Symphony Spooktacular, Brian Evans, actor

Saturday, November 1, 2014 at 8:00 pm

Brian Evans teaches voice and speech, stage combat and acting in the School of Dance, Film and Theater. He is an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework and a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors. As an actor, he has worked at venues including Human Race Theatre, the Colorado, Illinois and Oxford Shakespeare Festivals, South Coast Repertory, Porthouse Theatre and CATCO. Television credits include Chapelle’s Show and Judging Amy. He produced and directed award-winning theatre while working in Los Angeles, at theaters including the Raven Playhouse, Metropole Theatre Works and Elephant Stageworks. Directing credits include Romeo and Juliet at Monomoy Theatre, Henry IV, Part One at Oxford Shakespeare Festival, and Brecht’s Man Equals Man at OU. In the area, Brian often works with Available Light Theatre in Columbus and Brick Monkey Theater Ensemble. He received his M.F.A. in Acting from UC, Irvine. Brian is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity Association.

Suite Sounds of Jazz, Thomas Pandolfi, piano

Saturday, September 12, 2015 at 7:30 pm

The young American pianist THOMAS PANDOLFI is an exciting virtuoso who, with each passing season, is becoming more and more sought after by audiences worldwide, and showered with superlatives by critics for his passionate artistry and amazing technique. His orchestral appearances often feature not only the beloved masterpiece concerti by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Liszt, but also the equally brilliant ones by Paderewski, Rubinstein and Moszkowski. Additionally in the “Pops” genre, Thomas is considered a leading interpreter of the works of George Gershwin.

Thomas’ career has already included performances with such European orchestras as The George Enescu Philharmonic, The Cluj Philharmonic, The Oltenia Philharmonic (Craiova), The Moravian Philharmonic, The National Philharmonic of the Republic of Moldova, and The Aberystwyth Symphony in Wales, as well as the American symphony orchestras of Mississippi, Cedar Rapids, Asheville, Princeton, San Angelo, York, Fairfax, Northbrook, Great Falls, and Owensboro to name but a few. He has collaborated with such conductors as Dimitru Goia, Sabin Pautza, Emil Seigbert Maxim, Peter Schmelzer, Mihail Agafita, Grigori Moseico, David Russell Hulme, Murry Sidlin, Michael Luxner, Andreas Delfs, Christian Tiemeyer, Ron Spigelman, William Kushner, Nicholas Palmer, William Intrilligator, William Hudson, Kirk Muspratt, Kim Allen Kluge, Robert Hart Baker, Crafton Beck, Lawrence Rapchak, Gordon Johnson, Philip Bauman, Anthony Maiello and Vincent Zito.

Following a performance of MacDowell’s D Minor Piano Concerto with The George Enescu Philharmonic, The Bucharest Cultural Observer lauded Pandolfi’s “virtuosity, beautiful touch, sensitivity and broad scope…logical phrasing and expressive percussiveness…a soloist whom we would like to hear again.” Of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Asheville Symphony, The Asheville Citizen-Times remarked, “Pandolfi is a standout among today’s young pianists, demonstrating a great technician’s grace, finesse and polish…his virtuosity and strength might have had some believing that Liszt himself had taken over the keyboard.”

Equally popular as a recitalist, Pandolfi has appeared in concert halls nationwide. The Washington Post has described him as “an artist who is master of both the grand gesture and the sensual line. Pandolfi possesses first-rate technical skills, an unerring comma and of phrasing, a quicksilver touch and cunning legerdemain when it comes to pedaling…etched with calm and crystal clarity…outstanding.” New York Concert Review has characterized Pandolfi’s interpretations as containing “high level pianism and tasteful, diversified musical ideas…crystalline texture and deft coloration… charm and bracing elan.”

