Meet Our Conductor: Valery Saul — Leading VOCE NWA’s Messiah

Valery Saul will be conducting the Messiah

We are thrilled to announce that Valery Saul will be conducting our upcoming performance of Handel's Messiah with VOCE NWA at Opera in the Ozarks. Her leadership promises an evening of musical depth, warmth, and inspiration.

About Valery Saul

Described as a “powerful presence on the podium” by Marin Alsop, conductor Valery Saul is recognized for her dynamic leadership, technical command, and charismatic rapport with musicians and audiences alike. She is in her third season as Associate Conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and also serves as cover conductor for the Minnesota Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, and Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. Valery was recently selected from an international pool of candidates for the Dallas Opera’s renowned Hart Institute. She makes her Masterworks debut in May 2026 with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

A master of multiple genres, Valery has led the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra to great acclaim in her Pops concerts, Broadway Rocks, Lights, Camera, Action! and Bond and Beyond. In December 2024, she led acclaimed performances of The Nutcracker with Ballet Arkansas.

She has been an invited participant of several prestigious masterclasses with orchestras from around the world. She has worked with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain, National Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Romanian Chamber Orchestra. She has also been a participant at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. Valery was the second place winner of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra’s Conducting Competition. For two summers, she has been a conducting fellow at the Bellingham Festival of Music. 

A graduate of Peabody Conservatory in 2022, Valery has been mentored by Marin Alsop, Cristian Macelaru, David Danzmayr, Marcelo Lehninger, and George Manahan. In addition to conducting, Valery is a professional opera singer.

About VOCE NWA’s Messiah

This authentic chamber performance, conducted by Valery Saul, features a double quartet of singers with a small orchestra, echoing the scale and intimacy of Handel’s original oratorio. The result is a rich, immersive musical journey that captures the true spirit of the season.

The performance is on Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 2PM at the Opera in the Ozarks brand new theater in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Tickets are going fast. Get yours at opera.org.