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.

2025 GALLIPOLIS RIVER REC PAGEANTS

In association with the Gallia County Chamber of Commence…

JUNE 13, 2026
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

PRETTY BABY CONTESTS
9:30am – Pretty Baby Registrations, Foyer, 1st Floor
10:00am – Pretty Baby Contests, Stage (free general admission seating)

GALLIPOLIS FIRECRACKER & RIVER REC PAGEANT
Pageant at 6:00 pm, ticket prices $10-$18, doors open at 5:30pm

Join us in celebrating the accomplishments of Gallia County youth and purchase your tickets today!

Helping contestants to grow their self-confidence while preparing them for their future what the Chamber’s River Rec program is all about. Our Royalty will have the opportunity to represent Gallia County while visiting fairs and festivals; all while learning social and public speaking skills.

Premium seating is available in Rows A-F.
This is a Gallia Co. Chamber of Commerce production.

For more information visit the River Rec Pageants website.

Be sure to visit the local Gallipolis sponsors of this fantastic community event!
Baskets Delight • El Toril Mexican Restaurant
God’s Hands at Work • J&J Gowns and Tuxedos
University of Rio Grande

Only bottled water is permitted in the historic auditorium, no food or other beverages.

2026-27 SEASON SUBSCRIPTION! The Ohio Valley Symphony

On Sale NOW! (click here)
EXISTING Subscribers who wish to keep their current seats and NEW Subscribers download order form here and mail, or call the Box Office and leave a message.

The 2026-27 Ohio Valley Symphony season is almost upon us. Mark your calendars now and get your season tickets so you can experience the magic of music at every single one.

We are celebrating America’s 250th Birthday on September 12 with a season opener of all-American music ranging from Leonard Bernstein to Aaron Copland and George Gershwin led by Maestro Peter Stafford Wilson. Our soloist, Maalik Glover, is performing the Concerto for Violin by African-American composer Florence Price whose magnificent early 20th century musical scores were found just a few years ago in an old trunk in an abandoned house about to be demolished!

Internationally noted conductor François López-Ferrer will be back on the Ariel Opera House stage as he leads the OVS through a Happy Halloween concert on October 31. Who knew Bela Bartok wrote a quirky piece titled Dances of Transylvania? Violinist Grace Park is featured on Ravel’s Tzigane and Sarasate’s fiendishly difficult Zigeunerweisen. Brahms’ glorious Symphony No. 1 finishes out the second half. What costume will you wear?

AMERICA’S BIRTHDAY, The Ohio Valley Symphony

September 12, 2026
at 7:30 p.m.
On Sale MAY 15th! (click here)
The Ohio Valley Symphony is celebrating America’s 250th Birthday on September 12 with a season opener of all-American music ranging from Leonard Bernstein to Aaron Copland and George Gershwin led by Maestro Peter Stafford Wilson. Our soloist, Maalik Glover, is performing the Concerto for Violin by African-American composer Florence Price whose magnificent early 20th century musical scores were found just a few years ago in an old trunk in an abandoned house about to be demolished!

Peter Stafford Wilson
Peter Stafford Wilson is Music Director of Ohio’s Springfield Symphony Orchestra. holds the post of Music Director of the Westerville Symphony, and was named Principal Conductor of Tulsa Ballet.  With the SSO he has brought international attention to programs and a new multi-media, multi discipline production of Gustav Holst’s The Planets. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! The Ohio Valley Symphony

October 31, 2026
at 7:30 p.m.
On Sale MAY 15th! (click here)
Internationally noted conductor François López-Ferrer will be back on the Ariel Opera House stage as he leads the OVS through a Happy Halloween concert on October 31. Who knew Bela Bartok wrote a quirky piece titled Dances of Transylvania? Violinist Grace Park is featured on Ravel’s Tzigane and Sarasate’s fiendishly difficult Zigeunerweisen. Brahms’ glorious Symphony No. 1 finishes out the second half. What costume will you wear?

François López-Ferrer
Spanish-American conductor François López-Ferrer has carved an impressive path in the world of classical music. Recipient of the prestigious 2024 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, his international career has been marked by leading esteemed orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orchestra Sinfonica G.

Rossini at the Rossini Opera Festival, Houston Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Utah Symphony, Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfónica Radio Televisión Española, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Opéra de Lausanne, George Enescu Philharmonic, Verbier Festival Orchestra, and Opéra National de Paris.

THE CHRISTMAS SHOW! The Ohio Valley Symphony

December 5, 2026
at 7:30 p.m.
On Sale MAY 15th! (click here)
Maestro Steven Huang’s annual Christmas Show on December 6 is a perennial favorite of audiences young and old with carols and songs both new and familiar. Tickets sell out fast so be sure to get yours soon. December is also our annual Maestro for a Moment FUNdraiser when community members vie for the chance to conduct the OVS in Sleigh Ride. Every dollar is a vote for your favorite candidate and helps support The Ohio Valley Symphony with your tax deductible donation.

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.

BUGLER’S HOLIDAY, The Ohio Valley Symphony

March 13, 2027
at 7:30 p.m.
On Sale MAY 15th! (click here)

On March 13 things get a bit brassy for the Bugler’s Holiday concert when the OVS will be joined by Dave Zeng performing Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto.  Maestro Scott Woodard takes us to Ireland with Hamilton Harty’s Irish Symphony for a bit-of-the-green.

Scott E. Woodard
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).

GERSWIN’S GREATEST, The Ohio Valley Symphony

April 17, 2027
at 7:30 p.m.
On Sale MAY 15th! (click here)

For Gershwin’s Greatest the stunning Michael Chertock is back showing us just how good he really is by conducting AND performing George Gershwin’s Concerto in F on April 17.  Rounding out the year of celebrating America’s greatest, the OVS will also feature Gershwin’s perennial favorite An American in Paris and the music of jazz great Duke Ellington.

Michael Chertock
Conductor and pianist Michael Chertock has fashioned a successful career as an orchestral soloist, collaborating with conductors such as James Conlon, Jaime Laredo, and Keith Lockhart.

His orchestral appearances include solo performances with, among others, The Philadelphia Orchestra, l’Orchestre Symphonique du Montreal, the Toronto Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic, and the Dayton Philharmonic.  He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1999 with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, performing Duke Ellington’s New World A’Comin’.