Josh Wright
Billboard #1 artist Dr. Josh Wright has delighted audiences across the
United States and in Europe. The Washington Post described him as a
pianist possessing “rarer gifts – touch, intelligence and the ability
to surprise.” He performed his debut recitals at Carnegie Hall (Zankel
Hall) and the Kennedy Center (Terrace Theater) in 2014. His
self-titled album “Josh Wright” topped the Billboard Classical
Traditional chart just three weeks after its release in April 2011. He
also performed at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles as part of America's
Got Talent Season 9. He currently serves on the piano faculty at
the University of Utah.
Complete BiographyPeyden Shelton
Dr. J. Peyden Shelton has rapidly earned a reputation as an active
clinician and performer throughout the United States and
Canada. He has been featured as a soloist with various ensembles
including the Reston Symphony Orchestra, the Winds of the Blue Ridge,
the Utah Wind Ensemble, and Cornell Wind Ensemble. As a chamber
and ensemble musician, he has performed with numerous groups including
the Utah Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Roanoke Symphony
Orchestra, and the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael
Tilson Thomas and Esa-Pekka Salonen. He has also been a featured
performer with various artists such as Pharrell Williams, Gloria
Estefan, The Beach Boys, and Gloria Gaynor. In 2014, Dr.
Shelton was awarded 1st place in the Graduate Soloist Division of the
National Trumpet Competition performing Joseph Turrin’s
Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra. Since that time,
he has presented solo recitals at numerous universities and festivals
including The University of North Texas, Newberry College, the
University of Southern Mississippi, Tennessee Tech University,
Virginia Tech Trumpet Festival, and Fredericksburg Brass
Institute. Dr. Shelton is also co-founder of Fifth Bridge
(fifthbridge.org), a new chamber ensemble that performs and promotes
new music for fixed media and sound manipulation. They have been
featured at the Virginia Tech Trumpet Festival, the Mid-Atlantic
Trumpet Festival, and will be a featured performer at the 2019 Moss
Center for Performing Arts’ CUBE Festival.
Rob Seebacher
Robert J. Seebacher is currently Music Director and Conductor of the
Johnson City Symphony Orchestra in Tennessee, Assistant Professor of
Music and Director of Instrumental Programs at Centre College, and
Assistant Conductor of the National Chorale in New York. Previously,
he was Director of Orchestras at the University of South Alabama and
Music Director of the Mobile Symphony Youth Orchestra. He has appeared
with the Lexington Philharmonic, Youngstown Symphony, Warren
Philharmonic, and Mobile Symphony Orchestras. He has held assistant
conductor positions with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra
and Opera Theatre, Bowling Green Symphony, The Bowling Green
Philharmonia, and the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Nathaniel Eschler
Dr. Nathaniel Eschler is a Composer, Conductor, Guitarist and
Educator. Nathaniel has a BA in Classical Guitar Performance from the
College of Charleston, and an MM(music theory/composition) from the
University of Utah and a PhD(music theory/composition) from Brandeis
University. He has also studied composition and conducting at the
Frieie Universität in Berlin.
Utah Voices
Utah Voices is a group of volunteer singers varying in skill: some
have no previous choral experience while others have received
professional vocal training. Some are still learning to read music;
others are practiced sight-readers. The choir members range in age
from young adults to senior citizens and are a mixture of business
people, students, educators, engineers, homemakers, and retirees. They
are enthusiastic about their mission and about making choral
involvement a priority in their lives, dedicating their talents to
each other and to the community. Although members do not audition to
join, the artistic staff expects capabilities beyond those of the
average community chorus. The choir strives for a higher level of
musicality in order to offer concertgoers unforgettable choral concert
experiences, providing inspiration, excitement, fun, and
nostalgia. Utah Voices was created by a handful of dedicated,
hardworking people who love to sing. It is the culmination of the
dreams and united vision of individuals who are passionate about
making music.
Kelly DeHaan
Kelly DeHaan received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in choral
education and choral conducting from the University of Utah. Kelly
has been teaching high school choir at his beloved West Jordan High
School since 1997 and is devoted to his students.
Melissa Heath
Hailed as a “soaring, sparkling soprano” with “vivacious stage
presence”, American soprano Melissa Heath received her Master’s degree
in vocal performance from the University of Utah in 2009. Melissa has
performed the roles of Amy in Mark Adamo’s Little Women,
Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide, La Ciesca in Gianni
Schicchi, Marianne in Tartuffe, Gretel in Hansel and
Gretel, and First Lady in The Magic Flute.
Kirstin Chavez
Kirstin Chávez has captured attention and acclaim in her signature
roles and is recognized as one of the definitive Carmens of today; a
role that she has performed with great success throughout the United
States, and around the world. Opera News reported that her Carmen in
Graz, Austria was “the Carmen of a lifetime. With her dark, generous
mezzo, earthy eroticism, volcanic spontaneity and smoldering charisma,
Chávez has it all, including a superb command of French and a sense of
humor.” Ms Chávez has also showed great success in various pants
roles, including Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier (Florentine
Opera), Hänsel in Hänsel and Gretel (Atlanta Opera), and
Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo (Metropolitan Opera).
Sterling Poulson
Sterling is Music Director and Founder of The Choral Arts Society
of Utah, conducting as many as six concerts each year with the
100-voice choir. He was appointed Associate Music Director of the
Jay Welch Chorale in 1985 and served under Dr. Jay Welch for
eleven years. He was appointed Music Director and Conductor of
the Choral Arts Society of Utah in December 1996. His career
includes guest-conducting performances with the Utah Symphony,
West Valley Symphony, the New American Symphony, the Sierra
Nevada Master Chorale & Orchestra, the Fillmore Regional Chorus &
Orchestra, the South Davis Community Choir & Orchestra and the
Southern Utah Heritage Choir. He has had several guest conducting
appearances with the Utah National Guard’s 23rd Army Band,
including a performance of Randall Thompson’s Testament of
Freedom in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square.
Choral Arts Society of Utah
The Choral Arts Society of Utah Master Chorale is an eclectic group of
people who gather weekly to share their common passion for
singing. Founded in 1997, the choir has grown to a membership of 100+
members under the leadership of founder and Music Director, Sterling
Poulson. Established as a private, nonprofit 501c3 nonprofit
corporation, their goal is to help preserve the choral art, promote
music appreciation and provide public performance opportunities for
singers, musicians, composers, conductors and others.
The society performs an average of 5 formal concerts a year, either
alone or in conjunction with other artists or organizations as well as
a series of community interaction performances and appearances. Most
noted of the Society’s annual performances are the “Days of ’47 Pops
Concert”, traditionally held in Abravanel Hall to kick off the Pioneer
celebration in Utah, and the “Holiday Pops Concert”, a benefit for the
Salvation Army Angel Tree Program. Choir members join through an
audition process and rehearse every Tuesday evening at Taylorsville
High School from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M.
Rachel Call
Rachel Aina Call, age 15, is a full scholarship student at the Gifted
Music School and the recipient of the Dorothy Richard Starling
Foundation Scholarship under the direction of Eugene Watanabe.
Linda Margetts
Linda Margetts is one of five organists at the Mormon Tabernacle, Salt
Lake City (1984 to present) where her responsibilities include playing
noon recitals, accompanying and working with the Mormon Tabernacle
Choir, teaching in the choir school and participating on the weekly
broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. She accompanies the Temple
Square Chorale and plays with Bells on Temple Square.
