The performing stages at this year’s Utah Arts Festival features an impressive range of styles, aesthetics, approaches and genres from local musicians. Among the artists representing hip hop this year are Zac Ivie and Dumb Luck. Zac Ivie and Ocelot (Aug. 27, 10:15 p.m., Park Stage) Just days before the pandemic erased every performing artst’s … Read more
This year’s Utah Arts Festival brings three world premieres in its jazz commission program, representing the 2020 and 2021 winners: Steve Erickson and Tyler Chen, respectively. Their pieces will premiere Aug, 27 at 6:30 p.m. on the Festival Stage with the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra. Tyler Chen: Acclimation and Blues for Courtney In middle … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Utah Review begins its preview coverage today of the 45th Utah Arts Festival, which will be held Aug. 27-29 (noon to 11 p.m. on Aug. 27 and 28 and noon to 9 p.m. on Aug. 29) on the Library Square in downtown Salt Lake City. As this is the state’s largest multidisciplinary … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Utah Review will present reviews of nine Great Salt Lake Fringe shows in a two-part series on Aug. 2-3. In a recent Facebook post, Utah playwright Morag Shepherd, who has participated several times in the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival, wrote, “For those who do not have the luxury or privilege to … Read more
Maria Eydman, 16, from Germany, won the gold medal and a $15,000 cash prize in the Young Artist portion of the Gina Bachauer International Junior and Young Artists Piano Competitions, which was held virtually this year. Twenty-one pianists, who started the competition last year in the 15-18 age group before the pandemic disrupted it, played … Read more
Vsevolod Zavidov, 15, from Russia, won the gold medal and a $10,000 cash prize in the Junior portion of the Gina Bachauer International Junior and Young Artists Piano Competitions, which are being held virtually this year. Twenty-three pianists, who started the competition last year in the 11-14 age group before the pandemic disrupted it, played … Read more
A year and a half ago, before the pandemic halted all live performances, jurors for the Gina Bachauer International Junior and Young Artists Piano Competitions had listened to 113 pianists, ranging in age from 11 to 18, perform half-hour programs in one of five cities, including Salt Lake City as well as Hamburg, Moscow, New … Read more
There is an invigorating appeal in listening to music for string orchestra composed by a violinist whose instincts elicit a blast of colors, textures, lyricism and effects from an instrumental category with which she is familiar. The Utah Symphony’s performance of Jessie Montgomery’s Strum in the closing concert of a season with unique circumstances was … Read more
Pianist Cahill Smith fits nicely into the NOVA Chamber Music Series’ family, as well as the Utah State University music school in Logan. Take the following example. In two Carnegie Hall recitals, respectively in 2013 and 2015, he dedicated his performances to works by Russian composer Nikolai Medtner, a far less known contemporary of Sergei … Read more
In 1944, the 22-year-old Jean-Pierre Rampal won the Conservatoire test by performing a virtuosic threnody piece for flute by André Jolivet. Throughout his career, Rampal would include in his legendary repertoire the 16 works for the flute, written by Jolivet, one of the elite French composers of the 20th century. Again, the unique circumstances of … Read more