While the 2008-09 season marked Thomas’ debut recitals in Canada, Germany and China, the 2009-10 season highlighted his debut in London, as well as return engagements throughout Eastern Europe, and concerts both as recitalist and soloist with orchestras across the United States. Pandolfi released his 6th CD album during the 2010-11 season, and returned to China in August of 2011 for his second tour of that country. Additionally, he made his recital debut in Toronto during the 2011-12 season, as well as stepped in on 48 hour notice to perform the Rachmaninov Second Piano Concerto for The Alexandria Symphony’s closing concert of that season. During the last two seasons, he performed highly successful and acclaimed 15 state recital tours across the United States.

Audiences during 2014-15 will enjoy his artistry in an expanded 21 state recital tour to include the states of New York, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Indiana, Connecticut, New Jersey, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Florida, Washington, DC, Ohio, South Carolina, North Carolina, California, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico, New Hampshire, and Kentucky. Thomas will also be making his debut with the Lafayette Symphony and Nicholas Palmer in The James Bond Concerto and Warsaw Concerto, and his debut with The McLean Orchestra in Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 under Miriam Burns on their Gala Opening Night. He will also return as guest soloist with both The Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and Ulysses James in Brahms’ First Piano Concerto, and The Owensboro Symphony under Nicholas Palmer in The James Bond Concerto and Warsaw Concerto. Following a violin concerto for Midori, and a saxophone concerto for Brandford Marsalis, film and concert composers Kim Allen Kluge and Kathryn Vassar Kluge are now composing a piano concerto for Thomas, who is most honored and very excited to be involved in this thrilling project.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Pandolfi earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees as a scholarship student. He is the father of two beautiful children, and resides in Washington, DC.

Follow Thomas:
Facebook: @ThomasPandolfiPianist
Twitter: @TPandolfiPiano

As part of the Ohio Valley Symphony’s mission to bring live, professional, orchestral music to the region and to instill a love of music — especially in children, the public is encouraged to attend OVS rehearsals for free at 7–10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, and 1–4 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Ariel. Open rehearsals are a great way to grow familiar with symphonic music, and they offer a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse at the preparation of an orchestral performance.

Single tickets to the Ohio Valley Symphony’s SUITE SOUNDS OF JAZZ cost $24, $22 (senior) and $12 (student). Tickets and more information are available at the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre box office, 428 Second Ave., Gallipolis; by phone, (740) 446-2787 (ARTS); and through the Ariel website www.arieltheatre.org.

Silver Celebration, Jay Campbell, cello

Saturday, October 4, 2014 at 8:00 pm

Praised by The New York Times for his “electrifying performances” which “conveyed every nuance,” American cellist Jay Campbell is the First Prize Winner of the 2012 CAG Victor Elmaleh International Competition. This spellbinding artist combines eclectic musical interests and a diverse spectrum of repertoire, which has led to collaborations with musicians ranging from Elliott Carter and Pierre Boulez to David Lang and John Zorn to members of Radiohead and Einstürzende Neubauten.

Jay is actively involved with the music of our time, having premiered nearly one hundred works to date, including concerti by Chris Rogerson and Pulitzer Prize winning composer David Lang.

In 2013-14, Jay premieres a new recital piece written for him by John Zorn called occam’s razor, and for the 2015-16 season, a new cello concerto will be commissioned for Jay from American composer David Fulmer, which is entitled Genus and Species and co-commissioned by the Human Rights Foundation. Already, the cellist has had the privilege of working with leading new music groups including ICE (International Contemporary Ensemble), Ensemble InterContemporain, Da Capo Chamber Players and the Argento Ensemble. A further testament to his dedication to the music of our time comes from the ASCAP Foundation which honored Jay with the Lieber & Stoller Award.

As a chamber musician, Jay has worked with members of the Arditti, Takacs, Kronos and Afiara String Quartets. He has been invited to the Marlboro and Music@Menlo Festivals and enjoyed residencies at Vermont’s Yellow Barn Music Festival and at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Texas.

Born in Berkeley, CA, Jay Campbell is currently a student at The Juilliard School where he received his Bachelor of Music degree and is pursuing his Master of Music degree. He studies with celebrated cellist Fred Sherry.

