Music

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2018: Saad Haddad, youngest recipient ever of Utah Arts Festival’s composer commission award, with forthcoming premiere of Azwaj

by

Saad Haddad’s story is quintessentially American. A first generation American, he was born in Georgia in 1992. His mother is Lebanese and his father is Jordanian. His parents met in the U.S. but they have never visited their respected homelands since their respective families came to the U.S. As a child growing up in southern … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2018: Urban Arts venue offers natural, complex harmonies, visually and musically

by

At the Urban Arts venue of The Utah Arts Festival (June 21-24), graffiti art, in its fully elaborated figurative and thematic forms, consistently is explored as the meaningful, liberated, provocative creative expression that is as relatable to the viewer as any other. This year, the venue’s artists and festival visitors will see graffiti art in … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2018: Making friends, finding fresh twists in every festival venue

by

Before gates open on June 21 for the 42nd Utah Arts Festival, Karen Major, who worked as a paralegal for many years, already will have created a calendar of activities, performances, films and literary events that she and her husband, Steve Sayer, who retired after working as an executive with the Electrolux group, will hang … Read more

Salt Lake City Public Library’s Super Summer Challenge program, Strike A Chord, has recommendations, incentives for everyone, regardless of age

by

Libraries rock. That straightforward declaration is the guiding theme for summer reading and literacy programs in library branches across the country, as millions of families consider creative ways to combat the risk of the summer slide so that their children do not lose the learning momentum they achieved in the school year that just ended. … Read more

Forty pianists, 17 countries in next month’s 17th Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition

by

Next month’s 17th Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition in Salt Lake City unquestionably will be the most cosmopolitan representation of gifted pianists in the Foundation’s 42-year history. Forty pianists, ranging in age from 19 to 32, will represent 17 countries, as they compete in the quarterfinals that will lead ultimately to finalists who will … Read more

Spring review roundup: Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, NOVA Chamber Music Series, Samba Fogo, PYGmalion Productions

by

A busy spring season for many Utah based performing arts company has produced memorable performances. RIRIE-WOODBURY DANCE COMPANY: RETURN In Daniel Charon’s Return, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company created a new realm of dance theater by imagining the six dancers aboard a starship on a galactic journey, one of the most conventional elements of science fiction … Read more

Utah Symphony presents an adventurous evening of Strauss

by

Utah Symphony’s tribute to Richard Strauss continues this evening with three pieces, all highlighting the talents of Utah Symphony’s own musicians. Presented as part of the O.C. Tanner Company Masterworks Series, the program featuring two of Strauss’ most popular tone poems and his Serenade for Winds with masterful storytelling through the voice of instrumental music. … Read more

Spy Hop Productions cultivates indispensable community roots as it launches campaign for new home

by

Indispensability can be a challenging concept to articulate, especially for nonprofit arts institutions in communities where the arts are seen as an amenity rather than as an absolute necessity. But then there are those institutions which build upon their most successful and visible programs to cultivate deeper roots in their communities by offering activities and … Read more

Shakespeare comes to life in Utah

by
Principal Emily Adams and Chase O’Connell in Jiří Kylián’s Return to a Strange Land. Photo by Beau Pearson.

The mere mention of Shakespeare-related live performances in Utah might lead readers directly to thoughts of the world-renowned Utah Shakespeare Festival held annually in Cedar City each summer and fall. Yet, this spring, Shakespeare was alive and well in the heart of Salt Lake City too. Pioneer Theatre Company produced Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night from March … Read more

NOVA Chamber Music Series closes its 40th anniversary season with a changing of the guard; music by Schubert, Messiaen, Lutoslawski

by
Madeline Adkins

Some of Utah’s most accomplished musicians will gather May 6 to close out NOVA Chamber Music Series’ extraordinary 40th anniversary season with a concert highlighting familiar as well as not widely known works by Schubert and two giants of 20th century music – Olivier Messiaen and Witold Lutosławski. This spring concert highlights works by composers … Read more