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.

Join the historic Ariel Opera House in welcoming to the stage the Gallia All-County Elementary Choir.

Music director Beth Fowble will lead students from Addaville Elementary, Green Elementary, Hannan Trace Elementary, Ohio Valley Christian School, Rio Grande Elementary, Southwestern Elementary, Vinton Elementary, Washington Elementary, and area Homeschools.

Enjoy selection several selections including Goliath, Shule Aroon, For Good, Dance, and Journey the Night!

Door open 6:00 p.m. Performance starts at 6:30. No food or drinks permitted in the auditorium.

Sponsored by the Ariel Opera House and Gallia Vinton ESC.

March 21, 2026
at 7:30 p.m.

Maestro Peter Stafford Wilson takes us to the British Isles for an evening of Celtic Dreams on March 21 with  an evening of music from Ireland, Scotland and England. Doreen Carwithen’s pastoral Suffolk Suite opens the program and Concertmaster Manami White performs Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending. The OVS offers up Malcolm Arnold’s Scottish Dances, Leroy Anderson’s Irish Suite and the evocative Shropshire Lad by George Butterworth.

Peter Stafford Wilson, conductor
Peter Stafford Wilson is Music Director of Ohio’s Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Concurrently, he holds the post of Music Director of the Westerville Symphony, and was named Principal Conductor of Tulsa Ballet in 2012. With the SSO he has brought international attention for Agriculture and the Arts Growing Together and American Made: Celebrating Our Manufacturing Heritage and a new multi-media, multi discipline production of Gustav Holst’s The Planets resulted in a sellout house. Mr. Wilson held the posts of Assistant and Associate Conductor of The Columbus Symphony Orchestra for 28 seasons. Mr. Wilson has had enormous community reaction and has been recognized as “Best Music Director” and “Best in the ‘Bus 2015” for his work in Columbus. He also served as Music Director of the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra, which he has regularly led in local and regional concerts.

During Mr. Wilson’s 25 year tenure, the SSO has more than doubled its public offerings and seen its budget and community financial support grow more than 500%. Mr. Wilson has led over 100 performances with BalletMet Columbus.

A native of North Carolina, Mr. Wilson studied at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where his primary mentor was the late Thomas Schippers. During his years at CCM, he became a leading exponent of contemporary music, often collaborating with faculty and student composers, including the Conservatory’s Visiting Professor of Composition, Lukas Foss. He also studied at the Aspen Music School, where he studied with Dennis Russell Davies, Eastern Music Festival (on whose faculty he subsequently served), Pierre Monteux School, Boris Goldovsky Summer Opera Institute and Rome’s Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, where he was associated with Franco Ferrara. He has work with Canton Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and The Cleveland Orchestra and has guest conducted the orchestras of Bozeman, Charlotte, Chautauqua, Dallas, Detroit, Erie, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Louisville, North Carolina, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Roanoke, Seattle, Syracuse, Tucson, Tulsa, West Virginia, Wheeling and Youngstown. He also led the Independence Day Concert with Peter Nero’s Philly Pops Orchestra and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic’s highly popular “Awesome Classics” series, as well as programs with Orquesta Filarmónica de Montevideo and Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in China. No stranger to the lyric theater, Mr. Wilson has held the positions of Principal Conductor of South Carolina’s Opera Charleston and Music Director of the Ohio Light Opera and conducted performances at Spoleto Festival USA, Young Artists Opera Theater, College Light Opera, Canton Lyric Opera and Otterbein College Opera Theatre.

Mr. Wilson and his wife, Barbara Karam Wilson, Director of Corporate Tax for the White Castle System, reside in Westerville, Ohio. When not conducting, he enjoys traveling, golf and reading. He is also a wine enthusiast and an avid gourmet cook. Wilson and his wife also serve as staff for their two rescue kitties, Murphy and Smidgen.

Manami White, violin
Manami White has performed both nationally and internationally with orchestras, chamber ensembles, and in numerous recital settings. The Ohio Valley Symphony concertmaster also serves as concertmaster of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, principal second violinist and personnel manager of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and is a founding member and associate artistic director of Collegium Cincinnati. In addition to performing, Manami is a member of the faculty at Xavier University.

Repertoire

Friday
April 10, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW!

The historic Ariel Opera House presents and brings to the stage on April 10, 2026 All That Jazz featuring the Ohio University Jazz Ensemble I under the direction of Dr. Matthew James and the Jackson High School Jazz Band I under the direction of Ryan F. Hurd.

Ohio University Jazz Ensemble I is one of five jazz ensembles that have shaped the longstanding track record of excellent jazz education and performance at Ohio University. Big bands, small groups, and the Jazz Percussion Ensemble offer OU students a means to explore their creativity through improvisation and jazz music. The annual Athens Jazz Festival (athensjazzfestival.org) features these student groups, guest artists, and faculty in a week-long celebration that includes events on the OU campus and at SE Ohio venues. The Minor in Jazz Studies is available to any OU student and pairs ensemble experiences with courses in jazz theory, jazz arranging, jazz pedagogy and jazz history.

Premium seats are available for Rows A-F and Row AA and BB in the balcony. Group of 10 tickets get 10% off! If a group of more than 10 tickets is required, please call the Box Office at (740) 446-2787 and leave a detailed message.

Note there is no elevator to balcony seating.
Only bottled water is permitted in the historic auditorium, no food or other beverages.

Door open 7:00 p.m. Concert starts at 7:30.

Sunday, April 19, 2026

The historic Ariel Opera House is pleased to welcome Marshall University faculty members Dr. Júlio Ribeiro Alves, guitarist, and Dr. Wendell Dobbs, flutist who form Violauta Duo.