OVS Gets Hip In Its 20’s

OVS Gets Hip In Its 20’s
By Thomas Consolo

Like most twenty-somethings, the Ohio Valley Symphony is offering a combination of hip style and traditional flair for its next season.

The 2011-12 series marks the OVS’s 22nd season as southeast Ohio’s only professional orchestra. The five programs cover repertoire ranging from R&B to classical mainstays to holiday favorites. They also feature a lineup of world-class guest artists, including the world’s first electric harpist and a father-son team of trumpet virtuosos.

That variety is key both to the OVS’s mission and its two decades of success, said Lora Lynn Snow, the orchestra’s founder and executive director. “Great music comes in all kinds of packages,” she said, “and we try to show people all the things an orchestra can do. It’s a lot more than just symphonies.”

That will be clear enough to the audience from the first program, dubbed “Hip Harp” for soloist Deborah Henson-Conant. The Grammy-nominated performer, composer and songwriter has built a renegade image on her evocative singing voice and the 36-string, custom-built electric harness harp she plays. Her programs fuse theater, stories and virtuosic playing skill and cover genres from ballads to jazz to flamenco.

For Ray Fowler, the OVS music director, Henson-Conant was an obvious choice. “This is a person who will reach right into the heart and soul of the audience,” he said. “She’s just so natural on stage.”

It’s more than showmanship, he continued. “I was so impressed with how thoughtful she was about her choice of pieces,” Fowler said. “She wanted to choose just the right repertoire to reach our audience.”

Henson-Conant’s performance opens the OVS season on Oct. 8 in Point Pleasant Junior/Senior High School’s Wedge Auditorium. It’s the third year the orchestra has performed in Point Pleasant, including a concert to help dedicate the facility’s completion. “We can’t expect everyone to come to us,” Snow said, “so we’re happy to go to them to let them know about this organization.”

The season’s other four performances will be at the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre. The downtown Gallipolis landmark has been reborn thanks to a dedicated citizen-based restoration effort sparked by Snow. It was renamed to honor a gift by Meigs County native Ann Carson Dater, who wanted to ensure that the hall be a permanent home for the orchestra.

The season’s other bookend shows a different kind of virtuosity in violinist Chin Kim. “He’ll reach the audience in a different way,” Fowler said, “and the story will be through the sounds.”

Kim will play Max Bruch’s first violin concerto on April 28, 2012, as part of a program called “The Romantics.” The contrast between the two artists “is the extreme of the season,” Fowler said. It shows just how different music can be, all while touching people deeply.

“The Romantics” also features one of the best-loved orchestral masterpieces of the 19th century, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. It traces a hopeful journey against fate to a joyous finale.

November brings pianist Lori Sims back to the stage of the Ariel to perform the second concerto of Johannes Brahms. Sims is “one of the best-kept secrets of the piano world,” according to Fowler. “Her playing has such integrity and such heart. She’ll bring the audience through the piece.”

The Nov. 5 concert pairs the Brahms with the youthful Symphony No. 2 of Ludwig van Beethoven. For audiences who automatically equate Beethoven with forceful Romanticism, the second symphony is an eye opener full of wry humor and the kind of balance his teacher, Franz Joseph Haydn, would have approved.

OVS brings sounds of Dixie to Point Pleasant

It’ll be a hot time in the old town as the Ohio Valley Symphony kicks off its 23rd season with a night showcasing America’s home-grown music.

The orchestra welcomes the DUKES of Dixieland back to the Ohio Valley on Oct. 6 for an all-new program ranging from traditional jazz to a 21st-century mixture of pop, gospel, country and authentic New Orleans sounds. Ray Fowler, the orchestra’s Music Director, conducts the 8 p.m. performance in Point Pleasant Junior/Senior High School’s Wedge Auditorium.

The program’s sponsor is Ohio Valley Bancorp, a long-time OVS supporter.

