The Christmas Show, December 6, 2008

Love Songs, March 13, 2010

Broadway! March 21, 2009

John Shuffle, bass-baritone & Nancy Williams Shuffle, soprano

John and Nancy Williams Shuffle bring a wealth of performing experience to their theater and concert appearances having collectively essayed over 150 leading roles in their combined stage careers. The couple has regularly delighted audiences, both at home and abroad, with their versatility, magnetism, and endearing musical repertoire.

About John Shuffle critics have said he has a “rich, substantial voice and expressive nuances” and a “vocal quality that is too seldom heard.” Reviewers have glowed about Nancy Shuffle describing her voice as “awesome, excellent…first-class…a beautiful voice.” Together the Shuffles have garnered numerous performance awards and have eight solo and duo recordings currently to their credit.

Voices of Spring, May 8, 2010

Legendary Classics, May 9, 2009

Michi Wiancko

Violinist Michi Wiancko is a winner of the 2002 Concert Artists Guild International Competition. Featured as an “Artist to Watch” on the cover of the January 2007 issue of Symphony magazine, the Cleveland Plain Dealer credits her with playing that “melts seamlessly into tender utterances.”

Wiancko, a Southern Californian, holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Juilliard School where she studied with Robert Mann. She has earned an international reputation for her performances throughout the world including such venues as Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and the Kennedy Center. Wiancko consistently pushes the boundaries of the classical repertoire and explores new genres as a singer, violinist, and composer for her own band, Kono Michi.

Media Archives: 2008-09 OVS Season

The Ohio Valley Symphony’s 2008-09 Season

The Ohio Valley Symphony is gearing up for another year of doing what it does best — bringing great music played by great artists to southeast Ohio. For its 19th subscription season, the OVS, under music director Ray Fowler, will carry listeners around the world with the help of tunes of a diverse lineup of classics. From composers in 19th-century Vienna to 20th-century America, the pieces evoke destinations as close as the barnyard and as far away as the islands of the South Pacific, the Caliphate of old Baghdad and Jazz Age Manhattan.

To help bring the program to life, Fowler and the OVS will welcome a parade of talented guest artists to the stage of the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre. It’s all part of the OVS philosophy of making orchestral music easy to love, according to the orchestra’s manager, Lora Lynn Snow. “We have the big masterpieces — like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 — that everyone loves, but we have fun with our programs, too.”

Two of this year’s concerts are easy examples:
— Nov. 8’s “Halloween Spooktacular” has become something of a tradition, with orchestra members (including Fowler on the podium) trading their tails and bow ties for whimsical or ghoulish costumes giving the audience a chance to see the individual personalities of the musicians. The OVS offers up a full plate of musical tricks and treats, including The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (immortalized in Disney’s original “Fantasia”), the Witches Ride from “Hansel and Gretel” and selections from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera.

— The Broadway-inspired program slated for March 21, 2009, shows the cross-pollination between the concert hall and the Great White Way. Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances from “Prince Igor” leads seamlessly to
excerpts from Broadway’s Kismet. The show’s tunes are all taken from Borodin’s works, and the 19th-century Russian even shared a 1954 Tony Award for Best Musical. “These are songs that people know,” said Snow, “but they’re pulled from classical music.” The program also includes excerpts from West Side Story and from the classic shows of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Some equally well-known opera and operetta arias round out the night.

John and Nancy Williams Shuffle, who have collectively played more than 150 lead roles in their combined careers, sing the Broadway and light opera songs. John was a “critic’s pick” in Chicago for his starring role as the Poet in Kismet there. Nancy counts leads in Guys and Dolls, The Music Man, and Titanic among her favorites.

Another OVS tradition returns with the December 6 Christmas show, a kickoff to the local holiday season. As usual, Fowler has assembled a program that balances past and present with traditional carols, purely classical pieces with a Christmas theme, and upbeat popular songs of the season. To take the fullest advantage of the wide sonic range of a modern orchestra, Fowler turned to some of the nation’s greatest arrangers — including Hershy Kay, Carmen Dragon and Jeff Tyzik.

The season kicks off Oct. 4 with an all-American program. Titled “America the Beautiful,” it features Gershwin’s Concerto in F, one of
the first American pieces to secure its place in the concert hall. In a nod to the incredible variety of American songs — from hymns to jazz — the concert is rounded out by arrangements of favorites including Amazing Grace and the hits of Duke Ellington.

Pianist Richard Glazier performs the Gershwin concerto. Glazier “has Gershwin in his soul,” according to pianist and singer Michael Feinstein, himself an expert on American song. Glazier has the Midwest in his soul, too, having studied piano both at the Indiana University School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Beginning with the 1996 Gershwin centennial, Glazier has created and performed four (so far) one-man, multimedia programs dedicated to the American song, and particularly to the Gershwin brothers, George and Ira.

