Utah Symphony to Present Dvorak's NEW WORLD SYMPHONY, Led by Guest Conductor Mark Wigglesworth, 3/7-8

Guest conductor Mark Wigglesworth returns to lead Utah Symphony through three incredible symphonies in one night on March 7 and 8 at 8 PM at Abravanel Hall. Opening the concert is Amadeus Mozart's Symphony No. 35 which was written when Sigmund Haffner, who belonged to a prominent Satzburg family, was to be granted nobility. The "Haffner" Symphony was most recently performed by Utah Symphony on the Chamber Orchestra Series in 2009. David Cho conducted.

The second work is Lutos?awski's Symphony No. 4, the last large-scale work he completed. It was premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1993, little more than a year before his death. These concerts represent the Utah Symphony premiere of Lutos?awski's 4th Symphony.

The final piece will be Dvo?ák's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World." This piece was a celebration of America, written only a few months after Dvo?ák arrived. The moving work created a representation of the "New World" that hardly seemed possible from the pen of a guest.

Mr. Wigglesworth has a strong emotional connection with Dvo?ák's work. "Dvo?ák's final symphony was the first piece of music I genuinely fell in love with," he said. "It was the first recording that I ever bought and was the first piece of music that made me realize what music really can be. It is a privilege to be able to connect back so deeply to that innocent wonder and childlike thrill."

The last Utah Symphony Masterworks performance of the very popular "New World" Symphony was in 2010. Guest Conductor Gilbert Varga was on the podium.

Guest conductor Mark Wigglesworth and Vice President of Artistic Planning Toby Tolokan will present a free pre-concert chat each night for ticket holders, one hour prior to the start of the performance on the orchestra level of Abravanel Hall (123 W South Temple).

The March 8 performance marks another post-concert reunion of Vivace, a group of 20 - 50-somethings who enjoy the social aspect associated with the symphony and opera. Vivace members sit together at the performances, receive a unique version of the program notes, and attend after-parties at area restaurants as well as on site at Abravanel Hall where they mingle with the best and brightest of Salt Lake City, guest artists, members of the Utah Symphony, and casts of Utah Opera. Single ticket price is $34 or $25 for those under 30. Online promo code is vivace. Call 801-533-NOTE (6683) to order.

Single tickets for the performance start at $18 and can be purchased by phone at (801) 355-2787, in person at the Abravanel Hall ticket office (123 W. South Temple) or online by visiting www.utahsymphony.org. Season subscribers can purchase discounted tickets by contacting (801) 533-6683. Those desiring group discounts should call (801) 869-9046. All ticket prices are subject to change and availability, and will increase $5 when purchased on the day of the performance.

Born in Sussex, England, Mark Wigglesworth studied music at Manchester University and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London. While still a student, he formed The Premiere Ensemble, an orchestra committed to playing a new piece in every program. A few weeks after leaving the Academy, he won the Kondrashin International Conducting Competition in The Netherlands, and since then has worked with many of the leading orchestras and opera companies of the world.

In 1992 he became Associate Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Further appointments include Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Highlights of his time with the BBCNOW include several visits to the BBC Proms, a performance of Mahler's Tenth Symphony at the prestigious Amsterdam Mahler Festival in 1995, and a six-part television series for the BBC entitled "Everything to Play For".

Mr. Wigglesworth has been just as busy in North America having been invited to the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, the Toronto Symphony, and the Boston Symphony. He regularly visits the Minnesota Orchestra and has an on-going relationship with the New World Symphony.

Equally at home in the Opera House, Mr. Wigglesworth started his operatic career with a period as Music Director of Opera Factory, London. Since then he has worked regularly at Glyndebourne ("Peter Grimes", "La Boheme", "Le Nozze di Figaro"), Welsh National Opera ("Elektra", "The Rake's Progress", "Tristan und Isolde"), and English National Opera ("Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk", "Così fan tutte", "Falstaff", "Kát'a Kabanová", "Parsifal"). He has conducted at the Netherlands Opera ("Peter Grimes"); La Monnaie ("Mitridate", "Wozzeck", "Pelléas et Mélisande"); The Sydney Opera House ("Peter Grimes", "Don Giovanni"); The Metropolitan Opera, New York ("Le nozze di Figaro"); and The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden ("Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg").

Future highlights include returns to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Bayerische Staatsoper, English National Opera, Tokyo Symphony, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Sydney and Melbourne symphony orchestras, Hong Kong Philharmonic and BBC National Orchestra of Wales and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra as well as debuts with the RSB Berlin and Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo.

Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony is dedicated to providing Utah residents and visitors with great performances which engage, educate and enrich lives. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra's parent organization, reaches 450,000 residents in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving more than 155,000 students annually. The orchestra presents more than 70 performances each season in Abravanel Hall, participates in the Utah Opera's four annual productions at the Capitol Theatre, in addition to numerous community concerts throughout Utah and the annual outdoor summer series - the Deer Valley Music Festival - in Park City, Utah. With its many subscription, education, and outreach concerts and tours the Utah Symphony is one of the most engaged full-time orchestras in the nation. For more information visit www.utahsymphony.org.