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’ critically acclaimed performances of Rhapsody in Blue (Gershwin), Concerto in F (Gershwin), Warsaw Concerto (Addinsell) and the James Bond Concerto (Proctor) are immensely popular.

Among his engagements during the 2015-16 season, were as guest soloist with The National Philharmonic,

Ohio Valley Symphony, North Charleston Pops, Cheyenne Symphony, Maryland Symphony, Alexandria Symphony, Symphonicity, Amadeus Orchestra, McLean Orchestra and Frederick Symphony. During 2016-17, he will also be guest soloist with The Paducah Symphony, The Charlotte Symphony (FL), The Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic, The Amadeus Orchestra, The Tiraspol Philharmonic, The Alexandria Symphony, and The Maryland Symphony at The Garrett Lakes Arts Festival.

Thomas will also be the Artist in Residence at The Black Rock Center for the Arts in Maryland during this season, and his recital touring schedule will take him to 20 states including New Mexico, Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Florida, Connecticut, New Jersey, North Carolina, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Oregon, Montana, Ohio and New Hampshire. Thomas’ international concerts have carried him across the globe to China and Europe; last season, he also made his Canadian debut in British Columbia.

He has collaborated with conductors such as Piotr Gajewski, Dimitru Goia, Sabin Pautza, Emil Seigbert Maxim, Peter Schmelzer, Mihail Agafita, Grigori Moseico, David Russell Hulme, Andreas Delfs, Elizabeth Schulze, Miriam Burns, Sebrina Alfonso, Nicholas Palmer, William Intrilligator, Kim Allen Kluge, Robert Hart Baker, Crafton Beck, Ray Fowler, Glenn Quader, Scott Wood, Lawrence Rapchak, Gordon Johnson and Raffaele Ponti. An outstanding cross-over artist, Thomas Pandolfi’s virtuoso transcriptions of the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Marvin Hamlisch are in much demand.

For the 2016-17 season, he is offering further such transcriptions in unique programs entitled “Burt, Barry and Beyond” (the music of Burt Bacharach and Barry Manilow) and “Somewhere Tonight in America: A 20th Century Celebration”, including a magnificent transcription of Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story.” British composer, Simon Proctor, has also written a “Sinatra Piano Concerto” for Thomas, which coincided with the 100th birthday celebration of Mr. Sinatra during last season, and a brand new “Andrew Lloyd Webber Concerto”, also for Thomas.

Following a violin concerto for Midori, and a saxophone concerto for Brandford Marsalis, film and concert composers Kim Allen Kluge and Kathryn Vassar Kluge composed The American Piano Concerto for Thomas, which was an absolutely smashing success at its world premiere in May, 2016 with Thomas as soloist, co-composer Kim Kluge on the podium and The Alexandria Symphony.

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

American soprano Risa Renae Harman, as noted by The New York Times, “is that rare creature among singers, a really good recitalist.” A versatile singer who navigates a wide range of repertoire, she has appeared as soloist in Samuel Barber’s The Prayers of Kierkegaard at the Kennedy Center with The Washington Chorus, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with The Philadelphia Singers at the Kimmel Center and Alice Tully Hall, Handel’s Laudate pueri with The National Cathedral Choral Society, Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate at the Kennedy Center, Verdi’s Requiem with The Oratorio Society of New Jersey, Bach’s Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51 with The Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, and solo recitals at the Brooklyn Library and the acclaimed Trinity Church.

Recent engagements for Miss Harman include

Handel’s Messiah and Saint-Saëns Oratorio de Noël, Op.12 with the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, her portrayal as Jenny Lind in Jenny Lind, The Swedish Nightingale in America, a play with music by Kelly Hale, soloist with the Huntington Chorale Society in Dvorak’s Te Deum, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Mozart’s Vespers. Operatic performances include The Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Violetta in La Traviata, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, as well as creating the role of Louise in the world premiere of William Schuman’s A Question of Taste for Glimmerglass Opera. She has appeared with New York City Opera, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Lake George Opera, and Lyric Opera Cleveland.

Miss Harman’s international credits include recitals in Sweden as the winner of the American Jenny Lind Competition and the Italian Festivals Da Bach a Bartok and Musica nei Chiostri. Miss Harman is the recipient of numerous awards including the Lee Schaenen Foundation, Lotte Lehmann Foundation, Sullivan Foundation, Shoshana Foundation, Washington International Competition, Jenny Lind Competition, and Licia Albanese-Puccini Competition. She hails from Virginia and presently calls New York home.

The Ariel Opera House will be filled with merry music as we usher in a month filled with joyful entertainment to share with your family and friends. We ring in the holidays with The Ohio Valley Sympony’s beloved Christmas Show! (always the first Saturday in December). Tickets sell out quickly, so be sure to order extras when purchasing your season subscription seats!

Gift Certificates for The Ohio Valley Symphony concerts are available for that special someone on your Christmas list! Call the box office today!

Violinist David Kim was named Concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1999. Born in Carbondale, Illinois in 1963, he started playing the violin at the age of three, began studies with the famed pedagogue Dorothy DeLay at the age of eight, and later received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School.

Highlights of Mr. Kim’s 2016-17 season include appearing as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin on their summer tour of Asia; adjudicating at the Stulberg International String Competition; teaching/performance residencies at Bob Jones University, Grove City College, Messiah College, Roberts Wesleyan College, and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music; continued appearances as concertmaster of the All-Star Orchestra on PBS stations across the USA and online at the Kahn Academy; recitals, speaking engagements and appearances with orchestras across the United States; and the annual David Kim Orchestral Institute of Cairn University in Philadelphia where he is also a Professor of Violin Studies. He has recently been appointed as Distinguished Artist at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in Macon, GA and will begin making regular teaching visits there in the fall of 2017. In December, he appeared as a special guest at Keith and Kristin Getty’s “Irish Christmas” Concert at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia.