Utah Symphony Announces 2017-2018

Music Director Thierry Fischer and President & CEO Paul Meecham today announced the Utah Symphony's 2017-18 season, which includes a Saint-Saëns symphony cycle recorded live for the Hyperion label, marking the first recording of the composer's complete symphonies by an American orchestra. Additional season highlights include violinist Hilary Hahn in Dvo?ák's Violin Concerto, violinist Augustin Hadelich performing Beethoven's Violin Concerto, pianist Stephen Hough in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1, and pianist and Gilmore Young Artist Conrad Tao as soloist in Bernstein's Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety" and Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2, among other guest artists; a Leonard Bernstein festival in honor of his 100th birthday; the U.S. premiere of a Utah Symphony co-commission from Prix de Rome-winning French composer Tristan Murail, Reflections / Reflets III, conducted by Mr. Fischer; and a Utah Symphony | Utah Opera gala concert featuring soprano Renée Fleming in celebration of Utah Opera's 40th anniversary season. For more information about the Saint-Saëns recordings for Hyperion, click here.

"Programming a Saint-Saëns symphony cycle with an American orchestra, and recording it for a European record label, provides us with a unique opportunity," said Mr. Fischer, who will be in his ninth season leading the orchestra. "A Saint-Saëns cycle is incredibly rare here so I believe it's about time an orchestra of our caliber takes this on as a very motivating challenge. In addition to these wonderful French Romantic statements of joy and sorrow, we will continue to explore the music of Stravinsky in 2017-18. We will also perform four of Strauss' tone poems and are honored to pay tribute to Leonard Bernstein during his centennial. It promises to be an amazing season."

The Utah Symphony's 2017-18 season includes performances of Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, Mozart's Mass in C Minor with former Symphony Artist-in-Residence soprano Celena Shafer and the Utah Symphony Chorus, Saint-Saëns' The Carnival of the Animals, and Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with soloist Jon Kimura Parker. The works of Richard Strauss are highlighted with performances of Don Juan, Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, Serenade for Winds, Don Quixote, and Also sprach Zarathustra. Mr. Fischer and the orchestra also continue their multi-season exploration of works by Stravinsky with Symphony of Psalms, the complete ballet score from The Firebird, and the first Utah Symphony performance of the recently rediscovered work Funeral Song.

"I'm very much looking forward to watching Utah Symphony's 2017-18 season unfold," said Utah Symphony | Utah Opera President & CEO Paul Meecham. "The incredible momentum generated from the acclaimed Carnegie Hall concert last April, our recording projects, and the growing national recognition of our orchestra and its Music Director Thierry Fischer sets the stage for an exciting season full of interesting repertoire and wonderful guest artists. And we are happy to launch the Films in Concert Series as an entry point for new generations of symphony-goers to experience the joy of live orchestral music."

The Utah Symphony welcomes newly appointed Assistant Conductor Conner Gray Covington in the 2017-18 season. Mr. Covington most recently served as the Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and was a recipient of a Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation U.S. in May 2016. Among other conducting responsibilities, Mr. Covington will lead the orchestra in school concerts through the organization's Education Department as well as conduct Family Series concerts.

Since Mr. Fischer's appointment as Music Director, he has initiated multi-season surveys of works by Stravinsky, Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, and Beethoven. As part of the orchestra's 75th anniversary celebrations, the Utah Symphony performed all nine Mahler symphonies over two seasons and released a live recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 "Titan" on Reference Recordings in Fall 2015 as the orchestra's first album under Mr. Fischer. Dawn to Dust, released in Spring 2016 on Reference Recordings, marked the conductor's second live recording with the orchestra. It features three world-premiere works commissioned by the Utah Symphony from American composers Nico Muhly, Andrew Norman, and Augusta Read Thomas. The orchestra continues to record for Reference Recordings in addition to embarking on a Saint-Saëns symphony cycle for Hyperion.

