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.
He has collaborated with renowned soloists such as Pekka Kuusisto, Boris Giltburg, Pablo Sáinz-Villegas, Karen Gomyo, Paul Huang, Geneva Lewis, Clara-Jumi Kang, and Pepe Romero. Critics have been enthusiastic: Bachtrack praised López-Ferrer’s “richly expressive sound, always rendered with clarity and precision,” while Beckmesser magazine described him as an “elegant and authoritative” figure whose gestures “are contagious, commanding the listener’s attention.” SF Classical Voice highlighted López-Ferrer’s “attentiveness as a conductor, moving briskly across the sections of the orchestra to ensure that practically every note from every musician played its role in the design.”

Upcoming engagements include debuts at the Teatro Real in a production of Verdi’s Il Trovatore, and with the Symphonieorchester der Volksoper Wien, Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao, Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, and Opera San Antonio leading Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, as well as returns to the Basque National Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, Symphony San Jose, and the Orchestre Internationale de Genève.

López-Ferrer’s journey began as Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and its May Festival. In 2022, he led the CSO in the U.S. premiere of Mark Simpson’s Violin Concerto, featuring Nicola Benedetti. He was a 2021-22 Dudamel Fellow with the LA Phil and was a featured conductor in the Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview with the Louisiana Philharmonic. Earlier in his career, he served as Associate Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile as well as Resident Conductor of the Opéra de Paris Académie.

Winner of the inaugural 2015 Neeme Järvi Prize at the Menuhin Gstaad Festival and a former member of the Deutsche Dirigentenforum, his educational background includes 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. Born in Switzerland and raised in the United States, François López-Ferrer combines Cuban and Spanish heritage.

Grace Park, Violin
Grace Park is a violinist celebrated for her artistry, passion, and virtuosity. Praised by the San Francisco Chronicle as “fresh, different and exhilarating” and by Strings Magazine for her “intensely wrought and burnished” sound, she captivates audiences worldwide. A winner of the Naumburg International Violin Competition, Ms. Park is recognized as both a compelling soloist and a devoted chamber musician.

Recent highlights include solo appearances with the Colorado Music Festival, the Bard Music Festival under the baton of Leon Botstein, the New York Youth Symphony at Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, and the Prague Philharmonia at the Rudolfinum’s Dvořák Hall. She has also given recital debuts at the Krannert Center, Beethoven Minnesota Festival, and Carnegie Hall.

Ms. Park has since made notable international and U.S. debuts including performances at Seoul Arts Center with Les Musiciens du Louvre conducted by Marc Minkowski, and with the Sarasota Orchestra under Peter Oundjian and the Orlando Philharmonic led by Eric Jacobsen. Her chamber music collaborations include regular appearances the Seattle Chamber Music Society, Camerata Pacifica and Savannah Music Festival.

Her debut solo album, recorded with the Prague Philharmonia and music director Emmanuel Villaume, features concertos and solo works by Mozart and Dvořák and was released in 2025.

A devoted and passionate educator, Ms. Park is an alumna of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect and has given masterclasses and coached at institutions including the Conservatorio de Música de Cartagena, Mannes School of Music, University of North Carolina, University of Mississippi, Washington and Lee University, and Skidmore College. She currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Violin at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University alongside an annual visiting residency at the North Dakota State University.

A native of Los Angeles, California, Ms. Park began studying violin at the age of five and trained at the Colburn School of Music before continuing her studies at the Colburn Conservatory and New England Conservatory, where she earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. Her principal teachers include Donald Weilerstein, Miriam Fried, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Robert Lipsett. She resides in New York City.

Ms. Park performs on a 1717 Giuseppe Filius Andrea Guarneri violin, generously on loan from an anonymous sponsor.

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