Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: Three major poetry slams slated, with Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah represented

Poetry slams have become one of the most popular offerings at the Utah Arts Festival, to the extent that the festival venue could launch its own regional competition. This year, the territory covered includes Utah, Arizona, California and Nevada.  There will be three major slam competitions: The Youth Individual Slam, The Adult Individuals and the … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: Utah Poet Laureate Lisa Bickmore, Clark County Poet Laureate Emeritus set to read on opening day at WordFest Stage

There are many power hitters this year in the Utah Arts Festival’s Literary Arts lineup for the Wordfest Stage. Among them are Lisa Bickmore, Utah Poet Laureate, and Heather Lang-Cassera, who was Clark County, Nevada’s Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2021. Both participated in interviews with The Utah Review. LISA BICKMORE (June 23, 12:30 p.m. … Read more

Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation sets three-day piano festival, June 22-24, featuring concerts with international pianists, master classes, student performances

This week’s piano festival by the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation follows on the heels of an exceptional concert season. The three-day event will feature outstanding pianists as well as students who will be performing, along with master classes led by guest artists and educators.  Guest artists and educators include Spencer Myer, an internationally acclaimed … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: The luminescent meditative sensations of Bala Thiagarajan‘s art

Bala Thiagarajan (Booth 104, Arvada, Colorado) may be a newcomer to the Utah Arts Festival but her portfolio is extensive with awards, gallery and solo exhibitions, juried art fairs, self-published books, workshops, live demonstrations and art lectures. More than 800 of her original artworks are in collections in the U.S., India, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico, … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: With Tree Utah as thematic anchor, Kids’ Art Yard will be a beehive of creative projects celebrating forests and trees

ART YARD (June 23-25, noon-9 p.m.) ‘Let me tell you about this tree. It was a rock-solid hardwood, three feet in diameter with a trunk magnificently embossed in rich gray tones, set in deep relief with an exquisitely interconnected skin of bark that was somehow both coarse and forgiving to the hand. The ash is … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: Making its 12th consecutive appearance, 1520 Arts set to command The Round during all three days

Now a mainstay at The Round stage, 1520 Arts will be making its 12th consecutive appearance at the Utah Arts Festival (June 23 and June 24, 5:45-8 p.m.; June 25, 6-9 p.m.). With the festival’s three-day schedule, the focus will be on the larger formats of 3 v. 3 battles, which will make the audience … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: Flamenco del Lago set to bring fire and passion to The Round

Katie Sheen-Abbott grew up in West Jordan and like many Utah children, took up dance, studying various forms such as ballet, tap, and jazz. Later in her collegiate training, she thought about exploring Flamenco as a hobby and while in graduate school in Maryland, she took a Flamenco class. “It was very intense, athletic but … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: Two contemporary dance titans – Repertory Dance Theatre, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company – set to perform

Two of Salt Lake City’s internationally known dance institutions return to the Utah Arts Festival stage this year.   REPERTORY DANCE THEATRE (June 25, 5 p.m., Festival Stage) Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) holds a special distinction in the history of the Utah Arts Festival. The historic contemporary dance institution has performed in every festival, save one (when … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: An opening day homecoming set on the Festival Stage for Tony Holiday and The Soul Service

There is a special brand of musical royalty in Memphis. City residents still remember Stax Records stars such as Isaac Hayes, who would tool around Memphis in a gold Cadillac. Others remember sitting in the congregation when Al Green preached at the Gospel Tabernacle Church on the city’s south side. But, in a music ecosystem … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: With six Utah artists, Circles of Influence to be featured City Library exhibition

For the 47th Utah Arts Festival, The Gallery at Library Square on the fourth floor of The City Library will feature Circles of Influence with works by six female artists (Sheryl Gillilan, Jaye Rieser, Kandace Steadman, Camille Wheatley, Virginia Catherall and Rebecca Klundt) who explore the natural world’s ubiquitous presence of circles in many forms. … Read more