If there was an overarching theme to the astonishing triple bill in Ballet West’s production that culminated in the riveting performance of The Rite of Spring, it would be contemplation, continuity and connection for humans living in a largely symbolic world. The opening night performance of works by three choreographers featuring the music of Stravinsky … Read more
The facts about the revolutionary character of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring are well known. Capitalizing upon the triumphs of The Firebird (1910) and Petrushka (1911), Sergei Diaghilev commissioned The Rite for The Ballets Russes. A dream team had been assembled for its premiere and rehearsals had proceeded without incident: Vaslav Nijinsky developed the … Read more
NOVA Chamber Music Series has been excellent in featuring a good representation of contemporary composers in recent seasons but the recent Jessie Montgomery Plays Jessie Montgomery concert was a wonderful prototype for future periodic programming where the works of a single contemporary figure are showcased. The concert at the Libby Gardner Hall at the University … Read more
NOVA Chamber Music Series has scored a major coup in securing Grammy-Award-winning composer Jessie Montgomery, not only for her music but also her performance as a violinist on the March 9 concert (3 p.m.) in Libby Gardner Hall. In 2024.she won the Grammy for best contemporary classical composition, with Rounds, a 15-minute work for piano … Read more
February was a busy month for the performing arts scene in Salt Lake City. Among the top events were the following: Christian McBride and Ursa Major: UtahPresents A perfect end to UtahPresents’ inaugural jazz concert series for the 2024-25 season, Christian McBride and Ursa Major wowed the Kingsbury Hall crowd on Feb. 22, with plenty … Read more
In well-established nonprofit institutions, the ideal leading administrative figure is a visionary leader who by encompassing every dimension of that organization creates the right conditions for fundraising success that ensures the institution’s long-term viability. In 2018, when Spy Hop Productions was poised to announce the largest capital fundraising campaign in its history to build its … Read more
As a theme for programming recitals, the subject of dreams will always be a winner for performers and audiences. The universe of available music for this theme is vast enough for an equally wide scope of permutations. For Nocturnes and Nightmares, the theme of his upcoming solo concert, pianist Stephen Beus has taken a unique, … Read more
The late composer Pauline Oliveros said deep listening was central in her creative process. “As a musician, I am interested in the sensual nature of sound, its power of synchronization, coordination, release, and change,” she wrote. More recently, Polygonia, DJ and producer of ambient music, added, “It’s the little details which make the timbre of each … Read more
… I’d like to know that your love Is a love I can be sure of So tell me now, and I won’t ask again Will you still love me tomorrow? (Gerry Goffin and Carole King) In 1960, Gerry Goffin and Carole King posed the question in the lyric, “Will you still love me tomorrow?,” … Read more
“Out of old tales, we must make new lives,” the great literary scholar Carolyn Heilbrun once wrote. For London audiences still feeling weary after World War II, the Cinderella fairy tale took on a spectacular new life in the ballet choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton to the music of Sergei Prokofiev. Seventy-seven years later, Ballet … Read more