Backstage at Utah Arts Festival 2014: ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ ‘Jura,’ ‘Drum’ highlight new music, dance commissions

Japanese taiko drums, a collection of frying pans, mixing bowls and blenders, and a small Scottish island called Jura might appear to be a curious, even odd list. However these have become inspirational elements for this year’s world premiere commissions in chamber music, jazz, and dance at the Utah Arts Festival. The trio of artists … Read more

Backstage at Utah Arts Festival 2014: A grand preview to show why this is not your grandparents’ art festival

When the gates open on June 26 to Utah’s largest arts and cultural gathering in its central downtown location, festival visitors will see as many new faces as familiar ones in every single venue and event. There are familiar and new faces everywhere. For example, the artist marketplace will have 163 artists including 56 from … Read more

Backstage at Utah Arts Festival 2014: John McCutcheon’s master storytelling, folk musicianship highlights IAMA events

Music sometimes builds the most emotionally appropriate bridges, as we contemplate the fragile nature of our humanity. In the 1990s, Vedran Smailović, a cellist from Bosnia and Herzegovina who now lives in northern Ireland, played music among the ruins during the siege of Sarajevo in the Balkan War. His musical gesture inspired a solo work … Read more

Backstage at Utah Arts Festival 2014: IAMA brings songwriter academy, songwriting competition to festival

Songwriters of every skill level, from beginner to professional, will have plenty of activities along with networking opportunities during the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association (IAMA) Day on June 28 at the 38th Utah Arts Festival. For the first time, IAMA’s songwriter academy, now in its 7th year, and the finals of the nationally juried Susanne … Read more

Backstage at Utah Arts Festival 2014: IAMA’s acoustic music events make grand entrance in festival collaboration

For this year’s Utah Arts Festival, The Intermountain Acoustic Music Association (IAMA) is bringing a large contingent of folk, bluegrass, Irish, Celtic and acoustic musicians along with a nationally juried songwriting competition and a two-day songwriter’s academy open to musicians from beginning to advanced. Many of the events will culminate on IAMA Day, scheduled for … Read more

Sarah Sample Kicks Off Singing With the Birds

Sarah Sample and Edie Carey

For urban dwellers the thought of birds can sometimes conjure unpleasant associations with pigeons and seagulls using cars and humans as public restrooms or other feathered friends sounding early morning wake-up calls long before sunrise. But these misguided city folk have got it all wrong. Birds aren’t intruding on our environment—quite the opposite! One visit … Read more

Twilight Concert Series 2014

twilight concert series logo 2014

This morning SLC Mayor Ralph Becker and The Salt Lake City Arts Council announced the Twilight Concert Series 2014. The Series returns to Pioneer Park, now in its 27th season, with another diverse and exciting lineup. The series will run July 10 through August 28 every Thursday evening. Performing artists include: July 10th Ms. Lauryn … Read more