Seth Keeton
Bass-baritone Seth Keeton’s performances have been described by The
New York Times as “driven” and “emotionally pointed.” He has performed
roles on the stages of The Minnesota Opera, Glimmerglass Opera,
Ft. Worth Opera, Central City Opera, Arizona Opera, Indianapolis
Opera, Austin Lyric Opera and Opera Omaha, Chautauqua Opera, Mill City
Summer Opera, and Theater Bremen in Bremen, Germany. As an oratorio
singer, Keeton has appeared in concert as the bass soloist in Mozart's
Requiem, Verdi's Requiem, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Bach’s
Magnificat and St. Matthew and St. John Passions, Haydn’s Creation,
and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. In 2006, he was a national finalist in
the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and has received
awards from the Sullivan Foundation and the Eleanor McCollum
Competition.
Jenny Erickson
Jennifer H. Erickson, soprano, is a dynamic singing actress who
possesses a golden yet brilliant voice.
Kiersten Erickson
Kiersten Erickson is a senior at the University of Utah, studying
vocal performance. She has had many wonderful performance
opportunities with the UofU Opera, and is branching out to more
professional work- most recently as soloist in the Sterling Singers
Christmas concert this last December.
John Costa
John Costa received his DMA from The University of Michigan (1994)
where he has been a recipient of the Regents Fellowship, The Christine
Rinaldo Memorial Scholarship, and The Eugene & Sayde Power Fellowship
In The Performing Arts. His teachers have included Fred Lerdahl,
Michael Daugherty, George Balch Wilson, William Albright, Eugene
Kurtz, and William Bolcom.
Miguel Chuaqui
Miguel Chuaqui was born in Berkeley, California, and grew up in
Santiago, Chile. He studied piano at the Escuela Moderna de Música and
the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He completed his
undergraduate studies at the University of California at Berkeley,
where he majored in Mathematics and Music, studied electroacoustic
music at CNMAT (Center for New Music and Audio Technologies), and went
on to complete a Ph.D. in Composition with composer Andrew Imbrie. His
music, which includes orchestral, chamber, vocal, and electroacoustic
works, has been performed in many venues and festivals in the U.S. and
abroad by the New York New Music Ensemble, Speculum Musicae,
Parnassus, Earplay, Left Coast Ensemble, Empyrean Ensemble, Octagon,
New York’s Riverside Symphony, New York Virtuoso Singers, Colorado
Chamber Players, Canyonlands Ensemble, Abramyan String Quartet,
Ensemble Bartok Chile, SEAMUS (Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in
the U.S.), NYCEMF (New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival),
Festival Ai-Maako (Santiago, Chile).
Russell Guyver
Russell Guyver is originally from London, England. He has followed a
varied career as conductor, violist, composer and educator. As a
violist he has played in many orchestras including the Scottish
Chamber Orchestra, English National Opera, Royal Ballet and the
Orquesta Sinfónica de Venezuela. He has appeared as conductor, soloist
and chamber musician on four continents and is a guest artist at
several annual music festivals in the United States and in Brazil. For
many years he has been violist with The London Music Club Quartet.
Andrew Staupe
Pianist Andrew Staupe is emerging as one of the distinctive voices of
a new generation of pianists. Andrew has appeared as soloist with the
Minnesota Orchesta, Baltimore Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Houston
Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Indianapolis
Symphony, Utah Symphony, Maryland Symphony, Arkansas Symphony,
Tallahassee Symphony, Bangor Symphony, and many other orchestras
throughout the United States. He has collaborated with distinguished
conductors Osmo Vänskä, Bobby McFerrin, Jahja Ling, Gerard Schwarz,
Andrew Litton, Cristian Macelaru, Larry Rachleff, Lucas Richman,
Elizabeth Schulze, Rossen Milanov, Daniel Hege, and Josep-Caballé
Domenech.
Julie Wright-Costa
Soprano Julie Wright Costa enjoys a rich and varied career that
includes opera, musical theatre, oratorio, recital, and concert
works. Her warm and flexible voice and dramatic acting skills account
for her enthusiastic reception wherever she performs. As one of Ohio
Light Opera’s leading sopranos for sixteen seasons, Ms. Wright Costa
is regarded as one of the country’s outstanding interpreters of
operetta. In addition to her role as performer, she serves as
Associate Artistic Director with the Ohio Light Opera. She is
featured on several compact disc recordings with the Albany, Operetta
Archives and Newport Classics Label, including such works as
Kálmán’s La Bayadere and Sari, Sullivan’s
Princess Idaand The Yeoman of the Guard, Berté's
Das Dreimäderlhaus, and the soon to be releasedDer
Vogelhändler by Carl Zeller.
Robert Breault
Tenor Robert Breault enjoys an international career that features an
extraordinary breadth of repertoire. His warm, flexible voice and
superb artistic sensibilities combine to make him a consummate singing
actor.
Rainer Eudeikis
Rainer Eudeikis joined the Utah Symphony as Principal Cellist in 2014,
having been appointed (at 23 years old) while still a student at the
Curtis Institute of Music. He has also been Principal Cellist of the
Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music since 2015.
Gretchen Windt
Originally from Chicago, mezzo soprano Gretchen Windt has performed in
operas and oratorios throughout the country. She was an Apprentice
Artist with Sarasota Opera including mainstage performances of Die
Fledermaus (Ida). She was an Apprentice Artist with the Utah
Symphony & Opera; since completing her apprenticeship, she has
returned to Utah Symphony & Opera in concert and stage
productions. She was an Apprentice Artist with the Sugar Creek
Symphony and Song Festival in Illinois. She was also a Young Artist
with the Ohio Light Opera; she has since performed in sixteen
productions with the Ohio Light Opera over three seasons. She has
performed regularly with Cincinnati Opera; highlights include
mainstage performances of Golijov’s Ainadamar (Voice of the
Fountain), the world premiere of Hailstork’s Rise For Freedom,
and a touring production of The Magic Flute. She has performed
with Opera Southwest, Chesapeake Chamber Opera, Opera Idaho, and
various regional companies in Chicago including Bowen Park Opera,
OperaModa, and DuPage Opera Theatre. Internationally, she performed
the title role of La Cenerentola in Novafeltria, Italy with La
Musica Lirica. Recent performances include Salome (Page) with
Utah Opera, Le Nozze di Figaro (Cherubino) with both Opera
Idaho and University of Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble, Die
Fledermaus (Prince Orlofsky) and The Mikado (Pitti-Sing)
with Ohio Light Opera, and the title role in Massenet’s
Cendrillon with University of Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble.
Xiao Ming
Mr. Xiao Ming, director, chief conductor, and executive president of
Hunan Symphony Orchestra, is one of the national first class
conductors of China. Mr. Xiao graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory
Of Music in 1984 and Central Conservatory of Music in 1988, majoring
in orchestral conducting.
Andrew Staupe
Pianist Andrew Staupe is emerging as one of the distinctive voices of
a new generation of pianists. Andrew has appeared as soloist with the
Minnesota Orchesta, Baltimore Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Houston
Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Indianapolis
Symphony, Utah Symphony, Maryland Symphony, Arkansas Symphony,
Tallahassee Symphony, Bangor Symphony, and many other orchestras
throughout the United States. He has collaborated with distinguished
conductors Osmo Vänskä, Bobby McFerrin, Jahja Ling, Gerard Schwarz,
Andrew Litton, Cristian Macelaru, Larry Rachleff, Lucas Richman,
Elizabeth Schulze, Rossen Milanov, Daniel Hege, and Josep-Caballé
Domenech.