2017-18 SEASON AT A GLANCE

The Saint-Saëns Project

During the Utah Symphony's 2017-18 season, Mr. Fischer and the orchestra explore the music of Camille Saint-Saëns, one of the late 19th century's most significant French composers. The orchestra will perform all five of Saint-Saëns' symphonies and several other orchestral and concertante works throughout the season, with all of the symphonies and orchestral works to be recorded live for release by Hyperion on three recordings as the Utah Symphony's sixth, seventh, and eighth releases with Mr. Fischer. This will mark the first time a U.S. orchestra has recorded a complete Saint-Saëns symphony cycle. The performances begin with Symphony No. 2 on September 22 and 23; followed by Symphony No. 3 "Organ," "Bacchanale" from Samson and Delilah, and Trois tableaux symphoniques d'après La Foi on December 1 and 2; Louis Lortie performing Piano Concerto No. 2, along with Utah Symphony's performances of The Carnival of the Animals and Symphony in F Major "Urbs Roma" on December 8 and 9; Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, featuring violinist William Hagen, on November 3 and 4; Symphony No. 1 and Danse macabre on February 23 and 24; and Symphony in A Major-written when the composer was only 15 years old-on March 2 and 3.

Bernstein at 100

In celebration of the 100th birthday of American composer Leonard Bernstein, the Utah Symphony presents a two-weekend long tribute that begins February 23 and 24 with pianist Conrad Tao-a Gilmore Young Artist and Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient-performing in Bernstein's Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety" on a program also featuring Saint-Saëns' Danse macabre and Symphony No. 1. The following weekend on March 2 and 3, the celebration continues with performances of Bernstein's Divertimento and choral work Chichester Psalms, featuring the University of Utah Choirs and Utah Symphony Chorus.

U.S. Premiere of Tristan Murail's Reflections / Reflets III

Co-commissioned by the Utah Symphony and WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Prix de Rome-winning French composer Tristan Murail's Reflections / Reflets III will be given its U.S. premiere by the Utah Symphony under Mr. Fischer on May 25 and 26. A former student of Olivier Messiaen, Mr. Murail is a leading composer within the spectralist movement in contemporary music, to which composers Gérard Grisey and Kaija Saariaho have also been linked. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Music at Columbia University, where he was on the composition faculty from 1997 till 2011. Mr. Murail's first two Reflections / Reflets pieces were commissioned by the BBC Symphony and premiered under Sakari Oramo in 2013.

Mr. Fischer has championed Mr. Murail's music in Europe, leading the London Sinfonietta in a 2013 performance of La Chambre des Cartes and conducting the Munich Chamber Orchestra in the 2015 world premiere of Contes Cruels. The WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne will give the world premiere of the new work on December 1 in Cologne, Germany.

Guest soloists

Utah Symphony guest soloists during the 2017-18 season include GRAMMY award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich in a performance of Beethoven's Violin Concerto on September 15 and 16; Dutch cellist Harriet Krijgh performing Dvo?ák's Cello Concerto in her Utah Symphony debut on September 22 and 23; Moldovan-Austrian violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja in her Utah Symphony debut performing Schoenberg's Violin Concerto on October 20 and 21; Utah-born violinist William Hagen performing Saint-Saëns' Introduction and Rondo capriccioso and Ravel's Tzigane on November 3 and 4; Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker playing Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini on November 17 and 18; French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie performing Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2 on December 8 and 9; multi-GRAMMY award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn performing Dvo?ák's Violin Concerto on January 5 and 6; pianist Stephen Hough, the first classical music recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" Grant, performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1 on January 12 and 13; Dutch pianist Ronald Brautigam performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 "Jeunehomme" on February 2 and 3; pianist Conrad Tao, returning for his sixth time since his debut with the Utah Symphony in October 2010, performing Bernstein's Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety" on February 23 and 24 and Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 on April 6 and 7; Romanian pianist Alexandra Dariescu in her U.S. orchestral debut performing Grieg's Piano Concerto on April 20 and 22; and Russian pianist Boris Giltburg in his Utah Symphony debut playing Shostakovich's Piano Concertos No. 1 and 2 on April 27 and 28.

Vocalists and choral works

Vocalists and choral ensembles appear at Abravanel Hall with the Utah Symphony in several 2017-18 performances. Soprano Renée Fleming performs with the Utah Opera Chorus and Symphony under Mr. Fischer on September 13 as part of the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera gala concert celebrating the Opera's 40th anniversary season. The program will include Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs, among other works. On November 10 and 11, guest conductor Markus Stenz leads the orchestra, as well as vocalists Celena Shafer, Sarah Shafer, Thomas Cooley, and Patrick Carfizzi, in Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor alongside the University of Utah Choirs and Utah Symphony Chorus prepared by Utah Symphony Chorus Director Barlow Bradford.

On March 2 and 3, the Bernstein 100th birthday celebration features Mr. Fischer conducting the Symphony, Utah Symphony Chorus, and University of Utah Choirs in Chichester Psalms, on a program with the composer's Divertimento for orchestra.