This is a concert of ancient and modern music for flute and guitar starting with music by the renowned Italian guitarist and luthier Luigi Legnani. Legnani is remembered both for his virtuosity and for his association with violinist Niccolo Paganini. Later in life, he turned his attention to guitar and violin making. Austrian composer and publisher Anton Diabelli is mostly remembered for his waltz which was used as the theme for Beethoven’s 30 Diabelli Variations. He was trained as a chorister at the cathedral in Salzburg. As a publisher, he championed the music of Franz Schubert. He was the first publisher of Schbert’s “Erlkönig” in 1821. Cuban American guitarist José Lezcano’s Sonatina Tropical reflects musical life in his native Cuba. En Clave de Són refers to the rhythmic foundation of the first movement. Canción de Madrugada is an early morning song. The Sonatina ends with a vivacious Samba. Italian guitarist and composer Giorgio Tortora was trained at the conservatory in Trieste and is active particularly in Italy. Serpenti e Scale is a classic board game that is also applied to language studies. In playing the game, one climbs to higher levels on ladders and then slides back down on snakes.

Seating will begin at 1:30pm in the 3rd floor Ariel Chamber Theatre.  This is a Free concert, donations are welcome.

April 25, 2026
at 7:30 p.m.

People everywhere will be celebrating America’s 250th birthday in 2026 and the OVS has commissioned Tim Berens to write a special selection celebrating the life of Harriet Tubman for a performance on April 25. Tim’s poignant arrangement of Amazing Grace that was recently featured at the grand re-opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral will be sung on the Ariel stage by vocalist Mandy Gaines along with other selections as part of the nation’s festivities. Be a part of the creation of another live recording for later release on American Public Television.

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. Be a part of this special occasion and purchase your tickets today!

Tim Berens, conductor and arranger
Tim has walked a unique path. While studying classical guitar at CCM, an injury forced him to stop playing guitar. During the years-long recovery, he studied computer science, took a job writing software, and soon owned a small software development company, Back Office Applications. His software is used in grocery stores around the world to this day.

Self employment allowed Tim to pursue his lifelong dream to be a musician. So far, Tim’s dream has led him through the worlds of classical guitar, jazz guitar, orchestral guitar, arranging, orchestration, composition, and conducting.

During his years as the guitarist for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Tim played guitar, banjo, mandolin and bouzouki on concerts, recordings, television programs, and international tours. In the late 1990’s, Tim began arranging for the CPO. His arrangements enriched concerts, CDs, and television broadcasts.

Tim’s arranging caught the ears of others and he began receiving commissions from leading conductors and orchestras. His arrangements and compositions are performed hundreds of times per year by orchestras throughout the United States and abroad, in venues from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl.

In 2010, Tim returned to school to study conducting. After earning a Master Degree in Orchestral Conducting, he began conducting professionally.

Tim’s most recent project is the Berens Pops Library, a library of music for pops orchestras, which was created in response to demand from orchestras to perform his works.

Throughout his professional career Tim performed regularly at jazz clubs, releasing 4 jazz recordings on the Red Mark label under his own name along the way.

Tim’s most nerve wracking performance took place in 1975. Not even the duet he performed with Kristin Chenoweth at Carnegie Hall induced more gut-wrenching performance anxiety than when his band, Holy Terror, performed Smoke on the Water in the Van Buren Junior High School Talent Show. Holy Terror, which consisted of Tim, his neighbor PJ, and PJ’s sister, Cara, would be very impressed that today Tim is conducting symphony orchestras.

An avid chess player (E4) and an enthusiastic, but bad golfer, Tim is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and The Ohio State University.

Visit BerensPopsLibrary.com for more information.

Mandy Gaines, vocalist
Mandy Gaines is a talented, versatile vocalist and entertainer with more than 30 years of professional experience.  She entertains and delights audiences throughout the world. Her performances are viewed as refreshing, soulful and exciting.  She continues to improve and grow through her gifted interpretations of Jazz, Pop, R&B and Soul classics as well as writing and performing her original works.

Mandy began singing at an early age in school and church. She holds a B.A. from the College of Wooster in Speech/Arts. She has continued her studies through private vocal instruction and various workshops emphasizing oral interpretation, jazz improvisation, and vocal technique, theatre and broadcasting/media studies.

Mandy has performed with such Jazz greats as, Wynton Marsalis, Dany Doriz, Randy Brecker, Scott Hamilton, ElDee Young, Red Holt, Rhoda Scott, Deborah Brown, Brad Leali, Bryan Lynch, Keith Loftis, Marcus Printup, Wendall Brunious, Brian Simpson, Vincent Gardner, Wes “warm daddy” Anderson, Michael Stanton and Victor Gaskins.

Mandy was recruited by Coca-Cola Taiwan to become part of an original recording and performing group, “MIT.” With the band she toured island wide to promote their release, “We Can Be One.” She also went on to record with several Asian pop stars as well as maintaining a spot as an on-air radio personality at I.C.R.T., Taiwan’s number one American-Chinese language radio station.

In the ‘90s Mandy returned to her theatre roots and was hired as featured vocalist at “The Oldenberg Dinner Theatre Entertainment Complex” and “The Star of Cincinnati.”  After first traveling to Europe, Mandy returned to Cincinnati and was chosen to be the opening act for Herbie Hancock.  Shortly after, she was nominated “Best R&B” vocalist in Cincinnati’s annual music award show, “The Cammy’s.”  Mandy has been a back-up vocalist for Asian Artist as Harlem Yu and Emil Chou. She has performed for British and American troops at Diego Garcia, Military Base, Indian Ocean.

Upon traveling to Europe she met local musicians and began to perform regularly throughout Belgium and France in local clubs, concerts and festivals where she continues to be invited back each year to perform.  She was selected to perform in Munich, Germany and Zurich, Switzerland as a member of the “Sister City Cultural Exchange Program.” She entertained for the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium to commemorate the inaugural flight and joint venture of Delta and Sabena airlines.

Mandy has continued to perform throughout Asia and Europe.  She has been “Artist in Residence” at 5-star hotels in Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, China and Hong Kong. She performed in Europe at the “April Jazz Festival” in Helsinki, Finland and “Festival International De Jazz” in St.Louis de Senegal, Africa. She also had a European release of her CD “With a Song in My Heart” and was a judge for “Sony Jazz Music Competition” in Riga, Latvia.

Mandy held music workshops in France, teaching jazz and gospel music with emphasis on interpretation, improvisation, stage performance and vocal range. She released her 2^nd CD, “Taking a Chance” In 2007.  Mandy was selected to perform at The American Embassy, Thailand, in commemoration of Black History Month in 2008.