Charlotte Bell
For her ninth birthday, Charlotte asked for a yoyo. Apparently hearing
only the vowels, her parents instead gave her an oboe. She
subsequently learned to play at the University of Cincinnati College
Conservatory of Music, studying for eight years with Ferdinand Prior,
the Cincinnati Symphony’s English horn player. She also studied at
Indiana University. In 1996 she joined the Salt Lake Symphony. Playing
in the orchestra continues to be a highlight of her life. Charlotte
has also performed and/or recorded with blue haiku, Anke Summerhill,
Scherzando Winds, John Flanders, Kate MacLeod and Smithsonian
Folkways.
Phillip Bimstein
“Phillip Bimstein uses the voices, natural sounds and culture of
his adopted home in his compositions, and he practices politics with
music in mind.“
- National Public Radio’s All Things Considered
Alternative classical composer Phillip Bimstein lives in Salt Lake
City and Springdale, Utah, where he served two terms as mayor. A
recipient of grants and awards from the National Endowment for the
Arts, Meet The Composer, American Composers Forum, Austria’s Prix Ars
Electronica and an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences, Bimstein’s music has been performed at Carnegie Hall,
Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Bang on a Can Festival, the
Aspen Music Festival, the Spoleto Festival and London’s Royal Opera
House.
Caleb Harris
Caleb Harris was the second of seven children growing up in a musical
household in Borger, Texas. When his father, a pilot and rancher who
played trombone on the side, decided to take up piano, Caleb and his
older brother followed suit. There were also some country singers in
the family tree, and Caleb Harris added voice to his musical studies
as a teenager.
University of Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble
The University Lyric Opera Ensemble performs regularly each spring in
Kingsbury Hall with the Utah Philharmonia under the direction of
Conductor Rob Baldwin. Cathy Reese of the Salt Lake Tribune wrote of
the Ensemble in 2012, “The University of Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble
continues to grow. The U.'s opera program, known for its pluck and its
DIY scenery in the 1990s, now reliably presents professional-quality
productions.” Ed Reichel of “Reichel Recommends” wrote similarly, “It
seems that every year the productions get better and stronger and
Susannah really shows that the group performs on a professional
level.”
Anthony Buck
Anthony has over a hundred credits to his name as stage director,
music director, actor, singer, stage manager and composer on stages in
Utah, Ohio, New York and Italy.
Hasse Borup
Hasse Borup is Associate Professor of violin and Head of String and
Chamber Music Studies the University of Utah School of Music. He has
earned degrees in violin performance from the Royal Danish
Conservatory of Music, the Hartt School of Music, and a Doctor of
Musical Arts Degree from the University of Maryland. Borup has
released recordings on Centaur, Naxos and Innova Labels: complete
works for violin by Vincent Persichetti (Naxos 8.559725), the complete
sonatas by the Danish romantic composer Niels W. Gade (Naxos
8.570524), and American Fantasies (Centaur 2918) both to critical
acclaim (“Interpretative Empathy and Watertight Ensemble” - The
Strad; “Landmark CD” – Musicweb; “Seamless playing” –
allmusic.com). Tower of the Eight Winds, a CD on the Innova
Label, featuring the complete works for violin by American composer
Judith Shatin, was described by Fanfare Magazine as “..being played
with superb agility by the Borup/Ernst Duo.”
Gordon Johnson
During his tenure as conductor of the Great Falls Symphony, Gordon
Johnson has been known for his energetic performances and dynamic
leadership. In addition to his responsibilities in Great Falls,
Maestro Johnson maintains a busy schedule having guest conducting
orchestras throughout the United States, Canada, England, Japan,
Germany and France. In February 2009 Johnson was invited by the
United States State Department to conduct an American music program
with the National Philharmonic of Moldova.
Rocky Mountain Strings
Rocky Mountain Strings is an advanced performing group of young
violinists directed by Deborah Moench, Ramona Stirling, Asheley Watabe
and Chandelle Fairbanks. Shelley Astle is the accompanist, with
Michael Thomas McLean as their in house composer/arranger. In August
of 2015, they toured Russia, Estonia, and Latvia. In 2011 they toured
Belgium and France where they performed in various venues and
participated in a workshop with the studio of Koen Rens in Turnhout,
Belgium. In August of 2008 the group toured Argentina, performing for
thousands in concert halls with the Suzuki students of Buenos Aires
and Cordoba. The group has also performed at the International Suzuki
Association of the Americas Conference in Chicago (1998) and in
Minneapolis (2006). In 2003 the group gave performances throughout
Italy. At the invitation of the Wieniawski School of Music in Lodz,
Poland, the group performed in Poland and the Czech Republic in
October 2000.
Deborah Moench
Deborah Moench began teaching the violin when she was in the fifth
grade, one year after beginning lessons! This began a love of sharing
music with children that has never ceased. In 1978 Hiroko Primrose
introduced Debbie to the Suzuki Method of teaching violin. This was a
great gift to Debbie and all her subsequent students. Currently Debbie
maintains a large violin studio in Salt Lake city. She is co-director
with Ramona Stirling of Rocky Mountain Strings, a performance group
for their advanced students. Debbie is a past president of the Suzuki
Association of Utah and the coordinator of the 2012 Suzuki Association
of the Americas Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ramona Stirling
Ramona Stirling has been the director of the Intermountain Suzuki
String Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, for twenty three years. She
has been teaching the Suzuki violin method for 30 years. Mrs. Stirling
maintains a violin studio of 40 students. Ramona Stirling and Deborah
Moench are co-directors of the Rocky Mountain Strings, an advanced
violin performing group that has toured Europe twice and recently
returned from Argentina. The group performed at the SAA International
Teacher Convention in 1998 and 2006. Her other great loves besides the
violin are downhill skiing, hiking, traveling, and knitting. She is
the Suzuki mother of four grown children. She has a degree in
Humanities from Brigham Young University. From 1980-83 she had three
years of long term Suzuki training with Hiroko Primrose, and has taken
many short term courses over the last 30 years.
Larry Spell
Before joining the Salt Lake Symphony, Larry Spell was the Music
Director and Conductor of the Pitt Community College Symphony
Orchestra in Greenville, North Carolina. The PCCSO was founded by
Mr. Spell in 2007 with the purpose of providing a learning ensemble
for Pitt Community College music students and an opportunity for
community musicians to continue practicing their art. In addition to
his duties leading the orchestra, Mr. Spell was responsible for
ensuring the success of all the performing arts programs at PCC in his
role as the Coordinator for Music and Drama. Mr. Spell is also Music
Director and Conductor for the Symphony of Hope, an annual benefit
concert that has raised thousands of dollars for cancer treatment.
Ryan Van Liere
Ryan Van Liere began his music studies at the age of 12 while living
near Charlotte, North Carolina. He originally played the clarinet and
performed with the Gaston County Concert Band as their bass
clarinetist. While there, another member of the clarinet section
brought in a bassoon to play. Ryan quickly became fascinated with it
and right then and there, he decided he wanted to play the
bassoon. The bassoon that his junior high school owned was in
unplayable condition so in the summer before his 9th grade year, he
came to Utah to visit his father who gave him a job demolishing old
office space in the Judge Building in downtown Salt Lake and he saved
up enough money to buy his very own bassoon.
The Ballet Student Performing Group from the University of Utah
The Ballet Student Performing Group from the University of Utah consists of student dancers from the University of Utah.