The OVS saves two of the biggest guns of classical music, Beethoven and Brahms, for the May 9 season finale. Beethoven’s exuberant and rustic Symphony No. 8 is paired with Brahms’ refined and passionate Concerto for Violin. Soloist for the Brahms is Michi Wiancko, whose classical prowess — she has appeared with both the New York and Los Angeles philharmonics — is but one facet of her wide-ranging musical talent. Her other interests include country fiddle, gypsy violin and jazz. Her band, Kono Michi (a string quartet, bass and drums) appears regularly in New York’s clubs.

Subscriptions for all five Ohio Valley Symphony concerts are on sale now. Prices range from $50 for students — “That’s about the same as five movie tickets these days,” Snow says — up to $275 for a family pass which includes 2 adults and as many children as they have. Adult season tickets are $100 and seniors are $90. For more information, call the Ariel-Dater box office at (740) 446-ARTS (2787) or visit the box office located at 428 Second Ave. in downtown Gallipolis OH. For more information, visit our website at: ohiovalleysymphony.org

Funding for the Ohio Valley Symphony is provided 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.

2008:

What is HomeTownStation.Net?

Do you remember that local radio station you grew up listening to? Big city or small town, most of us had a local station that we relied on for information and entertainment. If we didn’t get to listen to our favorite show or announcer, we felt like we missed out on something! Fast forward to the 21st century. and a new kind of “station” that offers both an audio and visual experience.

Ohio Valley Symphony Maestro Ray Fowler is the featured guest along with Ariel Founder and Ohio Valley Symphony Manager, Lora Lynn Snow on “The Chatterbox” with hostess “Dene” Wagner Pellegrinon. Dene, Ray and Lora chatted about the upcoming May 3 OVS concert and the 2008-09 subscription series. You can hear Ray speak about his process of choosing music and some information about Brahms and Schumann, the composers featured on the May 3 concert. Ray and Lora discuss the impact of music and music education in our lives.

To hear the program: www.hometownstation.net , click on “Listen to Dene”, click on “Archives” and select Chatterbox 04/25/08

HomeTownStation.Net is “on the air” 24/7, with fresh information and entertainment. The program is updated frequently as Dene interviews people all across the United States who are making a difference in their hometowns. The first show Dene and Lora did on January 22, 2008 was the highest rated show to date. Tune in at your convenience.

January 2008

THE OHIO VALLEY SYMPHONY FEATURED ON NEW INTERNET SHOW

What is HomeTownStation.Net?

Do you remember that local radio station you grew up listening to?

Big city or small town, most of us had a local station that we relied on for information and entertainment. If we didn’t get to listen to our favorite show or announcer, we felt like we missed out on something! Fast forward to the 21st century. and a new kind of “station” that offers both an audio and visual experience. HomeTownStation.Net is “on the air” 24/7, with fresh information and entertainment. The first of several features will be “The Chatterbox”, with hostess “Dene” Wagner Pellegrinon. The program is updated frequently as she interviews people all across the United States who are making a difference in their hometowns.

Ariel Founder and Ohio Valley Symphony Manager, Lora Lynn Snow, was the featured guest as Dene kicked off the second week of her new show. Lora and Dene chatted about the earliest days of the Ariel from the vision Lora had 21 years ago to create a symphony orchestra in our hometown of Gallipolis, Ohio to it’s current day status as a polished professional orchestra that calls The Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre “home.”

To hear the program: www.hometownstation.net , click on “Listen to Dene”, click on “Archives” and select show # 012208

April 22, 2006 Columbus Dispatch article about the Grand Re-Dedication of the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre. Columbus Dispatch Article.

Broadway! March 12, 2011

Margaret Carlson, Soprano

Often compared to Julie Andrews and Maureen McGovern, Margaret Carlson is an exciting new voice in the contemporary music. Her eclectic career has taken her from life “on the road” with the band, Summer, to ten years as a stay-at-home mom. Re-establishing her music career in 1986, Carlson’s second CD, This Christmas…my favorite things, received a Grammy nomination in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category.

BROADWAY
By Thomas Consolo

Melt away the last of winter’s chill in March with The Ohio Valley Symphony.

Southeast Ohio’s only professional orchestra welcomes singer Margaret Carlson to the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre for a heartwarming program of classic songs by a parade of America’s greatest songwriters. OVS music director Ray Fowler returns to conduct the program at 8 p.m. March 12.

Carlson, a Grammy nominee, has selected a line-up by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, Harold Arlen, Cole Porter and Stephen Sondheim — all backed by the lush support only a full orchestra can provide. Concert-goers can look forward to excerpts from favorite Broadway shows and films including “Anyone Can Whistle,” “My Fair Lady,” “The Sound of Music” and “The Wizard of Oz.”

Fowler counts these classic songs as important American music — and music that is slipping through the cultural cracks as schools and community companies move on to more contemporary shows. Carlson, he said, brings a freshness to these standards which will win the audience’s heart.