Mandy has been featured as vocalist in the Annual Cote Ouest Big Band Music Festival in Cote, France and starred in the musical revue, “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” performed in Taipei, Taiwan. That same year she performed in the Musical, “Anything Goes” as “Reno Sweeney” at the National Palace Theatre in Taipei Taiwan.  She returned to Russia in 2016 and 2017 to perform a series of Big Band concerts and Pipe Organ Gospel recitals at the American Consulate.

In 2018 Mandy was honored with induction into the Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame.

Her videos can be viewed on YouTube and myspace.com/mandygainesjazzy and her CDs “Just a matter of Time” and “Faith Journey” can be purchased on I-Tunes, Amazon, and CDBaby.com.

Mandy continues to travel the world performing and recording while entertaining audiences along the way!

Repertoire

Join the fun at the ARIEL’S MERRY TUBACHRISTMAS!

MERRY TUBACHRISTMAS is celebrating its 52nd Anniversary (1974-2025). Created by Harvey Phillips, MERRY TUBACHRISTMAS 2025 will be presented in over 300 cities throughout the United States and in several foreign countries. TUBACHRISTMAS ensembles may attract participants aged 8 to over 90 years! The warm, rich organ-like sound of tuba-euphonium choir has won the ears and hearts of every audience!

Come and Listen 100% FREE!
TUBACHRISTMAS is 100% FREE for audience members who just want to come into our hall and experience the event. No tickets are necessary. It’s sure to be loads of fun, and will get you in the Christmas Spirit! Always the second Saturday in December at 2 pm.

-OR-
Join in the Fun and PLAY ALONG!

Pre-Register to Participate Today!

Bring your Tuba, Baritone, Euphonium, or other big brass buddy and join in the fun at the Ariel Theatre! Participants pay  $10 to participate and will receive a 2024 commemorative button! Plus there are lots of souvenirs and music books available for purchase! Register at the door, or save time and Pre-Register here and we’ll have everything ready for you when you arrive!

Registration begins at 10:30am ~ Rehearsal begins at 11:00am

The historic Ariel Opera House presents for two performances the Ariel Players in It’s a Wonderful Life, A Live Radio Play by Joe Landry.

Inspired by the classic American film It’s a Wonderful Life, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast in front of a studio audience. Five actors perform the dozens of characters in the radio play as well as produce the sound effects. It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play premiered in 1996 at Stamford Center for the Arts in Stamford, Connecticut, and has since been produced around the country to critical acclaim.

Premium seats are available for Rows A-F. Group of 10 or more tickets get 10% off!

Door open 3:30 p.m. Play starts at 4:00. No food or drinks permitted in the auditorium.

Produced by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing. www.BroadwayLicensing.com

The Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Cultural & Performing Arts Centre and The Ohio Valley Symphony are 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, Federal Tax ID# 31-1273779

Congratulations to Cindy Sexton, Executive Director of French Art Colony, the 2025 Maestro for a Moment! The Maestro for a Moment Fundraiser is one of the highlights of The Ohio Valley Symphony’s season for both audience and orchestra! Each season’s three candidates vie for the opportunity to conduct the orchestra during the The Christmas Show in a rousing rendition of Sleigh Ride! Thank you to this year’s candidates are Gallia Co. Prosecutor Jason Holdren; Peoples Bank Branch Manager Chris Nida; and French Art Colony Executive Director Cindy Sexton for making this year’s fundraiser a success.

Click “Read More” to learn more about our candidates!

Maestra Cindy Sexton, Exec. Director, French Art Colony

Cynthia (Cindy) Sexton, a native of Gallia County, effectively converted her creative passion into a prosperous career. As a thriving business owner for over four decades, she acquired an impressive array of credentials, including a PHD in the Helix haircutting system, a master’s degree in hair coloring , and an American and International board certification as a hair color specialist. Sexton also showcased her expertise as a performing hair color artist for Redken 5th Avenue, sharing her knowledge with salon professionals across the nation.

With a proven track record of dedication, performing in numerous plays, serving as a volunteer for the French Art Colony for over 20 years and as board chair for six years, Sexton’s appointment as Executive Director for the French Art Colony three years ago was a natural progression. Her unwavering ethics and genuine zeal for the arts made her an exceptional fit for the FAC, where she can harmoniously combine her fervor and profession once again. Sexton has headed fund raising events, organized physical improvements projects, scheduled exhibits and much more.

Sexton served on many boards through the years and enjoys giving back to her community. She was the MC for the Prom Fashion Show at the Ariel Opera House and has been a volunteer usher for numerous events. She served on the Gallipolis River Recreation Festival Queen Pageant committee, chairperson of the Emancipation and Bicentennial Queen pageants, traveled the tri-state area judging pageants, was a former Rotary member and is an active member of the Fellowship of Faith Church. In her free time, she enjoys riding Harley motorcycles with her husband and playing Texas Hold’em. She and her husband Richard have two married daughters and one granddaughter who loves the arts as much as her grandmother. She is pursuing a degree in musical theater and volunteers at the FAC. Grace could be the one to watch in the future as Maestro for the Moment.

Maestra Jason Holdren, Gallia County Prosecutor

Jason Holdren is the Prosecuting Attorney for Gallia County, Ohio. Holdren was elected in 2016 and took office in January of 2017. Holdren was reelected in 2020 and again in 2024. As prosecuting attorney, Holdren has worked closely with local law enforcement to combat the drug epidemic by holding traffickers accountable and providing rehabilitation options to those addicted. Holdren serves on the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association Legislative and Executive Committees, Ohio Attorney General’s Advisory Committee on Victim Services funding, Gallia County Community Improvement Corporation, and the Ariel Board of Directors as Vice President. Additionally, Holdren is an active member of the Gallia County HOPE Coalition and serves as a community mentor for local high school students. Holdren prioritizes working closely with local youth and school officials, always striving to support and strengthen the future of Gallia County.

Prior to being elected, Holdren served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Gallia and Vinton Counties as well as maintaining a private law practice. He is a graduate of Ohio Valley Christian School and went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Marshall University. Holdren received his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and is admitted to practice law in Ohio and West Virginia.