Emily Nelson
Emily Nelson's enjoyment of a wide variety of styles has led her down
diverse musical paths, from the ars subtilior to Milton Babbitt,
Appalachian ballads, jazz, and the second Viennese school.
Barbara Scowcroft
Barbara Scowcroft has been a member of the Utah Symphony violin section since
1982. She served as Acting Assistant Concertmaster in the 2008-2009
and 1998-1999 seasons. In 1986, Barbara and Utah Symphony Music
Director Joseph Silverstein co-founded the Utah Symphony Side-by-Side
with Utah Youth Symphony program.
John Costa
John Costa received his DMA from The University of Michigan (1994)
where he has been a recipient of the Regents Fellowship, The Christine
Rinaldo Memorial Scholarship, and The Eugene & Sayde Power Fellowship
In The Performing Arts. His teachers have included Fred Lerdahl,
Michael Daugherty, George Balch Wilson, William Albright, Eugene
Kurtz, and William Bolcom.
Shenae Anderson
Shenae Anderson (16) began studying the violin at age three with
Deborah Moench. She has soloed with Utah Symphony in 2008 and
2010 for Salute to Youth. In December of 2010, she was
invited back by Maestro Thierry Fisher to be a guest soloist with the
Utah Symphony for its assistant conductor auditions. Since 2008,
she has won numerous competitions, including, Youth Guild, MTNA, and
Utah State Fair. Shenae was the winner of Stradivarius International
Violin Competition Utah Division in 2013. Summer of 2013, she studied
with Robert Lipsett at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. 2014,
Shenae auditioned at Curtis Institute of Music and was one of the 13
finalists out of 130 applicants. Shenae will perform with Salt Lake
Symphony in April of 2015 with full Beethoven Concerto.
Michael Huff
Dr. Michael Huff
was called “a triple threat” by none other than his former boss
at Utah State University, Dr. Craig Jessop, owing to his versatility
as a conductor, pianist, teacher, arranger, and show producer, and
his uncommon comfort with nearly all genres of music – choir, band,
orchestra, classical, jazz, and all forms of popular music. His
career has followed an unusual arc that can be measured in decades –
as Music Director at Lagoon and at theatres throughout Utah during
the ‘80’s; in the ‘90’s as an event
producer-sales-marketing-director producing college bowl game
halftime shows and major festival events all over America; as a
freelance conductor-player-producer-arranger and part-time professor
at the University of Utah with stops at Westminster College and Weber
State University in the ‘00’s; as a full-time professor at Utah
State University from 2010 until 2013; and now helping to lead the
Music Education-serving non-profit, Legacy Music Alliance
(www.legacymusicalliance.org).
Melissa Heath
Hailed as a “soaring, sparkling soprano” with “vivacious stage
presence”, American soprano Melissa Heath received her Master’s degree
in vocal performance from the University of Utah in 2009. Melissa has
performed the roles of Amy in Mark Adamo’s Little Women,
Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide, La Ciesca in Gianni
Schicchi, Marianne in Tartuffe, Gretel in Hansel and
Gretel, and First Lady in The Magic Flute.
Christopher Clayton
Baritone Christopher Clayton is quickly establishing himself as a
rising talent on the operatic stage. He has appeared with companies
such as Utah Opera, Portland Opera, Sacramento Opera, Chautauqua
Opera, Skylight Opera, and Stockton Opera.
Henry Wolking
Floridian Henry Wolking—composer, trombonist, conductor, teacher, and
author—spent his college years at the University of Florida in the
horn line for a soul band, touring the “juke joints” of the black
backwaters of northern Florida. He completed a Master of Music degree,
studying composition with Martin Mailman, at the University of North
Texas in 1971. At the age of 24, he began his teaching career as head
of the jazz area at the University of Utah.
He won second prize
in the International Trombone Composition Contest in 1973, the
beginning of his successful, consistently productive career as a
serious composer. Since then his works have been performed and
recorded by many orchestras, including London, Utah, New Mexico,
Baltimore, Phoenix, Colorado Springs, Nashville, Fairbanks, North
Carolina, and Cincinnati Symphonies; the Louisville Orchestra and the
BBC Jazz Orchestra; and the Boise and Warsaw Philharmonic.
Ralph Matson
Ralph Matson was appointed Utah Symphony Concertmaster in 1985. He
began his violin studies in Detroit with Emily Mutter
Austin. Mr. Matson received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale
College and a master's degree from the Yale School of Music. His
principal teachers were Joseph Silverstein and Steven Staryk. He was a
member of the Cleveland Orchestra, and prior to his Utah Symphony
appointment, was Assistant Concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra.
John Eckstein
Cellist John Eckstein joined the Utah Symphony in June,
1990. Previously Associate Principal Cello of the New Orleans Symphony
and Principal Cello of the Omaha Symphony, he enjoys a varied musical
life of orchestral, chamber, and solo playing, in addition to his
teaching duties at the University of Utah.
Monika Jalili
"Masterfully evocative....to call their performance inspired is an
understatement." - Lucid Culture
For a talented group of Iranian poets and composers enjoying fame, the
Iranian revolution of 1979 extinguished hopes, dreams and
careers. Since a serendipitous introduction in 2003, Monika Jalili has
worked tirelessly to revive the touching works of these Iranian
artists, some of whom are no longer with us, and most of whom have
lived the past 30 years unable to express themselves as they once
could. It is their songs that Monika sings with passion,
appreciation, and love.
Megan Gould
Megan Gould (violin) is one of NYC's most versatile performers of
Middle Eastern, Greek and popular music.
Mike Fjerstad
Raised from infancy with classical training, driven by rock and roll,
enlightened by jazz, and infused with the ethnic diversity of his
upbringing in the San Francisco bay area, Mike Fjerstad enjoys being a
man of many hats.
Shane Shanahan
Shane Shanahan performs regularly with Yo-Yo Ma as an original member
of the Grammy-nominated Silk Road Ensemble. Shane’s arrangements and
compositions are featured on several of the group’s recordings for
Sony Classical. He has also performed and/or recorded with Bobby
McFerrin, Aretha Franklin, Philip Glass, Alison Krauss, Deep Purple,
and Chaka Khan, among others. Shane has played in the Broadway
productions of Caroline, Or Change, The Color Purple, Shrek,
and Spider-Man, as well as Sam Medes’ 2010 Bridge Project.
Plan-B Theatre
Plan-B Theatre Company develops and produces unique and socially conscious theatre with a particular emphasis on new plays by Utah playwrights. PETER AND THE WOLF toured to 30 elementary schools in Salt Lake and Davis Counties last school year, launching our elementary school program.
Jay Perry
Jay Perry (Actor) had appeared in Plan-B Theatre Company's productions
of TRAGEDY: A TRAGEDY, THE ALIENATION EFFEKT, three SLAMs, all eight
RADIO HOURs, FACING EAST in Salt Lake, San Francisco and Off-Broadway
at New York's Atlantic Theatre Stage 2, GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL! in
Salt Lake and at the Egyptian in Park City, SHE WAS MY BROTHER, LADY
MACBETH, the Script-In-Hand Series readings of THE NORMAL HEART, A
DOLL HOUSE and 8. Jay toured Davis and Salt Lake County elementary
schools with Prokofiev's PETER AND THE WOLF, a Plan-B partnership with
the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation and performed earlier
this season in Stravinsky's A SOLDIER'S TALE, a Plan-B partnership
with NOVA Chamber Music Series. Other regional credits include Salt
Lake Acting Company, Salt Lake Shakespeare, Pioneer Theatre Company
and Hippodrome State Theatre in Florida. Jay is Program Assistant for
U of U Youth Theatre and is a member of Actors' Equity Association.
