The sounds of the silver screen will fill the historic Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre when The Ohio Valley Symphony, under the direction of Keitaro Harada, takes the stage on Saturday, November 3 with the very best of movie music. The 7:30 pm Hollywood Sounds program features violinist Christina Nam performing Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D Major.
Korngold was a European composer who fled Europe during the Third Reich. He was one of many who ended up on the west coast turning to composing scores for the growing genre of film. Maestro Harada has chosen a program that reflects the history of film in this country to complement Korngold’s concerto. Other movies represented in the concert are Raiders of the Lost Ark, Sound of Music, Schindler’s List, West Side Story and others.
Keitaro Harada is a dazzling presence on the podium and conducts the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and around the world. He is bringing with him the stunning violin prodigy Christina Nam to perform as well as premiering two works by composer Matt Jackfert (you may have heard him on WV Public Radio).
With a growing schedule as an international guest conductor, Harada’s recent and coming seasons mark several high profile engagements including the Tokyo Symphony, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sofia National Opera in Bulgaria. Harada champions creative programming, development of the orchestra as a part of a community’s cultural fabric, advancement of each musician he encounters and responsibility as an artistic and civic leader. He also has a fantastic ear and is looking forward to performing in the acoustically superb Ariel Opera House.
Sixteen year old Christina Nam is a young phenom who has already soloed with major orchestras such as Cleveland and Cincinnati, won numerous international competitions and appeared on shows such as NPR’s “From the Top” and PBS/CET’s “Showcase with Barbara Kellar.”
The OVS is devoted to bringing great music played by great artists to the Ohio Valley – and making orchestral music easy to love. The doors are open and the public is welcome to attend OVS rehearsals for free at 7-10 pm on Fridays and 1-4 pm on Saturdays on concert weekends. Open rehearsals are a wonderful way for young and old alike to listen to live symphonic music when schedules and timing do not allow them to attend concerts. They also offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what goes into preparing an orchestral performance.
Concertgoers — new or veteran — have another chance to learn more about the music with a free pre-concert chat in the third-floor Ariel Chamber Theatre, the pre-concert talks are interactive and informal and begin at 6:45 p.m.
Tickets for The Ohio Valley Symphony’s concerts are $24 for adults, $22 seniors and $12 for students. Tickets are available on the website at arieloperahouse.org or ohiovalleysymphony.org or at the box office. Funding for The Ohio Valley Symphony is provided in part by the Ann Carson Dater Endowment. The Ariel is located at 426 Second Ave. in downtown Gallipolis, Ohio and is an ADA accessible facility.