It’s a return visit for the DUKES, the country’s oldest continuing Dixieland jazz band. They first joined southeast Ohio’s only professional orchestra in July for a hot night in Gallipolis City Park.

It won’t be 100 degrees at the concert this time, but the DUKES will bring plenty of their own heat. Bright and brassy or smooth and dark as cane syrup, the group brings a time-honored authenticity to all of the hits of Dixieland music.

Since 1975 in Chicago’s Grant Park, the DUKES have collaborated with great orchestras, including the Boston and Cincinnati Pops, with sizzling arrangements that play off the two traditions’ strengths. It’s a formula that has worked for players and audiences alike. The DUKES have sold out venues including the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian.

Audiences can expect to hear everything from rags to Gospel classics like “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” to more modern favorites, including Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” With a band from New Orleans, there will be some sounds of Mardi Gras in the air, too.

This marks the fifth year the OVS has performed in Point Pleasant, including a concert that helped dedicate the hall’s completion. The annual Point Pleasant concert is a chance for the orchestra to find new fans on the other side of the Ohio River. “We can’t expect everyone to come to us all the time,” said Lora Snow, the orchestra’s founder and executive director.

The OVS, based at the historic Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre in downtown Gallipolis, has built a reputation for offering its audiences a lineup of world-class guest artists performing all varieties of music, ranging from R&B to classical mainstays to holiday favorites. That variety is key both to the OVS’s mission and its more than two decades of success, said Snow.

“The important thing is that the music be good,” she said, “and good music comes in all kinds of packages. We show people that orchestras can be very versatile.”

As part of the Ohio Valley Symphony’s mission to bring live, professional, orchestral music to the region and to instill a love of music — especially in children, the public is encouraged to attend OVS rehearsals for free at 7–10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, and 1–4 p.m. Oct. 6 at Wedge Auditorium. Open rehearsals are a great way to grow familiar with symphonic music, and they offer a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse at the preparation of an orchestral performance.

Single tickets to the Ohio Valley Symphony’s “Dukes of Dixieland” cost $22, $20 (senior) and $10 (student). Subscriptions to all five 2012-13 OVS concerts, including the always popular Christmas concert, are available for $100, $90 (senior) and $50 (student). Family subscriptions for two adults and children are $275.

Single-ticket buyers who decide they want to lock in their seats will be able to buy pro-rated subscriptions for the four remaining OVS performances at the Oct. 6 concert.

Tickets and more information are available at the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre box office, 428 Second Ave., Gallipolis; by phone, (740) 446-2787 (ARTS); and through the OVS Web site, www.ohiovalleysymphony.org.

Funding for the Ohio Valley Symphony is provided in part by the Ann Carson Dater Endowment. Further support is provided through the Ohio Arts Council, a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically, with funding by the National Endowment for the Arts.

THE CHRISTMAS SHOW, 2012

Stores are decking their halls even earlier every year, but the holiday season doesn’t start in October – or even at Thanksgiving. It starts Dec. 1 with The Ohio Valley Symphony’s annual “Christmas Show.”

The program, now a southeast Ohio tradition, is at 8 p.m. in the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre in downtown Gallipolis. Locally-based Holzer Health System is the long time sponsor of the evening’s festivities

OVS Music Director Ray Fowler has again assembled a holiday-sized spread of musical cheer for the concert. He and the orchestra will offer a menu of old favorites — both carols and winter holiday songs – and of some surprises that audience members will be adding to their list of favorites. Among the traditional carols will be arrangements including “Away in a Manger” and “What Child is This?”

Songs from America’s holiday traditions will include “Jingle Bells,” “Sleigh Ride” and “Winter Wonderland.” Look forward as well, to an American flavor, thanks to William Bergsma’s “Carol for Twelfth Night,” Lucas Richman’s “Reindeer Variations” – one for each of Santa’s four-legged helpers – and “A Quint of Carols” by Ohio native Don Waxman. Classical composers Gustav Holst and Sergei Prokofiev (another sleigh ride, this time in Russia) also will be represented.