Christy Summerhays
Christy Summerhays (Director) began her directing career in opera at
the Intimate Opera Company where she directed many productions
including LA BOHEME, RIGOLETTO and Leonard Bernstein's TROUBLE IN
TAHITI. Christy received her training at the American Academy of
Dramatic Arts in New York City and although she has worked primarily
as an actor, she has been returning to directing more and more. Her
latest project was Stravinsky's A SOLDIER'S TALE with Plan-B Theatre
Company and NOVA Chamber Music Series. This year she also worked with
Michael McLean on his new musical THREADS and with Plan-B, directing
for SLAM and the reading of Eric Samuelsen's MIASMA at THE ROSE
EXPOSED. Christy first directed PETER AND THE WOLF for Plan-B and the
Gina Bauchauer International Piano Foundation (which began at THE ROSE
EXPOSED and then toured to 30 elementary schools) and is happy to be
remounting the production with the Salt Lake Symphony!
Christina Castellanos
Christina Castellanos, MM, is Principal Flutist of The Salt Lake
Symphony, Second Flutist of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, a position she
has held since 2001 as a senior in college, and Principal Flutist of
The Nevada POPS, Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society, and Nevada
Chamber Symphony. She also frequently plays flute and piccolo in The
Utah Symphony, The Orchestra at Temple Square for the Mormon
Tabernacle Choir, and on the Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular show
(2006-2012). She had the privilege of playing principal flute under
the direction of Itzhak Perlman and has played for many artists such
as Harry Connick Jr., Cirque du Soleil, Michel Legrand (PBS
Broadcast), Luis Fonsi (2009 Latin Grammys), Jerry Lewis, Andy
Williams, Dionne Warwick, Vanessa Williams, Peter Shickele, Andrea
Bocelli (west coast tour), Il Divo, Placido Domingo, and the bands
ABBA and KANSAS.
Michael Huff
Dr. Michael Huff
was called “a triple threat” by none other than his former boss
at Utah State University, Dr. Craig Jessop, owing to his versatility
as a conductor, pianist, teacher, arranger, and show producer, and
his uncommon comfort with nearly all genres of music – choir, band,
orchestra, classical, jazz, and all forms of popular music. His
career has followed an unusual arc that can be measured in decades –
as Music Director at Lagoon and at theatres throughout Utah during
the ‘80’s; in the ‘90’s as an event
producer-sales-marketing-director producing college bowl game
halftime shows and major festival events all over America; as a
freelance conductor-player-producer-arranger and part-time professor
at the University of Utah with stops at Westminster College and Weber
State University in the ‘00’s; as a full-time professor at Utah
State University from 2010 until 2013; and now helping to lead the
Music Education-serving non-profit, Legacy Music Alliance
(www.legacymusicalliance.org).
Anton Armstrong
Anton Armstrong, Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College, became
the fourth conductor of the St. Olaf Choir in 1990 after ten years in
Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he had served on the faculty of Calvin
College and led the Calvin College Alumni Choir, the Grand Rapids
Symphony Chorus, and the St. Cecilia Youth Chorale.
Christopher Clayton
Baritone Christopher Clayton is quickly establishing himself as a
rising talent on the operatic stage. He has appeared with companies
such as Utah Opera, Portland Opera, Sacramento Opera, Chautauqua
Opera, Skylight Opera, and Stockton Opera.
Gerald Elias
A former violinist with the Boston Symphony and longtime associate
concertmaster of the Utah Symphony, Gerald Elias has performed on five
continents as violinist, conductor, composer, and educator. Since
2004, he has been music director of the popular
Vivaldi by Candlelight
chamber orchestra series in Salt Lake City. He continues to perform
with the Boston Symphony at their Tanglewood summer festival and in
2019 helped establish and conducted the inaugural Baroque string
orchestra of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Elias was
first violin of the Abramyan String Quartet from 1993-2003 and has
been a faculty member of the University of Utah School of Music since
1989. He has had the distinct pleasure of guest conducting the Salt
Lake Symphony on two previous occasions.
Igor Iachimciuc
Igor Iachimciuc was born in the Edinets Republic of Moldova, where he
began to study the cimbalom (string-percussion instrument) at age ten
at a children's music school. Later, while studying the cimbalom at
the Musicescu Academy of Music, he won 3rd and later 1st prizes at the
National Competition "Barbu Lautaru". He has also studied guitar and
piano. In 1983 he began to study composition at the College of Music
in Chisinau, Moldova, where his characteristic folk music influence
emerged. He continued his studies at the Academy of Music, composing
works ranging from folk, jazz, classical, to new music for solo
instruments, chamber ensembles, choir, and symphony orchestra.
Melissa Heath
Hailed as a “soaring, sparkling soprano” with “vivacious stage
presence”, American soprano Melissa Heath received her Master’s degree
in vocal performance from the University of Utah in 2009. Melissa has
performed the roles of Amy in Mark Adamo’s Little Women,
Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide, La Ciesca in Gianni
Schicchi, Marianne in Tartuffe, Gretel in Hansel and
Gretel, and First Lady in The Magic Flute.
Kenneth Fuchs
Kenneth Fuchs has composed music for orchestra, band, chorus, and
various chamber ensembles. With Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright
Lanford Wilson, he created three chamber musicals, The Great Nebula in
Orion, A Betrothal, and Brontosaurus, originally presented by Circle
Repertory Company in New York City. His music has been performed in
the United States, Europe, China, and Japan.
Michael Chipman
Michael Chipman is a versatile singer whose performance interests range from art song to Baroque music to contemporary opera. He recently recorded the role of Roderick Usher in Gordon Getty’s new opera Usher House with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and sang the baritone solo in Bach’s Cantata 47 with Utah Chamber Artists. In November 2005 he made his Carnegie Hall debut singing the baritone solo in Haydn’s Mass in Time of War with the New England Symphonic Ensemble. Other recent performances include the role of Ceprano in Rigoletto with Hawaii Opera Theatre and a concert tour of London and Paris with Utah Chamber Artists as the baritone soloist in the Requiems of Fauré and Howells. Upcoming performances include Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi with Utah Opera, Marquis de la Force in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Poulenc’s Banalites at the Intermezzo Summer Chamber Music Festival and the Howells Requiem at the Deer Valley Music Festival.
Erin McOmber
Erin McOmber has most recently sung the role of Clorinda (La Cenerentola) with La Musica Lirica (Novafeltria, Italy) with Maestro Joseph Rescigno. In 2010 and 2011 she took the stage as Blanche (Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites) at the University of Utah under the baton of Dr. Robert Baldwin, Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) with the Paradigm Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Joel Rosenberg, Fiordiligi and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) at "Concerts at the Presidio" in San Francisco, and as a soloist with the University of Utah A Cappella Choir.
Jenny Oaks Baker
Jenny Oaks Baker is one of America’s most accomplished classical
violinists. She began playing the violin at age four, and made her
solo orchestral debut in 1983 when she was only eight years old. She
received her Master of Music degree from the renowned Juilliard School
in New York City and her bachelor’s degree in violin performance from
the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Jessica Napoles
Jessica Napoles is an Associate Professor of Choral Music Education at
the University of Utah, where she teaches coursework in Choral
Rehearsal Techniques and Choral Methods. Her passion is in working
with treble voices, training music education students to be effective
teachers, and collaborating with local schools in partnerships for her
students to gain teaching opportunities.
