AMDG
http://www.mydailytribune.com/news/opinion/150000642/Ohio-Valley-Symphony-celebrates-25-years-on-Saturday
*Also published in the on line newspaper, Gallia Hometown Herald October 2, 2014 at
http://galliaherald.com/blog/2014/10/02/the-ohio-valley-symphony-25-years-a-jewel-on-the-banks-of-the-ohio-river/
This
Saturday October 4 at 8 pm the sounds of violins, cellos, bass violins, flutes,
harps, trumpets, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, French horns, trombones, tubas,
percussion, piano, etc. of The Ohio Valley Symphony will reverberate through the
beautifully restored vintage 1895 opera house complex, known today as the
Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre.
The best architects of today would have a difficult time designing a
theater with the near perfect acoustics of this relic in the heart of
Gallipolis, Ohio. This 25th
Anniversary Concert, the first of the season, will feature the soloist Jay
Campbell with his Cello.
Under
the leadership of Lora Snow, the community in a beautiful grass roots effort mobilized
its resources, local businesses, and other entities to restore a neglected century
old opera house in disrepair to the splendor of its heyday. The Ariel Theatre
(really pronounced AR-ee-L) was partially restored for a grand re-opening
concert in 1990. Further renovations
received a big boost in 1991 thanks to a major gift from friends and colleagues
of Morris Haskins to honor his 50 years of service to Ohio Valley Bank. In 1998, Meigs County native Ann Carson Dater,
established and endowment to be used toward better musician pay, more rehearsal
time, more soloists, professional recording, and children’s concerts. In 2005, Mrs. Dater financed the purchase of the
entire Ariel building to provide a permanent home for the symphony and to
create a center for the performing arts. For more detail, click on www.arieltheatre.org or www.ohiovalleysymphony.org.
 |
| Ann Carson Dater, Lora Snow, and her daughter |
For
years The Ohio Valley Symphony has opened its season in the Fall in Point
Pleasant and ended it in spectacular fashion with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture in
the Gallipolis City Park amidst fireworks over the majestic Ohio River shared
by the states of Ohio and West Virginia.
This masterpiece, a memorial to the Napoleonic Wars and invasion of
Russia, provides a great backdrop for our Independence Day celebration which commemorates
the battles for freedom that cost so many lives in the Revolutionary War and
the War of 1812 against the British.
While
negotiating for a prisoner exchange 200 years ago on September 14, 1814, Francis
Scott Key was stranded on a British ship during the all night bombardment of
Ft. McHenry outside of Baltimore. At
dawn the flag at Ft. McHenry was still there!
This inspired him to write the poem and later lyric for what is known today
as the Star Spangled banner. This musical
spectacle with fireworks in the Gallipolis City Park is similar to an
accompaniment in a movie, allowing one to imagine being there during one of the
battles or during the bombardment of Ft. McHenry.
All of the sounds of the diverse
instruments come together at the symphony in almost
perfect unity and harmony under the direction of Maestro Ray Fowler…….the
ultimate of teamwork. Only one musician
with the wrong note or the correct note a bit too soon or a fraction of a
second late could damage the performance.
 |
| A Christmas Concert of the Ohio Valley Symphony |
The
conductor, much like a quarterback in football, keeps every member of a team of
up to 59 members at the Ariel in synchronization by keeping the rhythm with his
baton and giving each musician with different instruments the necessary cues to
start or stop. With his gestures and
body language, the conductor conveys the original intention, the emotion, and
the mood of the composer whose genius, inspired creativity, and artistry
combined the many diverse instrumental sounds into a harmonious masterpiece.
It’s
fun to locate the different instruments and their sounds in the large
orchestra. It duplicates such unique
sounds as of sleigh bells and the horses plowing through the snow as well as the
heavenly sounds of Christmas in its December performance……the strings, the wind
instruments, percussion, piano, etc.
In March it brings to us in Gallipolis the sounds of Broadway, both oral
and instrumental. Some of its music is
pops and some is classical. Over the
year we are treated to a great variety of music and great compositions.
Maestro Ray Fowler
.
There’s something very special about
being actually there at the symphony that cannot be duplicated
on a CD or a DVD or live on TV even if the sounds are perfectly recorded and
transmitted. The atmosphere between
performers and audience is exciting. The
composition may reflect joy, sadness, struggle, emotion, romance, inner conflict,
evil, or sometimes even a little foretaste of the true, the good, and the
beautiful of heaven. Let’s all make sure
that we get there. The members of the audience
can feel as though they are part of the performance or that they are one of
those who the composer intended to communicate to in his very first concert.
A
big bonus is the opportunity to attend a half hour Pre-Concert Chat at 7:15
pm with Tom Consolo, the assistant conductor and a performer himself in the
symphony. He enlightens us with
information about the composer and gives us insights for understanding the
musical compositions. Occasionally the featured
soloist attends and gives insights into his/her own performance. They patiently answer our questions as well.
The gifted musicians of The Ohio
Valley Symphony from seven states and other symphonies have
devoted their childhood, their youth, and their adult lives to study often at
the best schools and continual practice in order to master their particular
instruments. It involves years of hard
work and sacrifice to develop their talents and share the fruits of it all for
our enjoyment…….a relaxing evening with a respite from a tumultuous world and a
hard week.
These
musicians don’t do it for the money because there’s not much there unless one
becomes a superstar. Most teach on the
side to earn a living. They do it
because they love music and the immense satisfaction of sharing their music
with us. To them we owe a debt of
gratitude. Some of our citizens have
enjoyed the Ohio Valley Symphony Orchestra since its initial performance in
1990.
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