As part of The Ohio Valley Symphony’s mission to bring live, professional, orchestral music to the region and to instill a love of music — especially in children – the public is encouraged to attend OVS rehearsals for free at 7-10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, and 1-4 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Ariel Theatre. Open rehearsals are a great way for young and old alike to grow familiar with symphonic music, and they offer a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse at the preparation of an orchestral performance.

Concert-goers have another unique opportunity to make a personal connection with the music, too. Thomas Consolo, OVS Assistant Conductor and program annotator, offers a free pre-concert chat in the third-floor Ariel Chamber Theatre, just upstairs from the concert site. The casual get-together will put a more personal face on the night’s music and answer questions about the program, the OVS or the orchestral experience in general. The talk begins at 7:15 p.m. Dec. 1.

Single tickets to “The Christmas Show” with The Ohio Valley Symphony cost $24, $22 (senior) and $12 (student). Tickets and more information are available at the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre box office, 428 Second Ave., Gallipolis; by phone, (740) 446-2787 (ARTS); and through the OVS web site, www.ohiovalleysymphony.org.

Funding for The Ohio Valley Symphony is provided in part by the Ann Carson Dater Endowment. Further support is provided by the Ohio Arts Council, a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.

Ohio Valley Symphony THE AMAZING CELLO with Efe Baltacigil

Turkish cellist Efe Baltacigil was acclaimed by audiences and critics alike when he and pianist Emanuel Ax performed Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No.1 at a Philadelphia Orchestra concert with only 10 minutes of rehearsal.

The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote: “Baltacigil is a highly individualized solo artist. His gorgeous sound, strong personality, and expressive depth suggest an artist about to have a major career.” Mr. Baltacigil won the 2005 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, The Peter Jay Sharp Prize, and the Washington Performing Arts Society Prize.

Ohio Valley Symphony Evening of Seconds

November 5, 2011, 8:00 p.m.

by Thomas Consolo

The “frost is on the punkin'” outside, but the Ohio Valley Symphony will keep “a feller a-feelin’ at his best” with the warm glow of timeless music.

The orchestra, conducted by music director Ray Fowler, welcomes pianist Lori Sims at 8 p.m. Nov. 5 for “The Grand Piano,” a program of Beethoven
and Brahms. It’s the second concert of the 22nd OVS season and the first this year at the orchestra’s permanent home, the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater
Performing Arts Centre in downtown Gallipolis.

The program opens with one of Ludwig van Beethoven’s early symphonies, the second. For audiences who equate Beethoven with forceful Romanticism,
the Symphony No. 2 will be an eye opener: Written just after the turn of the 19th century, it’s full of wry humor, delicacy and the kind of Classical-era balance
that his teacher, Franz Joseph Haydn, would have approved. It’s also filled with enough quirks and surprises to make it clear it’s from the new kid on the block.

Sims joins the OVS after intermission for Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2. Brahms spent his early years feeling the weight of Beethoven’s legacy,
but, by the time he wrote the second piano concerto, he had shattered that jinx with two symphonies. With a fourth movement — unusual for that kind of
piece — the concerto is like a symphony for piano and orchestra.

It’s Brahms at the top of his game and his most relaxed. It’s a perfect piece for Sims, according to Fowler, who counts her as “one of the best-kept secrets
of the piano world.” Her playing, Fowler says, “has such integrity and such heart. She’ll carry the audience through the piece.”

Sims won over Ariel audiences in 2008 with a performance of Rachmaninoff’s passionate second piano concerto. She has performed in recital, with chamber
groups and as soloist with symphonies in the United States, Europe, and China. She was the gold medal winner at the 1998 Gina Bachauer International Piano
Competition — where she also won the prize for best performance of a work by Brahms. Her 2000 debut at New York’s Alice Tully Hall earned a rave review
in the New York Times. The Colorado native is a Yale graduate who now teaches as the John T. Bernhard Professor of Music at Western Michigan University.