Carlson’s elegant musical style and onstage presence have been compared to Julie Andrews and Maureen McGovern. In her early years, Margaret toured the United States singing in resorts and clubs, and she was featured on numerous television and radio commercials.

In 1985 Carlson left the music business to focus on raising her two children. When she returned 10 years later, she recorded her first CD, “Once in a Blue Moon,” with pianist-arranger Frank Mantooth. Her second CD, “This Christmas … My Favorite Things,” was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category. Today, Carlson performs to beautifully orchestrated arrangements by Mantooth with orchestras all around the country. She can be heard at music festivals and as a performer and clinician at schools.

Showcasing America’s living legacy of song is 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 — through education and exposure to great music. As part of that commitment, the public is encouraged to attend OVS rehearsals for free at 7-10 p.m. Friday, March 11, and 1-4 p.m. March 12 at the Ariel. Open rehearsals are an excellent way for young and old alike to grow comfortable with symphonic music, and they offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what goes into preparing an orchestral performance.

Single tickets to The Ohio Valley Symphony’s “Broadway!” are $22, $20 (senior) and $10 (students). Tickets and more information are available through the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre box office, (740) 446-2787 (ARTS), at 428 Second Ave., Gallipolis, and through the OVS Web site, www.ohiovalleysymphony.org. The concert is sponsored by the Gallia County Medical Society. Further funding for The Ohio Valley Symphony is provided by the Ann Carson Dater Endowment.

Mendelssohn, April 30, 2011

Ilya Kaler, violin

Described as a “magician, bewitching our ears,” Russian-born violinist Ilya Kaler is the only violinist to have won gold medals at the Tchaikovsky (1986), Sibelius (1985), and Paganini (1981) Competitions. Currently professor of violin at DePaul University School of Music (Chicago, IL), he performs on a 1785 “Sennhauser” Giuseppe Guarnerius del Gesu violin on loan from the Stradivari Society of Chicago.

Press Release:

By Thomas Consolo

Join The Ohio Valley Symphony on April 30 for the final concert of the 2010-11 season.

For the finale of its 21st season, the orchestra offers a portrait of composer Felix Mendelssohn. On the program, beginning at 8 p.m. at the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre in downtown Gallipolis, are excerpts from Mendelssohn’s incidental music to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and his beloved violin concerto.

Mendelssohn, who lived from 1809–47, was a child prodigy who went on to be one of the most cosmopolitan composers of his era. In his short life, he wrote symphonies, concertos, oratorios and chamber music famed for their elegance and beautiful melodies. As a performer, he was a pianist of renown, and as a conductor, he helped many young composers and led to a revival of the works of Bach.

He was still only 17 when he scored one of his first great hits, the sparkling overture to Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” He returned to that magical story in 1842 to write more music for a production of the play, which includes the “Wedding March” still used by couples the world over. The OVS, under music director Ray Fowler, performs a suite of the overture and three other movements.

The OVS welcomes violinist Ilya Kaler to the stage of the Ariel’s Morris and Dorothy Haskins Theatre as guest soloist in the concerto, one of the best-known and best-loved works for violin and orchestra. A classic since its debut in 1844, Mendelssohn’s violin concerto earned fame more recently as the piece Jack Benny never quite mastered. The piece features a brooding, romantic opening, a soulful slow movement, and a joyful, bubbly finale. Together, they give the soloist a chance to shine.

The Russian-born Kaler is the only violinist to have won gold medals at the Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Paganini violin competitions. He earned rave reviews for solo appearances with orchestras around the world, including in Leningrad, Moscow, Montreal, Berlin, Detroit, Baltimore, Seattle and Zurich. His recordings of the Paganini Caprices have been deemed by American Record Guide to be “in a class by themselves.” Kaler is a violin professor at DePaul University in Chicago. He performs on a Giuseppe Guarnerius del Gesu violin, made in 1735, on generous loan from the Stradivari Society of Chicago.

Showcasing the masterworks of orchestral music like Mendelssohn’s is 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 — through education and exposure to great music. As part of that commitment, the public is encouraged to attend OVS rehearsals for free at 7-10 p.m. Friday, April 29, and 1-4 p.m. April 30 at the Ariel. Open rehearsals are an excellent way for young and old alike to grow comfortable with symphonic music, and they offer a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse at the preparation of an orchestral performance.

Beginning with April’s Mendelssohn program, concert-goers will have another unique opportunity to make a personal connection with the music, too. That’s when the OVS inaugurates its series of pre-concert talks in the newly-restored Ariel Chamber Theatre. Thomas Consolo, the orchestra’s assistant conductor and program annotator, hosts the casual get-together to help put a more personal face on the night’s music, as well as to answer questions about the program, the OVS or the orchestral experience in general. The talk begins at 7:15 p.m. April 30.

Single tickets to The Ohio Valley Symphony’s “Mendelssohn” cost $22, $20 (senior) and $10 (students). 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. Further funding for The Ohio Valley Symphony is provided by the Ann Carson Dater Endowment.