Classically Speaking

The program that I've been producing airs tonight (and on Christmas Eve), and I still have yet to mention it here! 

Hope you can tune in for "Christmas with the Ohio Valley Symphony" tonight at 9pm and December 24 at 2pm on West Virginia Public Radio. Here's the press release from the Ohio Valley Symphony with all the details! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE OHIO VALLEY SYMPHONY


W.Va. Public Radio airs "Christmas with the OVS"

Hark! The little town of Gallipolis is about to share its holiday spirit with the world, thanks to West Virginia Public Radio. The state-wide network will air "Christmas With The Ohio Valley Symphony" -- a broadcast of highlights from the OVS's 2009 "Christmas Show" recorded live at the Ariel Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre-- twice during the week before Christmas.

Celebrate the sounds of the season with family, friends, and favorite holiday songs and Christmas carols at Dec. 21 at 9 p.m. and Dec. 24 at 2 p.m. OVS music director Ray Fowler leads southeast Ohio's only professional orchestra from the stage of the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre. The performance was part of the orchestra's season-long 20th birthday celebration.

For Fowler, the OVS's conductor since its first performance in 1989, the holiday concert is a special event that has become a beloved community tradition. Listeners can look forward to new pieces, holiday classics and more modern seasonal standards -- all set for orchestra by master arrangers including Carmen Dragon and Leroy Anderson.

The OVS's years of success are a testament to the region's dedication, Fowler said. "A small, Appalachian community can actually support a quality symphony orchestra experience. That's very special."

Hearing the OVS on their home stage, the 1895 opera house that was restored by the community is a special treat. “The acoustics are superb,” remarked Executive Director Lora Lynn Snow. “We treat the Ariel as an instrument and have designed the orchestra around the hall. We are so pleased to be able to share this sound with WV Public Radio’s audience.”

In addition to the 14 broadcast stations of WVPR, whose signals already reach well into Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the performance also will be available online through the network's Web site, www.wvpubcast.org. On this home page, click on the “Listen Live” box and choose the medium you want to listen on (computer, iPhone). Anyone around the world with an Internet connection -- on a computer or a mobile device like a smartphone -- will be able to share the experience of an Ohio Valley Symphony holiday.


Tune in and let The Ohio Valley Symphony cap your Christmas preparations with this special holiday event. For more information, call the Ariel-Dater office at (740) 446-2787, visit the OVS online or WVPR's Classically Speaking blog.

While the Symphony Chorus cannot be heard on the current WVSO season, the local community clearly demonstrated their support of the chorus last evening. (ed. note: This sentence was edited for clarity after this article was initially published.)

It was SRO for Messiah at Christ Church United Methodist in Charleston. Chairs of all kinds were brought from rooms throughout the church to accommodate the overflow crow – and some folks just stood through the concert or sat on the stairs. Christ Church’s David Donathan says: “In my 18 years at CCUM, I have never seen that many people in that room. It was very exciting!”

And for their efforts, the 80 member ensemble was rewarded with an extended standing ovation at the end of the 90-minute concert.

Kudos go to director Dr. David Castleberry for his leadership, and not just as conductor. The choice of repertoire, Handel’s Messiah, was both popular and timely. His judicious cutting created an offering that both satisfied the audience but did not wear out the chorus. He also matched the vocal quality of the soloists to the solos well.

As a conductor, Castleberry was efficient and clear with very little expression except during the alternating sections of Since by man … He’d obviously done his job in rehearsal. He took the movements at a clip, detached and ‘dry’ to match the musical period. A small instrumental ensemble of 11 provided more than sufficient accompaniment for the chorus and soloists. Oh – and no stick. It was an intimate performance.

The chorus was well-rehearsed and fairly well-balanced. They executed the melismas with accuracy and delicacy, a quality often lacking in the performance of this work. The chorus was not unleashed until the Hallelujah and the following choruses. And Castleberry gave the singers somewhere to go and grow in the final chorus by starting the Amen section quietly and detached.

As for the soloists – they were all members of the chorus. What a pleasure! Choristers are rarely allowed to shine individually but they did last night. Dirk Johnson, Roger Wolfe, Erin Kishpaugh, Susan Tams, Eva Jones, Winnie Smith and 16-year-old Collin Nelson all acquitted themselves admirably.

Thanks should also go to the concert sponsor, DiTrapano, Barrett & DiPiero and all the donors who stepped up to support this dedicated organization. It’s amazing the commitment a little controversy can elicit.

By all reports, the retiring offering plates were over-flowing – and well-deserved!

Bravo WV Symphony Chorus!

P.S. The Bloch Sacred Service is planned for the spring semester. Interested singers can contact Dr. Castleberry by email or at 304.696.2963 to schedule an audition.