When not serving the community, Holdren enjoys spending time with his wife and children on their family farm in Crown City. Holdren is truly honored and appreciative of the position that the people of Gallia County have entrusted him.

Candidate Chris Nida, Branch Manager, Peoples Bank

My name is Chris Nida. I am 39 years old, and I am the branch manager at the local Peoples Bank of Gallipolis Ohio. I was born and raised in Gallia County and have been with Peoples Bank for 7 years. I am a River Valley Raider and University of Rio Grande Red Storm Alumni.

I am happily married to Beth Nida and have been for 15 years. I am a father to 3 beautiful children: Ella, Titus, and Tucker. I am proud to be apart of this community and I look forward to being a part of the upcoming Ariel Opera House event. I would appreciate your donations to help the Ariel Opera House as well as my chances of being your favorite maestro for one night.

NOVEMBER 22, 2025
Evening

Moxie Events presents and brings to the stage The Magic of 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 power-house vocalists who embody everyone from Diana Ross & The Supremes to Marvin Gay, The Four Tops, and the 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 five-piece band, 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!

Evening: Door open 7:00 p.m. Concert starts at 7:30.
This is a Moxie Events Production.

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.

Widely respected as a music educator and conducting pedagogue, Mr. Huang is the founder and director of International Conducting Masterclasses, Inc., which has trained scores of conductors over the last two decades. He is currently working on a book about conducting.

Mr. Huang has collaborated with orchestras including California, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Ohio, Haiti, Moldova, and Romania. He has held the position of Music Director of the University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Central Illinois Youth Symphony, the Gilbert and Sullivan Players of Chicago, and the Bradley University Orchestra. He has served as guest conductor with multiple appearances with Brasov Philharmonic, Romania, and the National Philharmonic of Moldova. In America, he has guest conducted professional ensembles such as the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Lake Shore Symphony in Illinois, and the Four Seasons Symphony in California.

Currently Mr. Huang serves as Music Director and Conductor of the New Westchester Symphony Orchestra in New York, Music Director of the Yale Medical School Orchestra, Music Director of the Norwalk Youth Concert Orchestra, as well as a board member of BLUME Haiti, which supports music education in Haiti.

Repertoire

Join us Nov. 1 for All Hallows’ Eve when Matthew Troy leads us in a musical celebration of All Saints Day with Wendel’s Ride of the Headless Horseman, Gounod’s Funeral March of a Marionette and Khachaturian’s Masquerade Suite and Borodin’s Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances as part of an evening of musical tricks and treats. Pianist Michael Chertock returns for Liszt’s Totentanz.

Matthew Troy, conductor
Matthew Troy was named Music Director and Conductor of the Western Piedmont Symphony (NC) in 2019. During this time, he has raised the profi le of the orchestra, increased the scope of the youth orchestra, created a vibrant pops series, increased the budget and sponsorships, formed new strategic partnerships, increased musician wages, and led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic. Troy is a conductor with a mission to make classical music accessible to everyone and to program concerts that are meaningful, relevant, and artistically exceptional. He has conducted orchestras across the country, including the Sarasota Orchestra, Tallahassee Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Portland Symphony, Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, Northern Lights Chamber Orchestra (AK), Oklahoma Virtuosi, University of North Carolina School of the Arts Symphony, Salisbury Symphony, and others.

Formerly, he served as the Associate Conductor with the Winston-Salem Symphony. From 2015 to 2020, Troy held the position of music director and conductor of the Piedmont Wind Symphony, where he transformed the ensemble into one of the leading professional wind ensembles in the country. Troy also served on the conducting staff of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic from 2010 to 2023, where he led over 200 performances with the orchestra on the Discovery Family Series, educational concerts, Carnegie Hall’s Link Up concerts, subscription concerts on the Classics and Pops Series and led many other outreach efforts.

Troy has collaborated with many internationally renowned composers and classical artists, such as Jennifer Koh, Midori, Tai Murray, Joe Lulloff , Kelly Hall-Tompkins, Jeff ery Biegel, Bryan Wallick, Wu Man, Anthony Dean Griff ey, Sidney Outlaw, Peter Boyer, Jerod Tate, Quinn Mason, Dan Perttu and pops artists such as Ben Folds, Boyz II Men, Pink Martini, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Doreen Ketchens, Judy Collins, Texas Tenors, Eileen Ivers, The Wailers, and others. As an educator, Troy has taught conducting on the faculties of Wake Forest University, UNC School of the Arts, UNC- Greensboro, and Cannon Music Camp.

Maestro Troy is known for innovative programming and partnerships, deep community involvement, and support for music education. He has long been an advocate for under-represented composers and new music including world premieres and new commissions. He is recognized for creating an instant rapport with both orchestras and audiences, and for his unique ability to make classical music engaging and relevant to today’s audiences. Troy has pushed boundaries through a number of fi lm and music projects. In April 2018, he created a program called Music Without Borders, which focused on the ongoing refugee crisis both locally and abroad. This concert included music and partnerships for many countries aff ected by these issues, including a partnership with World Relief and local interfaith groups. Troy has performed countless clinics supporting local music teachers, and created and funded outreach programs into local prison systems.

Troy is a passionate advocate for orchestral music and music education. As a viola/violin faculty member at the Music Academy of North Carolina, he received awards for excellence in teaching. Troy is a frequent conductor/clinician and has led numerous All-State and All-County clinics throughout the United States. Intermittently from 2015 – 2021, Troy served as conductor of the Cannon Music Camp, where he also played viola in the faculty string ensemble. One of Troy’s most creative projects at the Winston-Salem Symphony was an educational program that partnered the orchestra with a San Francisco-based nonprofi t organization called the African Library Project. This program, created in conjunction with the educational concert series and a corresponding short story competition, used music to focus on the importance of literacy both locally and abroad. Through this program, Troy raised over 50,000 books to start 50 new libraries for schools in Botswana, while allowing three students in Winston-Salem the opportunity to receive new instruments and music lessons. This program garnered national attention, and Troy was invited to lead a presentation on the project at the League of American Orchestras national conference.

