Les RokaLes Roka

I am a native of Toledo, Ohio, having received my Ph.D. in journalism and mass communication from Ohio University's Scripps School of Journalism in 2002. In addition to teaching at Utah State University and the University of Utah, I have worked extensively in public relations for a variety of organizations including a major metropolitan university, college of osteopathic medicine, and community college. When it comes to intellectual curiosity, I venture into as many areas as possible, whether it’s about music criticism, the history of journalism, the practice of public relations in a Web 2.0 world and the soon-to-arrive Web 3.0 landscape, or how public debates are formed about many issues especially in the political arena. As a Salt Lake City resident, I currently write and edit a blog called The Selective Echo that provides an entertaining, informative, and provocative look at Salt Lake City and its cosmopolitan best. I also have been the U.S. editorial advisor for an online publication Art Design Publicity based in The Netherlands. And, I use social media tools such as Twitter for blogging, networking with journalists and experts, and staying current on the latest trends in culture and news. I also have been a regular monthly contributor to a Utah business magazine, and I have recently conducted a variety of editing projects involving authors and researchers throughout the country and the world, including Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Lebanon, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan. I’m also a classically trained musician who spent more than 15 years in a string quartet, being involved in more than 400 performances.

More than a story of censorship: Plan-B Theatre to launch April 15 world premiere audio-only production of Matthew Ivan Bennett’s Art & Class

by

In Utah, many contradictions confound in their complexities. Mormonism champions its cosmopolitan outreach through its mission service, where members proselytize about the virtues of perfection, prosperity and duty of faith. Meanwhile, while immigrants and refugees are welcomed in the state, many also feel isolated and vulnerable, seeing clearly how lip service and posturing barely mask … Read more

A splendid time to return to Abravanel Hall: Utah Symphony strings shine in concert with works by Sierra, Bartók, Mozart

by

“When I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer — say traveling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal, or during the night when I cannot sleep—it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best, and most abundantly. Whence and how they come, I know not, nor … Read more

Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation’s next virtual concert features Utah premiere of Koji Attwood’s transcription of Schubert’s Death and the Maiden string quartet

by

Near the end of his life, pianist Vladimir Horowitz told New York Times music critic Anthony Tommasini that one of his greatest regrets was never having played Franz Liszt’s transcriptions of the Beethoven symphonies in public. “For me, the piano is the orchestra,” Horowitz said. “I don’t like the sound of a piano as a … Read more

UMOCA’s spring exhibitions include Baggage: Alex Caldiero in Retrospect, Material Issues: Strategies in 21st Century Craft, This Storm Is What We Call Progress

by

With the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) now open to the public in its most expansive offerings in more than a year, the following exhibitions are a must-see during a visit. For more information about hours and the museum, see The Utah Review’s centerpiece article. Baggage: Alex Caldiero In Retrospect Among the Utah Enlightenment’s … Read more

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art expands its public access with stellar set of exhibitions, celebrating Alex Caldiero, hand-crafted art, video installations, new 21st century perspectives

by

EDITOR’S NOTE: For a detailed summary of UMOCA”s current spring exhibitions, see The Utah Review feature here. One of the best recent developments in downtown Salt Lake City is the expanded public reopening of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA), which also is marking its 90th anniversary this year. The spring schedule of exhibitions … Read more

Utah production team excels in new documentary Anchor Point, set to premiere at Cinequest Film Festival, about women wildland firefighters, rehabilitating work culture

by

In 2018, speaking at a Wharton leadership conference, Kelly Martin, who was the chief of fire and aviation management at Yosemite National Park, told participants, “It doesn’t hurt for the senior executive person to take individuals aside and ask them, for instance, ‘Hey, what has it been like for you as a woman firefighter? What … Read more

Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation launches spring season of virtual concerts, starting with 2006 Bachauer gold medalist Stephen Beus

by

Having a good number of world-class pianists within arm’s reach in the Intermountain West makes for a great spring season of virtual solo concerts that begin tomorrow. The Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation’s series launches tomorrow (March 4) at 7:30 p.m. with Lyrical Landscapes featuring Stephen Beus, the 2006 Bachauer gold medalist, in a concert … Read more

Three examples of virtual excellence: Plan-B Theatre’s P.G. Anon, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s Home Run; Repertory Dance Theatre’s Regalia

by

Three recent virtual events emphasize just how well three Salt Lake City performing arts institutions continue to sustain their creativity and visibility. PLAN-B THEATRE: P.G. ANON Plan-B Theatre always is a master of minimalism so its instrinic strengths are making an audio-only season to celebrate its 30th anniversary possible. The premiere of P.G. Anon, written … Read more

Where the audience has the voting power: Repertory Dance Theatre’s Regalia available this week in virtual format, as 4 choreographers set their sights on commission prize

by

Unquestionably, dance companies in Salt Lake City have done a remarkably good job in keeping their presence active during the last year. Last year, less than two weeks before the pandemic brought live performances to a halt everywhere, Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) held its annual Regalia, the company’s largest fundraiser. The event always has been … Read more

For 30th anniversary, Plan-B Theatre’s unprecedented audio-only season set to premiere Julie Jensen’s P.G. Anon

by

In a December 2020 interview with The Washington Post, Alexis McGill Johnson, the newly installed president of Planned Parenthood, recalled speaking with a woman who told the story about her mother as a college student discovering that she was pregnant and how afraid she was to tell her parents. “Her brother was a flight attendant, … Read more