Guest conductors

The Utah Symphony's 2017-18 season marks the return of several internationally renowned conductors. On November 3 and 4, composer-conductor Matthias Pintscher leads Ravel's Ma mère l'oye (Mother Goose) and Tzigane along with Saint-Saëns' Introduction and Rondo capriccioso and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, featuring violin soloist William Hagen in the Saint-Saëns work and Ravel's Tzigane. Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Markus Stenz makes his debut with the Utah Symphony and guest vocalists with University of Utah Choirs and Utah Symphony Chorus on November 10 and 11 in performances of Brahms' Four Preludes and Serious Songs and Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor. Mark Wigglesworth, a frequent guest conductor with the Utah Symphony and former Music Director of the English National Opera, returns to Abravanel Hall on November 17 and 18 for Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini featuring Jon Kimura Parker and will also conduct Rossini's Overture to "The Barber of Seville" and Elgar's Symphony No. 1. Bernard Labadie, a specialist in Baroque and Classical repertoire, conducts Haydn's Symphony No. 99 and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 "Jeunehomme," featuring pianist Ronald Brautigam, on February 2 and 3. Winner of the 2016 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award Karina Canellakis makes her Utah Symphony debut on April 6 and 7, leading the orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2 "Little Russian," Franck's Le chasseur maudit (The Accursed Huntsman), and Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Conrad Tao. Japanese conductor Kazuki Yamada, who made his U.S. conducting debut with Utah Symphony in May 2015, returns to lead the orchestra and pianist Alexandra Dariescu in Grieg's Piano Concerto on April 20 and 21.

Entertainment, Family, and Special Event Concert Series

The 2017-18 Entertainment Series features Tony- and GRAMMY award-winning actress/singer Audra McDonald in her Utah Symphony debut on March 23 and 24 and Tony-winning actor/singer Brian Stokes Mitchell on December 15 and 16. Highlights of the Family Series include the annual Here Comes Santa Claus concert on December 16, Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham on March 17, and Enchantment Theatre Company's "Scheherazade" on April 14 with music by Rimsky-Korsakov. Special Events for 2017-18 are the Utah Opera 40th anniversary gala featuring Renée Fleming on September 13, Messiah Sing-In holiday favorite on November 25 and 26, and Celtic Woman on December 12. The series also includes annual young musician

Films in Concert Series

The Utah Symphony announced three concerts featuring motion pictures on the big screen accompanied by live orchestra. "Raiders of the Lost Ark," with a score composed by John Williams, will launch the 2017-18 film series on September 7 and 8; Disney in Concert: Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas," with music by Danny Elfman, will be shown on October 24; and continuing the eight-part Harry Potter film series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™," also with music by John Williams, will be presented on December 21, 22, and 23.

2017-18 MASTERWORKS SERIES GUEST ARTISTS

CONDUCTORS
Karina Canellakis (*Utah Symphony debut)
Bernard Labadie
Matthias Pintscher
Markus Stenz (*Utah Symphony debut)
Mark Wigglesworth
Kazuki Yamada

PIANISTS
Ronald Brautigam
Alexandra Dariescu (*U.S. orchestral debut)
Boris Giltburg (*Utah Symphony debut)
Stephen Hough
Louis Lortie
Jon Kimura Parker
Conrad Tao

STRING SOLOISTS
Augustin Hadelich, violin
William Hagen, violin
Hilary Hahn, violin
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin (*Utah Symphony debut)
Harriet Krijgh, cello (*Utah Symphony debut)

UTAH SYMPHONY CHORUS

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH CHOIRS

Tickets and Subscriptions

Subscription renewals and purchases are available online at www.utahsymphony.org starting February 16, 2017. 2016-17 season subscribers have until March 30, 2017 to renew their subscriptions or request seat changes for the 2017-18 season before seats are released to new subscribers and subscribers requesting seat changes. Subscriptions may also be renewed or purchased by calling (801) 533-6683 or by visiting the Abravanel Hall Ticket Office (123 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah).

To request a 2017-18 Utah Symphony season brochure, please call Utah Symphony | Utah Opera Patron Services at (801) 533-6683, email info@usuo.org, or write to ATTN: USUO Patron Services, 123 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101.

Single tickets for the 2017-18 Utah Symphony season will be
available starting June 20, 2017.