Troy is an accomplished violist and has performed as assistant principal violist with Utah Festival Opera, and performed with Winston-Salem Symphony, Piedmont Opera, Piedmont Chamber Singers, Salem Bach Festival, and stays active with his string quartet. In addition, Troy has served as a judge for the Rosen-Schaff el Competition, the Charlotte Symphony’s Concerto Competition, UNC School of the Arts Concerto Competition, and the Peter Perret Youth Talent Search with the Winston-Salem Symphony.

Troy maintains an active guest conducting schedule and has previously competed in the Jordanian International Conducting Competition. Troy completed his master’s degree in orchestral conducting as a student of Maestro Robert Gutter and has studied at the prestigious Pierre Monteux School under Maestro Michael Jinbo and with renowned conducting pedagogues Maestro Gerard Schwarz and Maestro Kenneth Kiesler at the Conductors Retreat at Medomak. In addition to his conducting engagements, Troy keeps a very active schedule as a public speaker and is a member of the League of American Orchestras, and the Pi Kappa Lambda Honors Music Society, and he serves on the board of directors for Greensboro Opera. In his free time, he enjoys reading, studying new music, and traveling.

Michael Chertock, piano
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, the Dayton Philharmonic, and The Ohio Valley Symphony. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1999 with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, performing Duke Ellington’s New World A’Comin’.

Michael first performed publicly at the age of 11 and by age 17, he performed the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 with Andrew Litton. He has garnered numerous awards at major competitions, among them the top prize in the 1989 Joanna Hodges Int’l Piano Competition (Brahms Division) and the grand prize in the 1993 St. Charles International Piano Competition.

In 2005, Michael performed the world premiere of Jeux Deux, a work by Todd Machover commissioned by the Boston Pops Orchestra expressly for him. He recorded the piece in Denmark.

Michael released three CDs of his original arrangements entitled Cinematic Piano, Telarc: Palace of the Winds, Christmas at the Movies and Love At the Movies, which have been praised for their lush, original arrangements and exquisite technical facility.

In 2023 Michael was soloist for The Ohio Valley Symphony’s “American Rhapsody”, a musical journey of the greatest hits of the 1920’s when he performed a brand new orchestral arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue just in time for the 100th anniversary of Gershwin’s masterpiece, available on CD and DVD.

Michael is the conductor of the Blue Ash-Montgomery Symphony, located in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio. When not on tour he also serves as principal keyboardist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In June of 2004 Mr. Chertock was appointed Assistant Professor of piano at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, where he received his Master’s Degree as a student of Frank Weinstock.

Repertoire

The 2024-25 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.

Internationally noted conductor, François López-Ferrer will be back on the Ariel Opera House stage as he leads the OVS through Double Delight on September 13 with Cincinnati Symphony’s principal cellist, Ilya Finkleshteyn  performing Brahms Double Concerto for violin and cello along with his violinist wife Evin Blomberg also a member of the CSO. The OVS will also perform Shostakovich’s cheeky and charming Symphony No. 9.

Join us Nov. 1 for All Hallows’ Eve when Matthew Troy leads us in a musical celebration of All Saints Day with Wendel’s Ride of the Headless Horseman, Gounod’s Funeral March of a Marionette and Khachaturian’s Masquerade Suite and Borodin’s Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances as part of an evening of musical tricks and treats. Pianist Michael Chertock returns for Liszt’s Totentanz.

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.

Maestro Peter Stafford Wilson takes us to the British Isles for an evening of Celtic Dreams on March 21 with  an evening of music from Ireland, Scotland and England. Doreen Carwithen’s pastoral Suffolk Suite opens the program and Concertmaster Manami White performs Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending. The OVS offers up Malcolm Arnold’s Scottish Dances, Leroy Anderson’s Irish Suite and the evocative Shropshire Lad by George Butterworth.

People everywhere will be celebrating America’s 250th birthday in 2026 and the OVS has commissioned Tim Berens to write a special selection celebrating the life of Harriet Tubman for a performance on April 25. Tim’s poignant arrangement of Amazing Grace that was recently featured at the grand re-opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral will be sung on the Ariel stage by vocalist Mandy Gaines along with other selections as part of the nation’s festivities. Be a part of the creation of another live recording for later release on American Public Television.

Every concert ticket includes a 6:45 p.m. Pre-concert Chat on the 3rd floor with the Maestro and soloist of the evening as well as a Post Concert Reception for you to meet the artists.  Subscribers can print the form below and mail to the Ariel Opera House or call the box office. Purchase your season subscription now so you won’t miss a single one!

Our 2025-26 Season Brochure will be available soon for download! 

In these times of uncertainty, concert dates and location may be subject to change. Please watch the website for the latest news.

The Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Cultural & Performing Arts Centre and The Ohio Valley Symphony are 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, Federal Tax ID# 31-1273779

November

The Rustic Mechanicals’ 2025 Vaulting Ambition Tour of William Shakespeare’s

MACBETH!

Murder! Prophecy! Witches! …and, surprisingly, Love!

The power of a prophecy tempts the ambitious General Macbeth and his passionately persuasive wife to accelerate their road to royalty.

Something wicked this way comes when the real-life husband and wife founders of the Rustic Mechanicals play the original power couple whose vaulting ambition unravels their love and their lives.

Sponsored by the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre

ABOUT THE TOURING COMPANY

Directed by Jim Warren, alongside Intimacy Director Jessica Morgan, Fight Choreographer Millie Omps, Voice & Text Coach Bridget Rue Esterhuizen, and Dramaturgy by John Shirley, with Technical Direction by Seret Cole, Production Design by Jason A Young, SFX Design by Len Batson, and Production Management by Niki DeWitt, the Mechanicals featured in this production include Josh Brooks, Justin Grow, Derek Hess, Asa Krinov, Kyia McGill, Stephen Phillips, Sinead Tobin, Jason A Young, and Sarah Young.

ABOUT THE TROUPE
Founded in the summer of 2014, The Rustic Mechanicals is the only troupe of actors in the state dedicated to touring the works of William Shakespeare and other classical playwrights.