As part of the Ohio Valley Symphony’s mission to bring live, professional, orchestral music to the region and to instill a love of music — especially in children —
the public is encouraged to attend OVS rehearsals for free at 7-10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, and 1-4 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Ariel Theatre. Open rehearsals are a great
way for young and old alike to grow familiar with symphonic music, and they offer a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse at the preparation of an orchestral
performance.

Concert-goers have another unique opportunity to make a personal connection with the music, too. Thomas Consolo, OVS assistant conductor and program
annotator, offers a pre-concert talk in the newly-restored Ariel Chamber Theater. The casual get-together will put a more personal face on the night’s music
and answer questions about the program, the OVS or the orchestral experience in general. The talk begins at 7:15 p.m. Nov. 5.

Single tickets to “The Grand Piano” with the Ohio Valley Symphony cost $22, $20 (senior) and $10 (student). Tickets and more information are available at
the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre box office, 428 Second Ave., Gallipolis; by phone, (740) 446-2787 (ARTS); and through the
OVS Web site, www.ohiovalleysymphony.org.

Funding for the Ohio Valley Symphony is provided in part by the Ann Carson Dater Endowment. Further support is provided by the Ohio Arts Council, a
state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.

Magical Mozart, Elena Urioste

Magical Mozart
Elena Urioste, violin

Elena Urioste has been hailed by critics and audiences alike for her lush tone, the nuance lyricism of her playing and her commanding stage presence. Her debut with the Chicago Symphony was praised by critics for her delicacy, poise and sensitivity. She debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2004 and has returned every year since. Elena performs on a Gagliano violin c. 1706.

Maestro for a Moment FUN-draiser 2019-20

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 7th, 2019, in a rousing rendition of Sleigh Ride! This year’s candidates are Randall Hawkins, M.D., representing Pleasant Valley Hospital; Jason Holdren, Gallia County Prosecutor; and Arthur Huntley, D.O., representing Holzer Health Systems.

Make your tax-deductible donation now!

Hip Harp, October 8, 2011

Arrangements featuring Deborah Henson-Conant, electric harp.

Grammy-nominated electric harpist Deborah Henson-Conant is a composer and songwriter whose performances range from blues to Latin jazz, Celtic to classical. Known for her renegade image and evocative singing voice, she has revolutionized the harp into a 36-string, custom-built, electric “harness harp.”

Glorious Gershwin, Richard Glazier

Glorious Gershwin
Richard Glazier, piano

At the age of 9, Richard Glazier was smitten by the music of Gershwin after seeing the film “Girl Crazy.” He wrote a letter to Ira Gershwin and continued to correspond with him for many years. Fueled by that relationship, Glazier dedicated himself the the Gershwin repertoire and became the leading authority on that genre. He has won many international awards and competitions and has the distinction of being selected as a Steinway Artist.

DVORAK, November 7, 2010

Joseph Johnson, cello

Principal cellist of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and principal cellist-designate of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (2010-2011 season), Joseph Johnson is one of the most exciting solo artists of his generation. Since 1997 he has nurtured a special relationship with Russian culture and people, a relationship that was spawned during his tgour with the American Russian Youth Orchestra. Johnson performs on a 1747 Juan Guillami cello.

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Congratulations to 2013’s Maestro for a Moment!

Ellen Garling was given the honor of being Maestro for a Moment as a result of the 2012-2013 season’s fundraiser, congratulations, and thank you for your support!

Thanks also goes to our other two fabulous candidates, Patrick O’Donnell and John Holland!

And of course to everyone who donated funds for their chosen candidates!

