production company. 

Premium Seating tickets are available for Rows A-E and Row AA and BB in the balcony. Groups of 10+ discount of 10%!

Doors open at 1:30 p.m.

Read More

Ariel Opera House COVID-19 Statement

Tickets can be purchased online or call the box office at 740-446-ARTS (2787) and leave a message and we will contact you. Box office will be open 1 hour before performance.

PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE NOW!

Your safety and the safety of others is a top concern for us, so please stay home if you feel sick. Masks are encouraged at all times when not actively eating or drinking for both staff and audience members. Please practice social distancing while entering the venue.

In these times of uncertainty, concert dates may be subject to change. Please watch for latest news here on the website.

Read More

Oboes on the Ohio, The Ohio Valley Symphony

221105-OVS-Oboes-Poster-November 5, 2022
at 7:30 p.m.
Purchase Tickets Now

This opening concert will be held at Wedge Auditorium at Pt. Pleasant Jr./Sr. High School, 280 Scenic Dr., Point Pleasant, WV.

On November 5th the dulcet sounds of the Cincinnati Symphony’s principal oboist, Dwight Parry will be heard on a North American premiere of Carl Vine’s Oboe Concerto with Cincinnati Symphony’s Associate Conductor, François López-Ferrer, on the podium.  The concert also features music by Ravel, Debussy and Poulenc.

Read More

2022-23 Season Subscription! The Ohio Valley Symphony

2022-23-Poster-SeasonNew Subscribers Buy Here Now!

New subscribers click the purple button to purchase your season subscription or call the Box Office at 740-446-ARTS (2787).  Existing subscribers who wish to keep their current seats call the Box Office to order!

Welcome our 33rd season and one of the most diverse ever planned!

We kick things off with a change in venue. Our first concert will be held at Wedge Auditorium at the Point Pleasant Jr./Sr. High School, 280 Scenic Dr., Pt. Pleasant, WV on November 5th, with the dulcet sounds of Oboes on the Ohio.

Read More