University of Utah Women's Chorus
The University of Utah Women’s Chorus is a nonauditioned ensemble
comprised of students from majors across the university. Dr. Jessica
Napoles created the group in 2006, identifying a need for the
university to have a group that was open to all students with a desire
to sing, without the perceived barrier of an audition. Beginning with
just six students, the ensemble has grown in both number and quality
under her leadership through five years.
Phillip Bimstein
“Phillip Bimstein uses the voices, natural sounds and culture of
his adopted home in his compositions, and he practices politics with
music in mind.“
- National Public Radio’s All Things Considered
Alternative classical composer Phillip Bimstein lives in Salt Lake
City and Springdale, Utah, where he served two terms as mayor. A
recipient of grants and awards from the National Endowment for the
Arts, Meet The Composer, American Composers Forum, Austria’s Prix Ars
Electronica and an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences, Bimstein’s music has been performed at Carnegie Hall,
Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Bang on a Can Festival, the
Aspen Music Festival, the Spoleto Festival and London’s Royal Opera
House.
Red Rock Rondo
Red Rock Rondo is an Emmy Award-winning ensemble consisting of six of
Utah’s best-known musicians: composer Phillip Bimstein, Kate
MacLeod, Hal Cannon, Charlotte Bell, Flavia Cerviño-Wood and
Harold Carr, performing on piano, guitars, violins, oboe, English horn,
concertina, harmonica, bass and vocals. Their music is a well-crafted
synergy of popular, folk, jazz and classical, woven into a truly
original New Americana style.
West Jordan High School Concert Choir
West Jordan High School has a proud history of singing that began in 1983. During the past 15 years that tradition has grown under the direction of Kelly DeHaan. The singing Jaguars have continued to receive only the highest superior ratings at region and state festivals.
Jennifer Larson
Ms. Larson has been described by USA Today as possessing a "golden
voice." She enjoys a solo performing career that encompasses
appearances with many of the nation’s finest orchestras and chamber
ensembles, a growing catalogue of recordings, and successful
performances in major operatic roles.
Kirsten Gunlogson
Grammy nominated Mezzo-Soprano Kirsten Gunlogson’s voice has been
described as “rich”, “creamy” and “beautifully dramatic”. Known for
her convincing interpretation of trouser roles and charmingly feminine
portrayals Ms. Gunlogson has distinguished herself as an impressive
singing actress. Ms. Gunlogson has performed with Indianapolis Opera,
Palm Beach Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Arizona Opera, Utah Opera,
Tulsa Opera, Toledo Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Pittsburgh Opera,
Nashville Opera, Kentucky Opera, and Sarasota Opera. Upcoming
performances include the role of Maddalena in Rigoletto with
Utah Opera and the role of Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro with
Baltimore Lyric Opera as well as a performance of Strauss Lieder with
the Salt Lake City NOVA Chamber Music Series.
Steve Meredith
A gifted vocalist with a tone described as “seamless and superb”
(Arizona Republic), Dr. Steve Meredith is a highly sought-after
concert performer. A favorite of the late Robert Shaw, Dr. Meredith
sang Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and 9th Symphony under his direction
with orchestras throughout the United States.
Susan Duehlmeier and Bonnie Gritton
Susan Duehlmeier and Bonnie Gritton have performed throughout the United States, Europe, China and Israel. They have collaborated with numerous orchestras including the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, the Czech Radio Orchestra, the Utah Symphony, and the Armenian Philharmonic. They have performed at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall in Boston, Dvorak Hall of Rudolfinum in Prague, Warsaw Philharmonic Hall and Lutoslawski Hall in Warsaw, Royal Academy of Music in Glasgow, the Jerusalem Center and Bosendorfer Hall in Vienna.
Jeffrey Price
Jeffrey Price is a professor of piano and opera at the
University of Utah, a position he has held for eleven years. In
addition to teaching piano and coaching singers, he serves as the
musical director for the University’s Lyric Opera Ensemble. During
a versatile and multifaceted career, he has been extremely active as a
pianist, coach, accompanist, soloist, chamber musician, conductor and
musical director, (for opera, musical theater, and dance), as well as
composing.
Sergio Bernal
An outstanding Latin American conductor, Sergio Bernal has earned
international recognition as a "tasteful technician with a more than
technical gift for connecting with a score’s essence." His debut
appearance at New York’s Lincoln Center was considered
"admirable... Balances were exemplary; attacks and releases precise
and explicit; and the sultry atmosphere well conveyed".
Lawrence Dillon
Composer Lawrence Dillon has produced an extensive body of work, from
brief solo pieces to a full-length opera. Although he lost 50% of his
hearing in a childhood illness, he began composing as soon as he
started piano lessons at the age of seven. In 1985, he became the
youngest composer to earn a doctorate at The Juilliard School, and was
shortly thereafter appointed to the Juilliard faculty. Dillon is now
Composer in Residence at the University of North Carolina School of
the Arts, where he has served as Music Director of the Contemporary
Ensemble, Assistant Dean of Performance, and Interim Dean of the
School of Music. He was the Featured American Composer in the February
2006 issue of Chamber Music magazine.
Bryan Hernandez-Luch
As a native of Utah, and of Peruvian descent, Bryan began his violin
studies at the age of six. At the age of fifteen he made his solo
debut with the Utah Symphony Orchestra. Hailed by the press for his
compelling performance at the 2003 Sphinx Competition, Bryan
Hernandez-Luch won first place in the senior division while performing
with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. As a Sphinx Laureate, Bryan has
appeared with the Cleveland, Atlanta, New Jersey, Utah, Chautauqua,
New World, Colorado, Nashville, Grand Rapids, Prince George
Philharmonic and Battle Creek symphony orchestras as well as Canada's
National Arts Center Orchestra. As a soloist he has worked with such
conductors as Franz Welser-Möst, Robert Spano, Keith Lockhart, David
Cho, Arthur Fagan and Thomas Wilkins.
Melissa Heath
Hailed as a “soaring, sparkling soprano” with “vivacious stage
presence”, American soprano Melissa Heath received her Master’s degree
in vocal performance from the University of Utah in 2009. Melissa has
performed the roles of Amy in Mark Adamo’s Little Women,
Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide, La Ciesca in Gianni
Schicchi, Marianne in Tartuffe, Gretel in Hansel and
Gretel, and First Lady in The Magic Flute.
David Price
David Price, 19, son of Dan and Susanne Price, is the youngest of nine
musical children. His accomplishments include multiple performances
with the Utah Symphony, an appearance on national radio as soloist on
NPR’s “From the Top” with the Gifted Music School Orchestra, and a
tour of Italy with the Rocky Mountain Strings.
Ron Beitel
Ron Beitel is currently the Associate Principal Hornist of The Utah
Symphony. Prior to moving to Utah, he performed as Associate Principal
Horn of the San Antonio Symphony and Principal Horn of the Memphis
Symphony. His solo and chamber music appearances include performances
with The San Antonio Symphony, The Cactus Pear Music Festival (San
Antonio), The Olmos Ensemble (San Antonio), NOVA, and Intermezzo.
Mr. Beitel is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Barbara Scowcroft
Barbara Scowcroft has been a member of the Utah Symphony violin section since
1982. She served as Acting Assistant Concertmaster in the 2008-2009
and 1998-1999 seasons. In 1986, Barbara and Utah Symphony Music
Director Joseph Silverstein co-founded the Utah Symphony Side-by-Side
with Utah Youth Symphony program.