The Mechanicals now tour five shows annually, including their summer West Virginia Shakespeare in the Park(s) outdoor tour and script-in-hand productions that we call, “a Play, a Pie, and a Pint,” focusing on making Shakespeare’s plays accessible to modern audiences by utilizing dynamic and extreme casting techniques paired with Shakespeare’s staging conditions.\

OFFICIAL ARTISTS NAMES & ROLES/TITLES
– Cast of MACBETH –
Josh Brooks (he/him) as BANQUO, SIWARD
TBD as KING DUNCAN, SEYTON
TBD as MALCOLM, PORTER, HECATE
Asa Krinov (he/him) as WITCH, ROSS, FLEANCE
TBD as DONALBAIN
Stephen Phillips (he/him) as WITCH, MACDUFF
TBD as WITCH, LENNOX, LADY MACDUFF
Jason A Young (he/him) – as MACBETH
Sarah Young (she/her) as LADY MACBETH, YOUNG SIWARD

– Creative of MACBETH –
Producer – Jason A Young
Director – Jim Warren
Intimacy Director – Jessica Morgan
Fight Choreographer – Millie Omps
Voice & Text Coach – Bridget Rue Esterhuizen
Dramaturg – John Shirley
Production Manager – Niki DeWitt
Technical Director – Seret Cole
Costume Designer – Jason A Young
Original SFX Make-Up Designer – Len Batson

Max Bruch’s Concerto for Clarinet and Viola will feature two OVS members, Laura Sabo on clarinet and Bernard Di Gregorio on viola, in Romantic Spring. Maestro Scott Woodward leads the orchestra in African-American composer William Grant Still’s Woodnotes, Howard Hansen’s Symphony No. 2, the “Romantic,” and other selections.

Dr. Scott E. Woodard, conductor
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).

A product of the public schools in Cabell County, Scott picked up the trumpet in the sixth-grade band. He is a proud Son of Marshall, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. During those MU years, Scott began his study of orchestral conducting under the tutelage of Dr. Paul Balshaw. In 2014, he earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University, where his dissertation explored the importance of the Leningrad School of conducting and its founder Ilya Musin.

Scott lives in Scott Depot with his wife Nafi, a family physician, and their son, Gabriel, a trumpet player just like his dad, and a new baby daughter, Gabriella! His hobbies include playing horrible golf, and trying to figure out how to work on his vintage 1970 Volkswagen Beetle.

Laura Sabo, clarinet
Laura Sabo is a Cincinnati based clarinetist and bass clarinetist. She plays principle clarinet with The Ohio Valley Symphony, Queen City Opera, and Butler Philharmonic. Laura is a regular member of the Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, as well as performing often with regional groups such as West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. She is also the clarinetist for School House Symphony, a group of six professional musicians that perform educational concerts in the greater Cincinnati area.

Laura received her BM from The Ohio State University, met MM from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and her DMA from CCM/UC. Her teachers include James Pyne, Franklin Cohen and Linnea Nereim of the Cleveland Orchestra, Ron de Kant, Steve Cohen, and Ron Aufmann of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Laura is a founding member of the woodwind quintet Wayside Winds, and has been a featured soloist with concert:nova. She loves performing and teaching music, being outside, and animals, especially her two cats.

Bernard Di Gregorio, viola
Bernard Di Gregorio holds the position of Principal Viola of the West Virginia Symphony. He also performs with the Ohio Valley Symphony and the River Cities Symphony and has been the violist of the Montclaire String Quartet.

During the summer months he is the Principal Viola with the New Hampshire Music Festival where he also participates in chamber music programs. Mr. Di Gregorio has also been Principal Viola with the Roanoke (VA) Symphony for over 20 seasons before resigning, has been a member of the Alabama Symphony and also performs occasionally in the viola section of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He has studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and the Longy School of Music where his principal instructor was George Neikrug.

Mr. Di Gregorio has appeared as soloist with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra on occasion and more recently with the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra in Hamilton, OH.

Although very busy as an orchestral/chamber musician and teacher he also performed with several chamber duos including DUO VIANNO, a viola and piano duet, and the DI GREGORIO/ALVES DUO with guitarist Dr. Júlio Ribeiro Alves, giving performances throughout the Ohio Valley and West Virginia areas. Duo Vianno has used concert performances as fund raisers for community programs such as the West Virginia Youth Orchestra and the KUPC Hospitality Dinner to help feed those in need.

As a composer he has had his Symphony for String Orchestra performed by the Seneca Chamber Orchestra in Charleston, WV and Scenes From the Old Country- Four Pictures for Cello and Piano composed for and performed by his wife and cellist, Andrea, at the New Hampshire Music Festival. At the behest of the Montclaire String Quartet has also arranged his Love Letters, Seven Miniatures for Piano for string quartet and was performed by Montclaire.

As well as a busy performer, Mr. Di Gregorio is also an Artist-in-Residence with the West Virginia Symphony/ Kanawha County Schools String Program through which he teaches string classes to beginning string students in grade four through eighth grade ensembles and is active as a coach for the West Virginia Youth Symphony program.

JUNE 7, 2025
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

LITTLE MISS/MR. PAGEANT
Pageant at 1:00 pm, ticket prices $7-$10, doors open at 8:30pm

GALLIPOLIS RIVER REC QUEEN 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.

VIP seats are available for 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.

Internationally noted conductor, François López-Ferrer will be back on the Ariel Opera House stage as he leads the OVS through Double Delight on September 13 with Cincinnati Symphony’s principal cellist, Ilya Finkleshteyn  performing Brahms Double Concerto for violin and cello along with his violinist wife Evin Blomberg also a member of the CSO. The OVS will also perform Shostakovich’s cheeky and charming Symphony No. 9.

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.

López-Ferrer has made brilliant debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orquesta Nacional de España, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Opéra de Lausanne, Orquesta deValencia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfónica Radio Televisión Española, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic, and Pasadena Symphony, and was featured in the 2022 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview with Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. He previously served as Associate Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile and Principal Conductor of the Ballet Nacional Chileno.

