Winter 2023 Roundup: Ballet West, Ririe-Woodbury, RDT, Bachauer, NOVA Chamber Music Series, Westminster College

BALLET WEST: SLEEPING BEAUTY EDITOR’S NOTE: This Ballet West review is written by Chris Myers of Argyle Arts. In ballet, opera, theater, and even the classical concert world, there are a number of challenges that arise when presenting what might be considered an “historically accurate” or “original practice” version of a work. But perhaps the … Read more

Four excellent November programs: NOVA Chamber Music Series’ Britten and Shostakovich, Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation’s Andrey Gugnin, Repertory Dance Theatre’s Sojourn, Spy Hop’s 20th anniversary PitchNic

November has been packed with concerts and presentations by numerous local performing arts and culture organizations. Four are reviewed in this roundup. This week, many organizations are in the midst of various end-of-the-year fundraising efforts and holiday season promotions for gift giving. Also, many local groups will be participating in the National Giving Tuesday (#GivingTuesday), … Read more

Fall arts calendar off to a rousing start: Pioneer Theatre Company’s Scapin, Plan-B Theatre’s Ballet for Aliens, NOVA Chamber Music Series’ Connect with Inspiration

The 2022-23 performing arts calendar has filled quickly, including a new adaptation of Molière’s play about Scapin the schemer, Plan-B Theatre’s Ballet for Aliens to mark the 10th anniversary of its Free Elementary School Tour and NOVA Chamber Music Series’ concert to open its 45th anniversary season. PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY: SCAPIN  The schemer is one … Read more

Connection with inspiration: NOVA Chamber Music Series opens 45th anniversary season with works by Pärt, Snider, Joachim, Medtner

It was an easy choice for composer Sarah Kirkland Snider when, in 2015, she was one of nine composers, which the Grand Valley State University’s New Music Ensemble commissioned for their Music In Their Words project. They asked the composers to write music that incorporated the speaking voice of a 20th century composer who had … Read more

It’s all about connections: NOVA Chamber Music Series announces 2022-23 season

The word “connections” would be an ideal one-word summary for the 2022-23 season of the NOVA Chamber Music Series. As music directors, in programming the six Libby Gardner Hall concerts and the two Gallery Series concerts, the Fry Street Quartet has assembled an impressive lineup. The season includes world and Utah premieres and with the … Read more

NOVA Chamber Music Series set to close momentous season of songs with Songs of Migration

It has been a momentous season of exquisite songs for NOVA Chamber Music Series, and the closing concert will cap it properly. Songs of Migration (May 1, 3 p.m.,Libby Gardner Hall) offers a sample of familiar works and pieces that deserve widespread attention – all of the selections signifying cross-cultural fertilization in music.  No NOVA … Read more

NOVA Chamber Music Series’ all-British concert rare, exquisite treat, emphasizing Britten’s greatness

A rare all-British NOVA Chamber Music Series concert was an exquisite treat last weekend for the organization’s only Gallery Concert of the current season in the G. W. Anderson Family Great Hall of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. The music of Benjamin Britten, John Dowland and Henry Purcell actually fit marvelously in the museum … Read more

NOVA Chamber Music Series ‘Songs of Perseverance’ concert to feature Utah premiere of Wang Lu’s Rates of Extinction

When composer Wang Lu moved to New York City’s Upper West Side, she was impressed by the amount of nearby green space in one of the world’s largest metropolises.”It was so clean and quiet,” she says. In the 1990s, when she was a student at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music, Wang remembers how quickly … Read more

Reviews confirm the exciting return to live performances: RDT Link Series’ Sandbox, Bachauer recital with Sergey Belyavsky, NOVA Chamber Music Series’ Songs of Life

Every weekend in Salt Lake City has at least one, if not several, outstanding programs for the performing arts enthusiast. The Utah Review continues its roundup of arts organizations returning to live performances after the pandemic hiatus of more than 18 months.  REPERTORY DANCE THEATRE (RDT) LINK SERIES: SANDBOX, AN EVENING OF DANCE BY DAN … Read more

Season openers on deck this week for Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation, NOVA Chamber Music Series

Two of Salt Lake City’s most distinguished music series return to live performances this week with season openers. GINA BACHAUER INTERNATIONAL PIANO FOUNDATION The Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation’s new season of concerts will feature the gold and bronze medalists from the 2018 Bachauer piano competition as well as a world premiere in a program … Read more