Educational

Four miniature jewels for summer reading: Torrey House Press’ Beyond the Glittering World, The Divination of Salmon, Astonished by Beauty, The Sun Has Shifted As Have I

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the eighth in an ongoing series of features highlighting authors and new books published by Torrey House Press in Utah.  Four recent short book releases by Torrey House Press comprise a comprehensive soulful  journey of summer reading. Whether in the form of poetry, short story, creative nonfiction or essay, each book … Read more

The Bachauer at 50: Meet the pianists in the junior artist category of the 2026 Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation competitions

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Continuing the coverage of the 50th anniversary coverage of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation, The Utah Review will present a daily diary of the International Junior and Young Artists Competitions,which run June 14-27. The first week of the competitions will be devoted to daily diary coverage of the 24 pianists in the … Read more

Utah Arts Festival at 50: Series of free stained glass workshops by internationally acclaimed Holdman Studios is phenomenal golden anniversary gift

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EDITOR’S NOTE: For preview coverage of the 50th Utah Arts Festival, which runs June 18-21, The Utah Review is presenting individual or group profiles of artists, performers, entertainers and some newcomers to the event. The curtain raiser highlights the history of the Festival which is marking its golden anniversary. BANDALOOP, among the most prominent pioneers … Read more

The Bachauer at 50: Part of the Great Flourishing in the Utah arts scene

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part I of a retrospective on the 50th anniversary of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation. Part I highlights the origins and formative years while Part II (go to this link) summarizes The Bachauer’s multifaceted legacies on and off the concert stage. The Utah Review is grateful for the assistance of … Read more

Capping a blockbuster 60th anniversary season, Repertory Dance Theatre’s Anthology set to be dramatic tribute to history, farewell to dancers Ursula Perry, Caleb Daly

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Capping a blockbuster 60th anniversary season, Repertory Dance Theatre’s Anthology takes on the challenge of curating a handful of works from a catalog approaching 450 in number to emphasize the historical significance of modern dance that is more than 125 years old. With 40% percent of works of historical significance that have been restaged on … Read more

Ballet West’s world premiere production The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a delightfully spooky gallop: two City Academy students review the company’s newest entry in its Family Classics Series

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Editor’s Note: In extending its tradition, The Utah Review, with  the assistance of Christal Jackson, an English teacher and ELL coordinator at City Academy, asked two students to review Ballet West’s world premiere production of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Pamela Robinson-Harris, Ballet West’s rehearsal director, who has been  the creative force behind Family … Read more

A ghostly ride set for Ballet West’s world premiere production of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow for its Family Classics Series

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Published in 1820, Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow stands out as America’s first ghost story. The town’s residents enjoy telling stories of the supernatural and The Headless Horseman is among the most fascinating. The ghost of a Hessian mercenary hired by the British during the Revolutionary War who was decapitated by a cannonball, … Read more

Putting the soul in learning: Darryl Stamp’s Dumbed Down set for Plan-B Theatre world premiere

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Ahead of Plan-B Theatre’s world premiere of Darryl Stamp’s Dumbed Down, which will open this week, audiences should be mindful to see the story not arising primarily from the familiar (and lazy) trope of the school-to-prison pipeline, but to see it on a broader sobering scale of a messy education system with impacts that are … Read more

New and recent music to highlight Jan. 13 Sō Percussion concert, presented by UtahPresents, University of Utah School of Music

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Percussionist and composer Brian Blume said in a 2017 concert talk, “I think that, by nature, percussionists are tinkerers. We are explorers.” In the Cambridge Companion to Percussion, Adam Sliwinski wrote that percussionists are “curators of sound.” In the world of classical chamber music ensembles, string quartets have many encyclopedias of masterworks to consider. Meanwhile, … Read more

Discovering the enchantment that propels a living historic landmark as America’s 1st Nutcracker™: two City Academy students review the 2025 edition of Ballet West production of this holiday classic

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Editor’s Note: In extending its tradition, The Utah Review, with  the assistance of Christal Jackson, an English teacher and ELL coordinator at City Academy, asked two students to review Ballet West’s production of Willam Christensen’s The Nutcracker. For a preview ahead of this year’s production, see this link to The Utah Review feature.  Before turning … Read more