Igor Iachimciuc
Originally from the Republic of Moldova, Igor Iachimciuc is currently
a PhD candidate in music composition at the University of Utah. The
first introduction to music began at the age of ten, when Igor went to
study cimbalom, an Eastern European instrument, at the music school in
his native city. He moved after to the Chisinau, the capitol of
Moldova, to pursue his career as a performer.
John Eckstein
Cellist John Eckstein joined the Utah Symphony in June,
1990. Previously Associate Principal Cello of the New Orleans Symphony
and Principal Cello of the Omaha Symphony, he enjoys a varied musical
life of orchestral, chamber, and solo playing, in addition to his
teaching duties at the University of Utah.
David Cho
During his three seasons with the Utah Symphony, David has conducted many
education, Pops, outreach, and tour concerts.
In September of 2007 David was the recipient of the 1st Prize at the
Eduardo Mata International Conducting Competition held in Mexico
City, Mexico. This led to numerous guest conducting engagements in
Europe and South America.
Erin Morley
Soprano Erin Morley, originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, joined the
Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Program in September 2007,
and made her Met Opera debut in Manon Lescaut and Peter
Grimes in February 2008. She will return in the 2008-2009 season to sing
Masha in The Queen of Spades, and to cover Woglinde and
Waldvogel in the Ring Cycle. Ms. Morley studies voice with Edith
Bers.
Crawford Gates
Crawford Gates was born in 1921 in San Francisco. He grew up in Palo
Alto, California, attended San Jose State University (BA, with great
distinction), Brigham Young University (MA), and Eastman School of
Music of the University of Rochester (Ph.D.). His very influential
teacher of composition was the prizewinning, internationally
acclaimed, Dr. Leroy Robertson. He also studied composition with two
Pulitzer Prize winning composers: Dr. Howard Hanson (Director of
Eastman School of Music) and Dr. Ernst Toch (of Zurich and Los
Angeles). He studied conducting with Eleazar de Carvalho at
Tanglewood, and with Hans Swarowsky of the Vienna State Opera.
Mindy Chen
Born in 1996, Mindy Chen, a six grader from Fremont, California, is
currently a scholarship student at the Preparatory Division of San
Francisco Conservatory of Music. She started playing the violin at
the age of four, made her first concert appearance in the same year,
and won her first violin competition at the age of seven.
Stephen Beus
“Mesmerizing... explosive... intelligent... he belongs on the world
stage” (Salt Lake Tribune). American pianist Stephen Beus is
recognized as one of the most promising pianists of his generation.
In the space of four months, Mr. Beus won first prize in the 2006 Gina
Bachauer International Piano Competition, first place in the Vendome
Prize International Competition (Lisbon) and he was awarded the Max
I. Allen Fellowship of the American Pianists Association
(Indianapolis).
Kory Katseanes
Professor Katseanes is the Director of Orchestras and an Associate
Director of the School of Music at Brigham Young University. As
Director of Orchestras he oversees the orchestral program that
accommodates nearly 400 students enrolled in the five University
orchestras, and directs the graduate orchestral conducting program. He
conducts the BYU Philharmonic and the BYU Chamber Orchestra in their
campus concerts, throughout Utah, and on their regular tours
throughout the world.
Sergio Pallottelli
Sergio Pallottelli captivates and dazzles audiences world-wide. As a
soloist and avid chamber musician, his performances take him to halls
all over the world, from Europe to Australia, from the US to South
America.
Constantly in search of a new composition or a new piece to adapt for
the flute, he offers elegant and passionate programming, always
communicating with his audiences in the most charismatic way, be it in
major orchestra halls or chamber settings alike.
Susan Goodfellow
Susan Goodfellow is a professor of flute at the University of Utah.
She holds degrees from Julliard School of Music and the university of
Chicago, and studied with Julius Baker and William Kincaid. She has
soloed with the Carmel (California) Bach Festival and the Mormon
Tabernacle Choir and performed with the New York City Symphony and the
Chicago Chamber Orchestra. She worked as a music editor for
Encyclopedia Britannica and was assistant editor of The Britannica
Book of Music. She has given lectures, recitals, and master classes
across the United States, and served for two years as secretary of
program annotator for the Salt Lake Chamber Music Society and on the
editorial board of The Flutist Quarterly.
Susan Neimoyer
A specialist in 20th century and American music, Susan Neimoyer received her Ph.D. in Music History from the University of Washington, where she was a student of American music scholar Larry Starr. Her dissertation, "Rhapsody in Blue: A Culmination of George Gershwin's Early Musical Education" was a finalist for the Society for American Music's H. Wiley Hitchcock Dissertation Prize for 2003.
Gary Merrell
Gary Merrell began playing the clarinet at age 10 as part of a deal with his parents in which he was allowed to stop taking piano lessons. In elementary school, band class offered several advantages, such as an airtight excuse to miss half of geography class and the chance to go on bus trips with the band. These factors served as strong incentives to become a better clarinetist.
Bill Newton
Bill Newton graduated from the University of Utah in 1978 with a degree in Music. His most influential teachers were Utah Symphony members Jim Hough and Doug Craig. In 1984, Bill earned a degree in Computer Programming. Since then, programming has been his profession and playing the bassoon his avocation.
Jim Yehle
By the fifth grade, Jim knew he wanted to play French horn, but he had to put his plans on hold for a year. The school in Denver had only one horn, which was being used by a sixth-grader, so Jim started on cornet. Later that year, a horn recitalist told him that it never works to switch from trumpet to horn, which sealed his fate in an engineering career.
Hilary Coon
Hilary Coon has been playing with the Salt Lake Symphony since
arriving in town in 1991. She started playing the oboe ages ago (at
least 3,000 hand-made reeds, by the oboist's reckoning of time). All
these reeds met their demise first at various summer music camps and
the Aspen Music Festival, then at the University of Colorado, Boulder,
where she earned a Bachelor's degree in music, and also in math.
Karen Hakobyan
Distinguished for the musical color, brilliance and excitement of his
performances, the talented young Armenian pianist and composer Karen
Hakobyan (b. 1985) has been acclaimed for his individual style. He
graduated from the Tchaikowsky Special Music School in Yerevan,
Armenia in 2000 and briefly attended the Komitas State Conservatory
before moving to the United States. He attends the University of Utah
School of Music as a "Dorothy Rich" Presidential Scholarship
recipient, studying piano performance with Dr. Susan Duehlmeier and
composition with Dr. Morris Rosenzweig.
David Park
David Park started playing the violin at the age of five in
Seoul, Korea. Since coming to the United States in 1976 at the age of
seven, Park has studied with some of the most distinguished artists
and teachers, such as Jascha Heifetz, Josef Gingold, Dorothy Delay,
and Yuval Yaron. He received his Bachelor of Music degree at the
University of Indiana and Master of Music degree at the Juilliard
School.
Elliott Cheney
Elliott Cheney holds Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees in cello
performance from the University of Texas, where he studied with
Phyllis Young. He has been the Principal Cellist of the National
Symphony of Costa Rica, and The Savannah Symphony, and has been on the
faculties of the University of Costa Rica, Southwestern University,
Armstrong College, and the University of Tennessee. He currently is a
faculty member in the Music School at University of Utah.
