A “Big Band Blast” – Pomeroy Daily Sentinel

POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. – The Ohio Valley Symphony (OVS) is gearing up for its second performance of the season, a “Big Band Blast”.

The performance, starring conductor and clarinetist Carl Topilow, will take place on Saturday. November 6, 7:30 p.m., Wedge Auditorium, Point Pleasant Junior / Senior High School.

“It’s a tribute to the veterans and it’s a Big Band Blast,” said Lora Snow, Founder and Executive Director of Ariel Opera House.

The concert will have medleys from the 1930s and 1940s.

“[It’s] is going to be the music of the big band era, ”Snow said. “And we have the conductor of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and he’s also a clarinetist, so you can expect Benny Goodman tunes with him playing the clarinet.”

According to the Ariel Theater website, “75 years ago, at the end of WWII, the musical style of the Big Band era was flourishing… [Topilow] will lead the Ohio Valley Symphony through a play spanning styles from Glenn Miller, Hoagie Carmichael, Irvin Berlin and other big band greats.

The driver

“Carl Topilow is renowned the world over for his versatility, whether he’s holding a conductor’s baton or his signature red clarinet,” the Ariel Theater website said.

A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music with a bachelor’s degree in clarinet performance and a master’s degree in music education, Topilow is the founding conductor of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, which is currently in its 25th season of performing.

When it comes to conducting and performing, Topilow often incorporates both into his concerts, taking him around the world with 125 orchestras in 37 states of the United States of America and 12 different countries, according to his website. .

Topilow helped increase community participation and audience engagement while conducting the Firelands Symphony Orchestra in Sandusky, Ohio. He has served as Music Director and Conductor for over 40 years with the National Repertory Orchestra and continues to maintain an active role as a Music Advisor assisting in the training of young musicians and conductors. Topilow was also a conductor and director of the orchestral program at the Cleveland Institute of Music for almost 40 years.

With the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, Topilow has “been the principal pop conductor of the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra in Florida, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, both in Ohio.

When not conducting, Topilow plays the clarinet, often with his pianist brother. The two worked together for three CDs.

Special treatment

As previously reported by Ohio Valley Publishing, Snow encourages those who may not be able to make it to the show or those who wish to bring their children to a preview of the show to attend the orchestra’s open dress rehearsal.

“The OVS is dedicated to bringing great music played by great artists to the Ohio Valley – and making orchestral music easy to love,” a current press release said. “The doors are open and the public is invited to attend OVS rehearsals free of charge from 7 pm to 10 pm on Fridays and from 1 pm to 4 pm on Saturdays on concert weekends. Open rehearsals are a wonderful way for young and old to listen to live symphonic music when the schedules and times do not allow them to attend concerts. They also offer a behind-the-scenes look at preparing for an orchestral performance.

“Most professional groups don’t, but I really wanted to have a different policy for those same reasons,” Snow said.

Tickets

Tickets are available now on the Ariel Theater website.

Snow said veterans and members of the armed forces get a 10% discount on November 6 concert tickets.

The Big Band Blast concert is sponsored by the Ohio Valley Bank.

COVID-19 security protocols are still in place for OVS concerts with social distancing, masking and all performers will be vaccinated, Snow said. Spectators are requested to wear masks.

As noted earlier in this article, the performance is scheduled for November 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Wedge Auditorium, located on the Point Pleasant Junior / Senior High School campus. This temporary change of venue is due to the HVAC renovations and Snow also said that due to the larger size of this auditorium, it will also allow more room for social distancing.

© 2021, Ohio Valley Publishing, all rights reserved.

OVS welcomes the conductor of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra

Brittany Hively is a writer for Ohio Valley Publishing. Follow her on Twitter @britthively; Reach her at (740) 446-2342 ext. 2555.