Upcoming highlights include debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Music Festival, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and Tucson Symphony, as well as return engagements to the Orquesta Sinfónica Radio Televisión Española, Pasadena Symphony, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, and Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile.

An inaugural apprentice of the Verbier Festival’s 2018 Conductor Mentorship Program, López-Ferrer made a last-minute critically-acclaimed debut with the Verbier Festival Orchestra jumping in for Iván Fischer in a shared program with Sir Simon Rattle and Gábor Takács-Nagy. He was recipient of a Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation U.S., winner of the inaugural 2015 Neeme Järvi Prize awarded at the Menuhin-Gstaad Festival, and a previous member of the Deutsche Dirigentenforum.

López-Ferrer holds a master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne and a bachelor’s in Composition from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Evin Blomberg, violin
Praised for her “virtuoso technique” and “commanding musical presence”, violinist Evin Blomberg has performed on stages around the world. Recently, Evin received the Bronze Award at the 2022 Singapore International Music Competition, and was a Laureate at the 2021 International Chicago Violin Competition. She has also previously won prizes in competitions including 4th Prize at the International Irving M. Klein String Competition in 2016, 2nd Prize at the Schmidbauer International Competition in 2013, 1st Prize at the Korea Times Competition in the United States in 2007, and was also a competitor at the 8th International Fritz Kreisler Competition in Vienna, Austria.

At the age of 15, Evin Blomberg was accepted into the studio of Robert Lipsett at The Colburn School Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, where she received both a Bachelor of Music degree and Artist Diploma. Evin then went on to study at the Manhattan School of Music in New York as a student of Pinchas Zukerman, and received a Master of Music degree in the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program. In addition to her music education, Evin has received certifications from The Wharton School Online (Leadership and Management Certificate Program) and The YWCA Rising Star Leadership Program (Board and Equity Leader Certification).

In 2021, Evin received a Next Up Alumni Recital Series Grant from The Colburn School to record, edit, and produce a digital recital in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Available on YouTube, the recital (titled “Solo”) is an example of Evin’s passion for performance. The following year, Evin received a second Next Up Alumni Grant together with cellist Natalie Helm. Evin and Natalie formed the duo “DuoSkope” following their years together at The Colburn School, and the grant allowed for them to join forces again and present a recital on campus in Thayer Hall. Prior to the pandemic, Evin has performed recitals throughout Southern California, New York, and Florida, and was featured in performances hosted by the American Fine Arts Festival in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and solo performances around the Bay Area by the Steinway Society and Insight Chamber Players.

Before joining the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Evin was based in London, England, where she performed in the violin sections of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra. While working in London, Evin went on several performance tours, including London Philharmonic tours to Taiwan, China, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States, and also participated in the Glyndebourne Opera Festival and recording sessions at the legendary Abbey Road Studios.

Evin plays on a 1772 Joseph Gagliano violin.

Ilya Finkelshteyn, cello
Ilya Finkelshteyn was praised by the Washington Post as a “complete master of his instrument,” and has performed throughout the United State, Canada, Europe and Japan. He has appeared as soloist with the Baltimore, St. Louis, Detroit, Mostly Mozart and many other world class orchestras, including the National Repertory Orchestra. He is a prize winner of numerous competitions including the Concertino Praga, Russian Cello Competition, the WAMSO International Competition, Aspen Concerto Competition, and Chautauqua Concerto Competition.

As a winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition, Ilya was a soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra on its tours to France and Bermuda.

Currently Ilya is principal cellist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and prior to that he was principal cellist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Cello at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He started his education at the Special Music School at the St. Petersburg Conservatory before immigrating to the United States where he studied at the University of Minnesota and the Julliard School.

Ilya plays a cello by Domenico Montagnana circa 1730 courtesy of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.  He actively maintains a YouTube channel which includes performance videos of his own musical adaptations, @IlyaFinkelshteyn.

Repertoire

Dr. Mel P. Simon, Age 89 of Gallipolis, Ohio Passed away peacefully on March 7, 2025, in Evanston, Illinois, surrounded by his loving family.

A Life Well-Lived

Dr. Mel P. Simon was born on October 29, 1935, in Angadanon, Isabela, Philippines, to Lucrecia Palatao Simon and Melecio G. Simon. He was the eight of twelve children.

During his last year in medical school, he met his Valentine sweetheart, Lydia Sarzaba, a young nurse who would become the love of his life. In 1959, when Dr. Simon traveled to the United States for medical training, he arranged to be on Lydia’s flight, knowing that she was also heading to the U.S. for a position at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. They married that same year and soon arranged to work at the same hospital. (Click “Read More” below to read Dr. Simon’s obituary)

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Mel’s name to:
Ariel Opera House
www.arieloperahouse.org
Ohio Valley Symphony
PO Box 424 Gallipolis, OH 45631

Dr. Simon graduated from the University of Santo Tomas Medical School in 1959 and completed his surgical internship and residency in Urology at Cook County Hospital in Chicago in 1966.

Settling in Gallipolis, Ohio, Dr. Simon dedicated his life to serving the community. He was the only urologist across several counties while working with Holzer Hospital. In 1972, he and Lydia founded the Hillcrest Urological Clinic, where he took care of his patients and performed surgeries out of four hospitals in Ohio and West Virginia. His commitment to healthcare extended beyond urology. He was a founding member of Pinecrest Nursing Home, now known as The Arbors, in 1978. This was the first facility dedicated to senior care in Southeast Ohio.

A man of deep generosity and service, Dr. Simon was actively involved in the Rotary Club of Gallipolis. Alongside Lydia, he led “Operation We Care,” a medical-surgical mission team that provided care to indigent patients in remote areas of the Philippines for over 30 years. With the help of Rotary International and local Rotarians, he brought hope and healing to many. His leadership was widely recognized, and he was honored to be the first Filipino-American to serve as District Governor of Rotary District 6690 in the United States (1998-1999).

In 2009, he established the French 500 Free Clinic in Gallia County to provide medical care to uninsured patients. He also served on the Rio Grande University Board of Trustees for many years and funded a new Chemistry Lab. In 2010, he was honored and inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizen Hall of Fame for his outstanding contributions to the community.