Robert Baldwin
Robert Baldwin is Music Director and Conductor for the Salt Lake
Symphony and Director of Orchestras and Professor of Conducting at the
University of Utah. He is also the founding conductor for Sinfonia
Salt Lake, a professional chamber orchestra that made its critically
acclaimed debut in 2016. He has appeared across the North America,
Europe and Asia as a conductor and viola player. International
conducting appearances include the Hunan Symphony in China, Busan Maru
International Music Festival in South Korea, Eutin Festspiele
in Germany, Kuopio Academy of Music in Finland, and the Hermitage
Camerata in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and tours with the University of
Utah Chamber Orchestra to London, Vienna, Graz and Salzburg. In demand
as a guest conductor and clinician, he also has conducted performances
with the Great Falls Symphony, Lafayette Symphony, Lexington
Philharmonic, Lexington Singers, Flagstaff Festival of the Arts,
Abilene Tri-Collegiate Opera, and numerous All-State and regional
festival orchestras across the U.S.A. His performances and ensembles
have received international attention and have been featured on New
York’s WQXR Classical Radio, and nationally broadcast radio
programs, including Performance Today, Highway 89 and
Weekend Edition. Dr. Baldwin’s preconcert talks and community
music classes are popular mainstays of the Utah Arts scene. His
award-winning blog on music and creativity is
Before the Downbeat.
Jens Lindemann
Trumpeter Jens Lindemann is hailed as one of the most celebrated
soloists in his instrument’s history. Jens has played in every
major concert venue in the world; from the Philharmonics of New York,
Los Angeles, London, Manchester, Munich, Hamburg, Lucerne and Berlin
to Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and even the Great Wall of China. His
career has ranged from appearing internationally as an orchestral
soloist, recording with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, being heralded as
an official trumpeter for the N.H.L. Stanley Cup finals to playing
lead trumpet with the renowned Canadian Brass.
Todd Fiegel
Todd Fiegel lives in Draper and has been professor of conducting at
the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, University of Montana, Idaho
State University and Muskingum College, and he is the founding
conductor of Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra. He is active as guest
conductor and clinician throughout the United States and Canada, in
which country he has conducted from westernmost Vancouver Island to
the eastern coast of Newfoundland.
Juan Carlos Lomónaco
Juan Carlos Lomónaco, Music Director of the Carlos Chavez Symphony
Orchestra, graduated from The Curtis Institute of Music, where he
studied conducting with Otto Werner Muller. He has also studied
conducting with Charles Bruck at The Pierre Monteux School, as well as
Enrique Diemecke and Marc David.
Elizabeth Palmer
Violinist Elizabeth Palmer is the concertmaster of the Salt Lake
Symphony and a charter member of the Orchestra at Temple Square. She
is a graduate of the University of Utah and has been featured as a
soloist with the University of Utah Symphony, Mormon Youth Symphony,
Delaware County Pennsylvania Symphony and the Salt Lake Symphony. She
has also performed with the Utah Symphony.
Rebecca Hample
Ms. Brandt Hample’s career began in Salt Lake and has since taken her
around the world, performing and teaching opera, musical theater,
theater, oratorio, concert, movement and dance. She has lived and
studied in SLC, NYC, Boston, and Italy.
Dickran Atamian
Dickran Atamian has enjoyed a career that has spanned a
quarter-century and covered four continents. He has established
himself as a pianist of dazzling style, meaningful and exquisite
musical insights, incomparable mercurial gifts, and an unmatched
visceral excitement. In the year 2000, he celebrated his 25th season
as First Prize winner of the 50th Anniversary Naumburg International
Piano Competition held at Carnegie Hall. Additional award distinctions
include First Prize in the International Recording Competition, a
Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music Prize and Prize-Winner in the
William Kapell International Piano Competition.
Marjorie Janove
Marjorie Janove is an active soloist, recitalist, and chamber
musician. She has soloed with the Utah Symphony as pianist and
harpsichordist. She appears frequently with the Opus Orchestra, Nova
Chamber Music series, Vivaldi Candlelight Series, Marice Abravanel
Distiguished Composer Series and Madeleine Festival of the Arts and
Humanities. Her performance of Bach's Art of the Fugue for the Bach
Tricentennial Celebration was broadcast on National Public Radio. She
has performed on the Dame Myra Hess series in Chicago and the
Shadyside Chamber Concert series in Pittsburgh.
Laurel Ann Maurer
Flutist Laurel Ann Maurer has been lauded by The New York Times
as "...a secure technician and an assured, communicative interpreter."
Fanfare Magazine stated that ". . . she is technically superb in
every way. Her tone is consistently attractive even in the most
treacherous passages, and she plays with great rhythmic drive and
impeccable phrasing." American Record Guide said that
"...Maurer has a strong, colorful, full sound and a sure technique..."
Geoff Stevens
Born in the far north-east of England, near Newcastle upon Tyne,
Geoff's first love of the Trumpet came as a child, playing old 78 rpm
recordings of Harry James (relentlessly - according to his parents) on
an old "wind-up" gramophone player.
Zina Schiff
Violinist Zina Schiff has been described by The New York Times
as an instrumentalist of "Luscious high voltage … vintage Heifetz."
The comparison to the legendary Jascha Heifetz is apt, as Ms. Schiff
is a Heifetz protégé. With a special blend of virtuosity, musical
integrity, and communicative power, she has dazzled audiences and
critics throughout the United States, Eastern and Western Europe,
Israel, Australia, and the former Soviet Union.
Erin Elizabeth Palmer
Erin Elizabeth Palmer received her first musical instruction at an
early age from her mother and father, learning piano, violin and
voice. For five years, Erin studied piano with Solveig Lunde Madsen
and won second place in the 1996 Utah State Fair Competition.
In the summer of 1997, Erin toured Europe with the Utah Ambassadors of
Music as their accompanist. That same year, Erin began her voice
training with Betty Jeanne Chipman, and sang as a "Salute to Youth"
soloist with the Utah Symphony in 1998. She has twice soloed with the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the "Music of the Spoken Word"
broadcast.
Jeff Manookian
A recent recipient of a commission from the Barlow Endowment for Music
Composition at Brigham Young University to compose a concerto for
flute and orchestra to be premiered by the Salt Lake Symphony, Jeff
Manookian has garnered numerous accolades for his original works. The
Frederick Delius Competition conferred its Grand Prize on Manookian's
Fantasy and Toccata for Violin and Piano and the chamber music first
prize for his Sonata for Flute and Piano. His compositions have
figured numerous times on the Frederick Delius Music Festival in
Jacksonville, Florida. Other top prizes have been awarded to
Manookian's works, including the Grand Prize and multiple first places
in the Composers Guild International Composition Competition.
Susan Duehlmeier and Bonnie Gritton
Susan Duehlmeier and Bonnie Gritton have performed throughout the United States, Europe, China and Israel. They have collaborated with numerous orchestras including the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, the Czech Radio Orchestra, the Utah Symphony, and the Armenian Philharmonic. They have performed at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall in Boston, Dvorak Hall of Rudolfinum in Prague, Warsaw Philharmonic Hall and Lutoslawski Hall in Warsaw, Royal Academy of Music in Glasgow, the Jerusalem Center and Bosendorfer Hall in Vienna.
Marie Barker-Nelson
Marie Barker Nelson has a Ph.D degree from the University of Utah and
has also graduated from the Yale School of Music where she studied
with Paul Hindemith. She currently works with Bruce Reich.
Her first symphony, "The Medead" was premiered bu the Utah Symphony
and has been recorded by the Slovak Radio Symphony. Her second
symphony, "Hodeeyaada" was premiered and recorded by the Manhattan
Sinfornia in New York City and has subsequently been performed in
Gainesville, Florida and also by the Utah Symphony.