Broadway! Steve Amerson, Tenor

Broadway!
Steve Amerson, tenor

Steve Amerson has established a reputation as a superior tenor with a vocal flexibility that allows him to feel at home in both popular/contemporary music and classical literature. With the wealth and depth of his performance experience, he is known as America’s Tenor. He has been featured with orchestras throughout the United States and abroad including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl and at Carnegie Hall. Along with his concert schedule, which includes 50-60 Christmas, Broadway, patriotic and sacred concerts each year, Steve does studio singing for various recording projects, movies, commercials and television shows. His voice can be heard on over 160 feature films.

Press Release: After 115 Years, Dvorak Concerto Gets Regional Debut

By Thomas Consolo

It was a busy year in 1895: In New York City, Antonin Dvorak put the finishing touches on his cello concerto. In Gallipolis, ground was broken for the Ariel Opera House. Fast forward 115 years, and the two finally get to meet.

Dvorak’s concerto, the biggest blockbuster of the solo cello repertoire, receives its regional premiere Nov. 6 as the centerpiece of an all-Dvorak program by the Ohio Valley Symphony. OVS music director Ray Fowler conducts the 8 p.m. performance at the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre in Gallipolis. Joseph Johnson takes on the challenge of the concerto as guest soloist.

The concert is the orchestra’s “home opener,” since restoration construction at the Ariel made it unavailable in October.

Dvorak is an audience favorite thanks to his seemingly bottomless supply of beautiful melodies. The United States has a special soft spot for his music thanks to the masterpieces — like the “New World” symphony and the “American” string quartet — he wrote during his three years here. The cello concerto was the last major work completed before Dvorak moved back to his native Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), and it shows the composer at the height of his powers. It requires the same mastery of the cellists who play it.

Fowler loves Dvorak’s music, too, but he said he didn’t set out to build an all-Dvorak program. He said the rest of the evening — movements from the Serenade for Strings and from the two sets of Slavonic Dances — fell together naturally around the concerto and Johnson.

Finding Johnson, former principal cellist of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and now in his first season as principal of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, was a lucky accident for Fowler. The conductor said he heard of Johnson because he had worked with a violinist whose playing Fowler likes and respects. Of the cellist, he said, “His playing is so very, very solid.”

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Johnson earned his master’s degree from Northwestern University. In addition to his Toronto position, he is principal of the Sante Fe Opera orchestra. Johnson recently completed a special recording project called the Cello Collection. Published in three volumes, it presents cello literature appropriate for recitals featuring companion recordings by Johnson.

November’s portrait of Dvorak reflects the OVS mission to bring great music played by great artists to southeast Ohio — all while making orchestral music easy to love. The public is encouraged to attend OVS rehearsals for free at 7-10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, and 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6. Open rehearsals are an excellent way for young and old alike to grow comfortable with symphonic music. They’re also a great glimpse behind the scenes at what goes into preparing an orchestral performance.

Single tickets to the Ohio Valley Symphony’s all-Dvorak night are $22, $20 (senior) and $10 (students) and are available through the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre box office, 428 Second Ave., Gallipolis, Ohio. Subscriptions to all four remaining 2010-11 OVS concerts also are still available. For more information, visit the OVS Web site, www.ohiovalleysymphony.org, or call (740) 446-2787 (ARTS).

Further funding for the Ohio Valley Symphony is provided by the Ann Carson Dater Endowment.

2017-2018 Maestro for a Moment Fundraiser

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! in a rousing rendition of Sleigh Ride! This year’s candidates are Jan Bergdoll, representing Pleasant Valley Hospital; Matt Traywick, representing Traywick Financial Services; and Ryan Yavorsky, representing Holzer Health Systems.

Click the “read more” below to learn more about the candidates and to make your tax-deductible donation now!

2012 Hobgoblin Halloween Show

The Ohio Valley Symphony’s Musical Treat
Saturday, November 3, 2012

Some of the ghosts and goblins that will haunt the Ohio Valley on Halloween won’t go home right away. They’ll hide in the dark corners of the Ariel Theatre, waiting for one more night of fun with The Ohio Valley Symphony.

