Several months before The Brink, Alison Klayman’s documentary about Steve Bannon, the former Breitbart News chair who served briefly as President Trump’s chief White House strategist, premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Errol Morris’ American Dharma was seen for the first time at the 2018 Venice Film Festival. Some dismayed critics were flabbergasted that … Read more
Anthony Tommasini, a New York Times music critic who has written some of the best-selling books about classical music, says that no one really has to be knowledgeable about the art to appreciate it. “Newcomers to other performing arts, like theater or dance, don’t seem to feel this level of intimidation. I’d encourage those who … Read more
Salt Lake City is fortunate to have the perfect trifecta – artisan chocolate, innovative choreographers and theatrical directors/producers who know how to break down the conventional walls of performance staging – that will bring Thank You Theobromine to life in one of the most intriguing offerings of the upcoming holiday season. It also is the … Read more
Countermeasures is an apt title for a piece of music. The term typically refers to political or military tactics or to a biological instinct of nature where plants and animals respond to a threat or combat danger. Like authors, composers sometimes struggle with titles. “My working title initially for this piece was ‘Four for the … Read more
The upcoming Xiré concert by Samba Fogo will offer a different facet of Utah’s Brazilian dance and music company, which many audiences have known for their exuberant celebrations especially of Carnaval culture. The concert (with two performances Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Regent Street Black Box Theatre at the The … Read more
History, as nearly no one seems to know, is not merely something to be read. And it does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is … Read more
Cameron Baer, 19, a Provo High School graduate, nearly quit the PitchNic class at Spy Hop Productions this year. He had successfully pitched the concept for one of the short films to be made in the year-long class. It is a fictional narrative based in part about obsessions and anxieties that can skew one’s perceptions … Read more
In Oda Might, a new play by Camille Washington, the patient, a middle-aged black woman in a psychiatric hospital, relates details of her life to her doctor, also a black woman but younger and lighter skin. The patient, a spiritual medium who believes she is the scapegoat for a murder, is candid about her life … Read more
As part of its artistic residency at Westminster College’s school of music, the Red Desert ensemble, the duo project of clarinetist Katie Porter and composer/percussionist Devin Maxwell, will present a blockbuster sampler of contemporary music including a world premiere by Maxwell and music by Stockhausen, Cage, Xenakis and Tenney along with works by 21st century composers Johannes Kreidler and … Read more
Close ties of several varieties will connect the upcoming NOVA Chamber Music Series concert featuring string chamber music of György Ligeti (1923-2006) and Johannes Brahms (1834-1897), also featuring the Fry Street Quartet in its first performance as the organization’s new music directors. One broad but close tie is how the music of Ligeti and Brahms … Read more