Events

Holiday magic continues with a classical touch on December 17^th as the Salt Lake Symphony performs music that will help you entertain, inspire and invigorate. On the program is two unique selections of traditional holiday carols, Samuel Barber’s reflective Die Natali, and Victor Hely-Hutchinson imaginative Carol Symphony.
And a traditional adventure is awaiting as well with Leopold Mozart’s  Musical Sleigh-Ride featuring dancers from the University of Utah Department of Ballet. Happy Holidays!

Join the Salt Lake Symphony and special guest KUTV Chief Meteorologist Sterling Poulson for a concert the whole family will love on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 2:00 pm at Libby Gardner Concert Hall on President’s Circle on the University of Utah campus. Led by Conductor Claudia Restrepo, the orchestra will perform selections, traditional and new, dedicated to the amazing animals that inhabit this planet.

Music includes Beethoven’s Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Finale, Mark McKenzie’s The Lion and the Mouse, Elton John’s Hakuna Matata from The Lion King, Haydn’s Finale from Symphony no. 82 “The Bear,” and Highlights from Jurassic Park.

The Salt Lake Symphony will accept donations of new and/or gently used stuffed animals at the concert. The animals collected will be donated to Family Promise of Salt Lake, a non-profit, interfaith, non-proselytizing, organization that provides shelter, case management and housing services to homeless families.

The winners of the SummerArts Piano Concerto Competition take center stage with Salt Lake Symphony conducted by Assistant Conductor Claudia Restrepo. These gifted young people will each play one concerto movement.

Ever wonder what the musicians would choose if they programmed a concert? Come see our March concert: Musicians’ Choice! From Haydn’s ebullient and rarely heard Symphony No. 99, to DeFalla’s energetic dances from the Three-Cornered Hat, the SLS musicians will transport you into a realm of sound with exciting textures, buoyant rhythms and memorable melodies. The Silver Fanfare kicks off the program. It’s the debut of music by American composer Peter Boyer with the orchestra, and is filled with a full orchestral sound inspired by the biggest Hollywood studio orchestras. Join us on March 18th. The musicians cannot wait to share some of their favorites with you!

Cultural exchange has long been a hallmark of classical music tradition. The SLS proudly takes this to a new level in April. Guest conductor Xiao Ming joins us from Hunan, China to conduct music from China, Russia and Austria in a truly rich program of both old favorites and music that will be new to western audiences. Maestro Xiao is bringing two pieces with him that were written for his orchestra, the Hunan Symphony. In addition, pianist Andrew Staupe joins us to present Shostakovich’s powerful Piano Concerto No. 2. The concert will conclude with the shortest, yet most carefully composed, symphony from the pen of Johannes Brahms, the Symphony No. 3. It’s a cross cultural evening of great music with connections and friendships made from around the world.

Luckily we are never at a loss for natural wonder in our great state of Utah. Composers have looked to nature for inspirations for thousands of years, and our final concert of the 2016-2017 season features three works that depict nature with uniquely individual expressions. Dvo?ák’s In Nature’s Realm is a seldomly heard concert overture that expresses the nature of the composer's native Bohemia. Inspired by Beethoven’s Pastorale Symphony, the work effectively imparts the feeling of being in the woods surrounding Prague. We will also feature our concertmaster, Elizabeth Palmer, in Vivaldi’s Spring from the Four Seasons, one of the finest depictions of nature ever written—-and it’s a concerto! We conclude with American composer Ferde Grofé’s signature work, the Grand Canyon Suite. Musical sunrises, sunsets, storms and even a burro ride down to the floor of the Grand Canyon are all effectively portrayed in this beloved piece. So bring your virtual backpack and boots and join us as we venture outside with music. We’ll provide the musical compass!

We open the season with the Salt Lake Symphony by continuing our tradition of presenting some of the finest talent in the State of Utah. Rachel Aina Call, 1st Prize Winner, Utah Division of the 2016 Stradivarius International Violin Competition will join us for Sibelius’ Violin Concert in D minor. The work captures all of the vibrant energy and muted color of Sibelius’ native Finland in a work full of melody and virtuosic violin playing. Libby Gardner’s magnificent organ will be featured on the second half of the program as organist Linda Margetts joins us for Saint-Saëns' powerful Organ Symphony (Symphony No. 3). Long considered one of Saint-Saëns' finest works, the symphony has been an audience favorite since its premiere in 1887. The concert will open with a delightful overture by William Walton, the Portsmouth Point Overture. The jazzy, rhythmic score depicts rambunctious life of British sailors as depicted in a painting by Thomas Rowlandson. In total it’s a concert that is sometimes reverent, sometimes rowdy and always exciting!

Beethoven’s Eroica is widely recognized as the first important Romantic era symphony. The interesting backstory (Beethoven originally dedicated it to Napoleon and then angrily withdrew the dedication when Bonaparte declared himself Emperor) only touches on the genius found in this symphony. Truly revolutionary, Beethoven’s 3^rd Symphony takes us on a journey into the human spirit, from the hopeful opening chords, into the depths of despair of the second movement, then returns to the heights of victory and joy in the Finale. Certainly one of music’s most heroic gestures, the other music on the program follows suit: Shostakovich’s Festive Overture (played side-by-side with our high school guests) and Mussorgsky’s seldom heard “Songs and Dances of Death.” Round out our program. bass-baritone Seth Keeton joins us to add his deeply resonant sound to the Mussorgsky songs. It’s a musical journey you won’t want to miss!

Tales of winter wonderlands abound in our December concert. The magical story of Rimsky Korsakov's Snow Maiden brings a Russian winter fairy tale to life. Similarly, a magical frozen landscape will arrive in the concert hall with another story from a cold land, Lemminkäinen’s Return, by Jan Sibelius. And what holiday would be complete without a visit from St. Nick? Audiences of all ages will be entranced with Anthony DiLorenzo's version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and early American composer William Henry Fry’s charming Santa Claus Symphony. Narrated by Nathan Florence and conducted by Matthew Mainella and Robert Baldwin, this program promises to be the most unique holiday program of the season, and guaranteed to expand your holiday horizons!

Fun and Reading are on the schedule for our annual Family Fun concert. Children’s classics will be translated in symphonic sound, including a short comic opera based on Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. So bring the entire family for a symphonic story hour! The program is suitable for children of all ages.

The SLS proudly partners with the University of Utah’s Summer Arts Piano Competition to present some of the finest young talent in the Intermountain West. Join us for an evening of youthful energy, dazzling technique and great piano concertos.

We celebrate American music in our March concert, featuring names you know (Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber), and names you will not soon forget (Miguel Chuaqui, Alan Hovhaness, Peter Boyer). Boyer’s Symphony No. 1 rounds out the evening, marking the Utah premiere of this rising American composer’s work. We invite you to hear the scope of American classical music in an evening of variety and unity.