Col. Mel P Simon
Oct. 28, 1994

Dr. Simon was proud to serve in the United States Air Force Reserves, Medical Corps, achieving the rank of full Colonel at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. His love for service blended with his passion for flying, and he became an instrument-rated pilot, flying his own planes.

A philanthropist, among his many projects, he and Lydia were instrumental in the restoration of the historic Ariel Opera House which led to the birth of The Ohio Valley Symphony Orchestra, where he served on the Board of Directors.

A world traveler, Dr. Simon always found solace at his home by the Ohio River. Fulfilling his father’s dream of becoming a farmer, he purchased and worked on a 150-acre historic dairy farm in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, renaming it Simon’s Old Town Farm. Here is where many family reunions and community fundraising campaigns were celebrated.

He was an avid Harley motorcyclist, a downhill skier, and a lover of water sports and boating.

He was a man of deep faith and a devout Catholic. An active parishioner at St. Louis Catholic Church, Dr. Simon was 4th-degree member of the Knights of Columbus.

Family & Loved Ones

Dr. Simon is survived by his beloved wife, Lydia Sarzaba Simon, and his children:
• Maria Lucrecia Simon (Paul Weber) Skokie, Illinois
• Sherwyn Simon (Theresa Simon) Point Pleasant, West Virginia
• Paul Simon (deceased) Paul Simon (Agnes Enrico Simon) Point Pleasant, West Virginia

He was a cherished grandfather to Lauren Simon SeJan, Ross Dixon, Joshua Simon, Jacob Simon, and Zachary Simon, and a loving great-grandfather to Isabell Albarran, Elliott SeJan, and Collins SeJan. Dr. Simon was beloved brother to Remy Simon of Gallipolis, Ohio.

Service & Remembrance

A visitation and Funeral Mass was held at St. Mary’s Church followed by a Celebration of Life in Evanston, IL, on March 22, 2025. Dr. Simon’s final resting place will be at Ohio Memorial Gardens Mausoleum in Gallipolis, Ohio, on March 29, 2025.

The family expresses deep appreciation for his team of compassionate caregivers and the Hospice Team at Journey Care, as well as The Merion community and staff for their kindness and care.

Daring Dances will move you with a selection of dazzling dance music under the baton of conductor Michael Chertock leading the OVS through Ravel’s La Valse and Bolero. Even more dazzling, Michael will also be the piano soloist on Leroy Anderson’s Piano Concerto. Talk about multi-tasking! This concert is sponsored In Memory of Clare E. Gettles.

Michael Chertock, conductor & pianist
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, the Dayton Philharmonic, and The Ohio Valley Symphony. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1999 with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, performing Duke Ellington’s New World A’Comin’.

Michael first performed publicly at the age of 11 and by age 17, he performed the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 with Andrew Litton. He has garnered numerous awards at major competitions, among them the top prize in the 1989 Joanna Hodges Int’l Piano Competition (Brahms Division) and the grand prize in the 1993 St. Charles International Piano Competition.

In 2005, Michael performed the world premiere of Jeux Deux, a work by Todd Machover commissioned by the Boston Pops Orchestra expressly for him. He recorded the piece in Denmark.

Michael released three CDs of his original arrangements entitled Cinematic Piano, Telarc: Palace of the Winds, Christmas at the Movies and Love At the Movies, which have been praised for their lush, original arrangements and exquisite technical facility.

In 2023 Michael was soloist for The Ohio Valley Symphony’s “American Rhapsody”, a musical journey of the greatest hits of the 1920’s when he performed a brand new orchestral arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue just in time for the 100th anniversary of Gershwin’s masterpiece, available on CD and DVD.

Michael is the conductor of the Blue Ash-Montgomery Symphony, located in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio. When not on tour he also serves as principal keyboardist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In June of 2004 Mr. Chertock was appointed Assistant Professor of piano at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, where he received his Master’s Degree as a student of Frank Weinstock.

On Tuesday evening, October 15th, Heritage Ohio held their 2024 Annual Awards ceremony at the Midland Theatre in Newark, Ohio, as the opening of their annual conference. Over 100 nominations were received for 11 awards. The awards honor Ohio’s best projects, places and people who create lasting impacts through historic preservation and community revitalization.

This year’s award for the Historic Theatre of the Year Award was presented to the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre in Gallipolis.

The Historic Theatre of the Year Award is presented to the historic theatre, opera house or cinema which most embodies the spirit of historic preservation.

The Ariel Opera House, built in 1895 by the Ariel Oddfellows Lodge and designed by the state architects Packard and Yost, originally featured two street-level storefronts, a banquet hall and parlors on the second floor and a lodge room on the third floor. After changing hands several times, the Gallia Masonic Lodge acquired it in 1919, adding another storefront, a ballroom and expanded facilities in 1930. While the front portion of the building remained in use, the theatre portion closed in the mid-1960’s and fell into disrepair. Local professional musician, Lora Lynn Snow, attracted by the spectacular acoustics of the abandoned opera house, began efforts to restore it in 1987 for use by The Ohio Valley Symphony she wanted to form. With community support, the Ariel was restored preserving the original architecture such as golden oak woodwork and ornamental plaster while bringing it up to code. A Grand Re-Opening was held June 9, 1990.

In 2005, Mrs. Ann Carson Dater purchased the building and gave it to The Ohio Valley Symphony for their home in perpetuity. Subsequent work included installing energy efficient windows, a new elevator, upgraded HVAC, plaster repair and painting and a new marquee.

In 2014 the Box Office was restored recreating the original 1895 aesthetic at the street level. In 2016 with the help of the League of Historic American Theatres, the original carpet was recreated and installed. Now restored to her former glamour, the Ariel retains the nineteenth century look, but boasts state-of-the-art amenities such as Wi-Fi throughout and is ADA accessible. The Ariel is recognized as one of the top 10 restored theatres in Ohio.

Heritage Ohio Prompts economic growth through the preservation and revitalization of downtowns and neighborhoods across Ohio. Heritage Ohio is the designated statewide Ohio preservation partner with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Through saving the places that matter we can all build a community and live better. Learn more about how to get involved by visiting heritageohio.org.