Soothing…the first word that comes to mind when describing the sights and sounds of The Last Southern Gentlemen, who performed at the Capitol Theatre on Monday, April 13. When those four men took their positions on stage, I had a feeling I was in for a musical treat. With their southern swagger and Delfeayo Marsalis’ … Read more
More than two decades after Wallace Stegner, the dean of Western writers, died in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a new generation of writers has emerged to empower the voices of activism and advocacy in conservation and preservation, especially through the intellectual and cultural forces of literary fiction. However, these new authors also take on equally … Read more
Ballet West continues to surprise and delight its audiences this year with a triple-bill performance celebrating diversity in dance—paying tribute to tango, square dancing and the techno dance club scene. “I choose to put these three works together because in subtle and unique ways they are all explorations into the melding of classical ballet and … Read more
The artistic promise of Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s upcoming concert evokes every imaginable aspect of spring. There is the uplifting, rejuvenating force of Netta Yerushalmy’s new choreographed composition that vividly uses the extensive movement vocabulary of dance along with costume changes and fast-shifting designs of stage lighting to deconstruct metaphorically traditional narratives. It is the dancers’ … Read more
“The Lord showed me by vision and revelation exactly what would take place if we did not stop this practice. If we had not stopped it, you would have had no use for … any of the men in this temple … for all (temple sacraments) would be stopped throughout the land. … Confusion would … Read more
For math, science economics and more recently art history, the Khan Academy changed the rules by flipping the classroom and offering hundreds of videos online to students in more than 40 languages. Something similar and just as exciting is happening in music education, an area that has been especially vulnerable to budget cutting by school … Read more
Since the musical first graced the Broadway stage in 1964, “Fiddler on the Roof” has proven to be a classic with a timeless message. For the past thirty years, the story of Tevye, the humble dairyman and father of five daughters has resonated with audiences as each generation struggles with keeping traditions in an ever-changing … Read more
From several notable vantages, there has been a great infusion of artistic energy in the blossoming Utah Enlightenment, a creative movement that demands courage in the making of art. And, especially in Utah’s peculiar environment that gives civility, docility and adherence to faith much higher value than often deserved, courage becomes critical in ensuring the … Read more
“The problem was that the disasters showed all the signs of arousal—of being in fight-or-flight mode—in their relationships. Having a conversation sitting next to their spouse was, to their bodies, like facing off with a saber-toothed tiger.” —Emily Esfahani Smith, June, 12, 2014, The Atlantic In Matthew Ivan Bennett’s newest play ‘A/Version of Events,’ the married … Read more
In the best tradition of minimalist music, austerity and sincerity – sometimes built on nothing more than a handful of pitches and rhythmic values – lead to surprising phenomena of musical experiences that often become ambient, transcendental or even psychedelic. Fifty years ago, composer Terry Riley saw his works – including ‘In C’ and ‘Dorian … Read more