The orchestra’s members — including music director Ray Fowler on the podium — trade their tails and bow ties for whimsical or ghoulish costumes as they offer concert-goers a full plate of musical tricks and treats. This year’s musical mayhem begins at 8 p.m. November 3 at the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre in downtown Gallipolis.

It’s all part of the OVS philosophy of making orchestral music easy to love, according to the orchestra’s executive director, Lora Lynn Snow. “It gives the audience a chance to see all the people up there on stage performing live music and it gives us a chance to show off our individual personalities.”

The eclectic musical menu serves up equal measures of audience favorites from the concert hall and the movie theater. Centerpiece to the program is the suite from Igor Stravinsky’s breakout ballet, The Firebird. Full of first-ever musical effects, it retells the old Russian tale of a magical creature who helps a young prince defeat an evil sorcerer to win the princess he loves. The suite has been an audience favorite since its first performance.

Also from the classical world, Fowler and the OVS offer Johann Strauss’ sparkling Overture to Die Fledermaus (The Bat), the Infernal Galop — better known as the Can-can — from Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld and an excerpt of American composer Howard Hanson’s Symphony No. 2, the Romantic, used in the sci-fi horror classic Alien. The concert’s namesake piece, “Hobgoblin,” comes from the Symphonic Sketches by the pioneering American composer George Chadwick.

The rest of the program celebrates the American tradition of spooky movies with suites from Jaws, the film that kept America out of the water, and Harry Potter, both written by the dean of American film music, John Williams. And since magic isn’t all scary, there’s a take on “Witchcraft,” the Cy Coleman standard from 1957.

As part of the Ohio Valley Symphony’s mission to bring live, professional, orchestral music to the region and to instill a love of music — especially in children, the public is encouraged to attend OVS rehearsals for free at 7–10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, and 1–4 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Ariel. Open rehearsals are a great way to grow familiar with symphonic music, and they offer a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse at the preparation of an orchestral performance.
Single tickets to the Ohio Valley Symphony’s HOBGOBLIN cost $22, $20 (senior) and $10 (student). Tickets and more information are available at the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre box office, 428 Second Ave., Gallipolis; by phone, (740) 446-2787 (ARTS); and through the Ariel website www.arieltheatre.org.

Funding for The Ohio Valley Symphony is provided in part by the Ann Carson Dater Endowment. Further support is provided through the Ohio Arts Council, a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically, with funding by the National Endowment for the Arts.

2011 SUMMER ELIZABETH CONCERT – Deborah Henson-Conant

The grand finale will include the “1812 Overture” and “Stars & Stripes Forever” complete with fireworks.

For the third straight year, the Ohio Valley Symphony will help celebrate the Fourth of July with a free concert in Gallipolis City Park.

Joining the OVS and music director Ray Fowler at 8 p.m. will be Deborah Henson-Conant, the “hip harpist” who will return to the area in October for the OVS’s season opener at Point Pleasant Junior/Senior High School. It will be the first time an OVS soloist has appeared twice in the same year.

“Aside from the fact that she’s perfect for a July 4 event, I’m looking at it as an opportunity,” said Fowler. “There are people who keep peeking into the Ariel and not quite cracking the door open. When they hear Deborah on July 4, though, they’ll want to hear her again.”

Henson-Conant is a composer, performer, singer, songwriter, author, cartoonist, entertainer, comedian and electric harpist — all rolled into one. She’s put on a one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, opened for Ray Charles, toured with the Boston Pops and released a dozen albums from Latin jazz to Celtic to blues.

She’s also revolutionized her instrument with a custom-made, 36-string electric “harness harp.”

“We’re thrilled to be able to be back for another Fourth of July concert,” said Lora Lynn Snow, the orchestra’s executive director. “It’s a great time for the whole family, so bring some chairs and head to downtown Gallipolis.”

— Thomas Consolo

2010 SUMMER ELIZABETH CONCERT – J. Mark McVey

McVey-J.-Mark

The grand finale will include the “1812 Overture” and “Stars & Stripes Forever” complete with fireworks.