2017-18 O.C. TANNER COMPANY MASTERWORKS SERIES

Augustin Hadelich performs Beethoven's Violin Concerto

September 15-16, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Thierry Fischer, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin

Mozart Overture to Don Giovanni
Beethoven Violin Concerto
R. Strauss Don Juan
R. Strauss Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks

Fischer conducts Saint-Saëns & Dvo?ák

October 20 & 21, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall
October 20, 2017 | 10 a.m. | Abravanel Hall (Finishing Touches Open Rehearsal)

Thierry Fischer, conductor
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin

Brahms Selections from Hungarian Dances
Schoenberg Violin Concerto
Beethoven Symphony No. 5a

Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances

November 3 & 4, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Matthias Pintscher, conductor
William Hagen, violin

Ravel Ma mère l'oye (Mother Goose)
Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo capriccioso
Ravel Tzigane
Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances

Mozart's Great Mass with Brahms' Songs

November 10 & 11, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Markus Stenz, conductor
Barlow Bradford, chorus director
Celena Shafer, soprano
Sarah Shafer, soprano
Thomas Cooley, tenor
Patrick Carfizzi, bass-baritone
University of Utah Choirs
Utah Symphony Chorus

Brahms (arr. Glanert) Four Preludes and Serious Songs
Mozart Great Mass in C Minor

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini featuring Jon Kimura Parker

November 17 & 18, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall
November 17, 2017 | 10 a.m. | Abravanel Hall (Finishing Touches Open Rehearsal)

Mark Wigglesworth, conductor
Jon Kimura Parker, piano

Rossini Overture to "The Barber of Seville"

Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Elgar Symphony No. 1

Saint-Saëns' "Organ" Symphony

December 1 & 2, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Thierry Fischer, conductor

Saint-Saëns "Bacchanale" from Samson and Delilah
Saint-Saëns Trois tableaux symphoniques d'après La Foi
Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 "Organ"

Louis Lortie performs Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2

December 8 & 9, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Thierry Fischer, conductor
Louis Lortie, piano

Saint-Saëns Symphony in F Major, "Urbs Roma"
Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2
Saint-Saëns The Carnival of the Animals

Hilary Hahn plays Dvo?ák's Violin Concerto

January 5 & 6, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Thierry Fischer, conductor
Hilary Hahn, violin

Haydn Symphony No. 8 "Le soir"
Dvo?ák Selections from Slavonic Dances
Dvo?ák Violin Concerto

Fischer conducts Rachmaninoff & Stravinsky

January 11, 2018 | 7:30 PM | de Jong Concert Hall (Provo, Utah)
January 12 & 13, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Thierry Fischer, conductor
Stephen Hough, piano

Stravinsky Funeral Song
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1
Stravinsky The Firebird

Mozart & Haydn

February 2 & 3, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Bernard Labadie, conductor
Ronald Brautigam, piano

Joseph Martin Kraus Overture to "Olympie"
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9 "Jeunehomme"
Mozart Eine kleine nachtmusik
Haydn Symphony No. 99

Bernstein at 100: Symphony No. 2 with Conrad Tao

February 23 & 24, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Thierry Fischer, conductor
Conrad Tao, piano

Saint-Saëns Danse macabre
Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 1
Bernstein Symphony No. 2, "Age of Anxiety"

Bernstein at 100: Chichester Psalms & Divertimento

March 2 & 3, 2018 | 7:30 PM | Abravanel Hall

Thierry Fischer, conductor
Barlow Bradford, chorus director
Boy Soprano from The Madeleine Choir School
University of Utah Choirs
Utah Symphony Chorus

Saint-Saëns Symphony in A Major
Bernstein Chichester Psalms
Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms
Bernstein Divertimento for Orchestra

Tchaikovsky's "Little Russian" & Prokofiev with Conrad Tao

April 6 & 7, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall
April 6, 2018 | 10 a.m. | Abravanel Hall (Finishing Touches Open Rehearsal)

Karina Canellakis, conductor
Conrad Tao, piano

Franck Le chasseur maudit (The Accursed Huntsman)
Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2
Tchaikovsky Symphony No 2, "Little Russian"

Grieg's Piano Concerto with Alexandra Dariescu

April 20 & 21, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Kazuki Yamada, conductor
Alexandra Dariescu, piano

Nielsen Helios Overture
Grieg Piano Concerto
Sibelius Symphony No 2

Fischer conducts Shostakovich

April 27 & 28, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Thierry Fischer, conductor
Boris Giltburg, piano
Travis Peterson, trumpet

Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1
Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2
Shostakovich Symphony No. 10

Richard Strauss' Don Quixote & Zarathustra

May 4 & 5, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Thierry Fischer, conductor
Rainer Eudeikis, cello (Don Quixote)
Brant Bayless, viola (Sancho Panza)

R. Strauss Serenade for Winds
R. Strauss Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations on a Theme of a Knightly Character
R. Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra

Season Finale: Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2

May 25 & 26, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall
May 25, 2018 | 10 a.m. | Abravanel Hall (Finishing Touches Open Rehearsal)

Thierry Fischer, conductor
Madeline Adkins, violin

Tristan Murail Reflections / Reflets III (U.S. premiere, Utah Symphony co-commission)
Korngold Violin Concerto
Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2

2017-18 FILMS IN CONCERT SERIES

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" in Concert
September 7 & 8, 2017 | 7:00 p.m. Abravanel Hall

Disney in Concert: Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas"
October 24, 2017 | 7:00 p.m. | Abravanel Hall
Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts © All Rights

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™" in Concert
December 21, 22 & 23, 2017 | 7:00 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

2017-18 ZIONS BANK ENTERTAINMENT SERIES

Broadway Divas
October 27 & 28, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Jack Everly, conductor
Christina Bianco, vocalist
Mandy Gonzalez, vocalist
N'Kenge, vocalist
Kristen Plumley, vocalist

A Broadway Christmas with Brian Stokes Mitchell
December 15 & 16, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Brian Stokes Mitchell, guest artist

Dancing & Romancing
February 9 & 10, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Andy Einhorn, conductor
Joan Hess, guest artist
Kirby Ward, guest artist

Audra McDonald with the Utah Symphony
March 23 & 24, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Audra McDonald, guest artist

Elvis: The King's Songbook with the Utah Symphony
April 13 & 14, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

2017-18 FAMILY SERIES

Here Comes Santa Claus!
December 16, 2017 | 11 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham
March 17, 2018 | 11 a.m. | Abravanel Hall

Kimberly Schroeder, actor and soprano
Sara Valentine, actor

Enchantment Theatre Company presents "Scheherazade"
April 14, 2018 | 11 a.m. | Abravanel Hall

2017-18 SPECIAL EVENT PERFORMANCES

An Evening with Renée Fleming
Wednesday, September 13, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall

Renée Fleming, soprano

R. Strauss Four Last Songs
Additional works TBA

Salute to Youth
Tuesday, September 26, 2017 | 7:00 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Messiah Sing-in
November 25 & 26, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

Celtic Woman with the Utah Symphony
December 12, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. | Abravanel Hall

All-Star Evening
May 22, 2018 | 7:00 PM | Abravanel Hall

Utah Symphony

Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony performs more than 175 concerts each season and offers all Utahns easy access to world-class live musical performances of the world's greatest music in the state's top venues. Since being named the orchestra's seventh Music Director in 2009, Thierry Fischer has attracted leading musicians and top soloists, refreshed programming, drawn increased audiences, and galvanized community support. In addition to numerous regional and domestic tours, including the Mighty 5® Tour of Utah's National Parks, the Utah Symphony has embarked on seven international tours-from Europe to Central and South America-and performed at Carnegie Hall in 2016 coinciding with the orchestra's 75th anniversary celebrations.

The Utah Symphony has released more than 100 recordings, including, most recently, two albums for Reference Recordings: Mahler's Symphony No. 1 and Dawn to Dust, which features three Utah Symphony-commissioned works by Nico Muhly, Andrew Norman, and Augusta Read Thomas. Included in the Utah Symphony's discography are premiere recordings of works by Honegger, Milhaud, Rorem, Satie, Schuman, and Varèse, led by the orchestra's former Music Director of 30 years, Maurice Abravanel. The Utah Symphony's recordings of Mahler's symphonies with Mr. Abravanel were the first complete cycle recorded by an American orchestra.

In 2002, the Utah Symphony merged with the Utah Opera, and the orchestra engages in music outreach initiatives through the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera Education Department. These initiatives include child-friendly Family Series concerts, pre-performance lectures before every classical symphony and opera performance, and other special learning events and activities for adults in conjunction with the Deer Valley Music Festival, the summer home of Utah Symphony.

For more information about the orchestra, visit www.utahsymphony.org.