Welcome to the historic 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)

THE FLEETWOOD MAC EXPERIENCE!

MAY 13, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
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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.

The Roarin’ Twenties! The Ohio Valley Symphony

MAY 20, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
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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.

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.

VETERANS MEMORIAL TRIBUTE The Wheeling Jamboree

May 27, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
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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!”

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.

A TRIBUTE TO MOTOWN

JUNE 17, 2023
Evening at 7:30 p.m.
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Tickets for the originally scheduled March 25th 7:30 p.m. concert will be honored at this rescheduled 7:30 p.m. show!

Join the historic Ariel Theatre in welcoming Moxie Events presentation of 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.

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 1/2 hour before concert start time.

AROUND THE CAMPFIRE, The Ohio Valley Symphony

September 16, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
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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 David Sanders 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. The 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.

SALUTE TO OUR VETERANS, The Ohio Valley Symphony

November 4, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
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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.

THE CHRISTMAS SHOW! The Ohio Valley Symphony

December 2, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
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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). Recently, 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.

THE ENIGMATIC ELGAR! The Ohio Valley Symphony

March 16, 2024
at 7:30 p.m.
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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.

BRAHMS AND BEYOND! The Ohio Valley Symphony

April 27, 2024
at 7:30 p.m.
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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).

Appalachian Spring, The Ohio Valley Symphony

APRIL 15, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
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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.

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.

April Foolishness, The Ohio Valley Symphony

APRIL 1, 2023
at 7:30 p.m.
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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).

A TRIBUTE TO MOTOWN! 2 Shows!

MARCH 25, 2023 POSTPONED!
7:30 p.m. evening
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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.

Ariel Opera House COVID-19 Statement

Oboes on the Ohio, The Ohio Valley Symphony

November 5, 2022
at 7:30 p.m.
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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.

2022-23 Season Subscription! The Ohio Valley Symphony

New 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.

Lunch & Learn, Holiday Marketing for Increased Business

November 15, 2022
at 11:00 a.m.
Ariel Chamber Theatre
Free! Register Now!

Take advantage of the influx of visitors to the Gallipolis in Lights extravaganza in downtown Gallipolis throughout December!  Learn about special marketing initiatives that can help to market your visit as a destination stop throughout the holidays with presenter Presenter Randy Finney, former Gallipolis City Manager.

This presentation of Holiday Marketing for Increased Business in conjunction with the Gallia County Chamber of Commerce. A link will be provided to those who would like to attend the meeting virtually, just let us know when you register!

Presented by Women’s Business Center of Central Appalachia at Shawnee State University.

Click on the “Read More” to register today!

The Christmas Show! The Ohio Valley Symphony-2022

December 3, 2022
at 7:30 p.m.
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Is there any Christmas music more beloved than the Nutcracker? On December 3rd hear the suite in its entirety along with other holiday songs of the season such as Silver Bells, Feliz Navidad, Frosty the Snowman and more under the baton of Steven Huang on December 3rd. 

Join in the fun with our annual Maestro for a Moment competition

Steven Huang, conductor
Maestro Steven Huang is thrilled to return to Southeastern Ohio to the podium of The Ohio Valley Symphony.  He has conducted orchestras and operas across the country and throughout the world.

Maestro for a Moment FUN-draiser 2022-23

The Ohio Valley Symphony’s annual Maestro for a Moment Fundraiser is one of the highlights of the season for both audience and orchestra! Each season three candidates vie for the opportunity to conduct the orchestra during the The Christmas Show! on December 3rd, 2022, in a rousing rendition of Sleigh Ride! This year’s candidates are Kaiti Dovyak, from the OVS’s first string class and a founding member of the Ohio Valley Youth Orchestra; Robin Fowler, the State Farm Insurance Agent located just down the street on Second Avenue; and Marilyn Wills, the vocal and instrumental teacher with Gallipolis City Schools.

Make your tax-deductible donation now!
Click one – or all! – of the Paypal links above!