Utah Symphony Presents Winter Chamber Concert At St. Mary's Church

On January 18, 2019 at 7:30 PM, the Utah Symphony will perform a chamber concert at St. Mary's Church in Park City featuring a 2014 contemporary work by American composer TJ Cole alongside Haydn, Britten and Mozart. Led by Associate Conductor Conner Gray Covington, tickets go on sale on Fri. Oct. 26 and are $40. They can be purchased at utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 533-6683.

This concert's highly-personal repertoire was set by the artistic vision of Mr. Covington, who reveals: "The Haydn is a piece that I played back in high school when I was in youth orchestra; I find it to be a very compelling piece and have always wanted a chance to conduct it. The Britten is based upon piano pieces by Rossini that Britten orchestrated when he was only 23. Hence, they really sound more like Rossini than Britten. He originally wrote them as music for a documentary and eventually condensed the music into a suite. It's incredibly charming and light music."

Mozart's symphonies No. 39, 40, and 41 were composed within the span of six weeks and were written without a specific commission or occasion to prompt their composition, which was quite unusual at the time. "I chose to program [Mozart's Symphony No. 39] because it has been quite a while since we played it and because it's a masterpiece," said Mr. Covington. "There's a good chance that Mozart never heard this symphony performed."

The connection between Mr. Covington and contemporary composer TJ Cole was one forged during their time at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where they both studied music.

"Cincinnati Enquirer" has called works by Ms. Cole "mystical, slightly minimalist quality, with imaginative orchestral tone painting." Besides taking commissions, Ms. Cole is also interested in artistic community service projects. She collaborated with bassist Ranaan Meyer as an orchestrator on his project, The World We All Deserve Through Music, and with First Person Arts by co-curating and performing in a musical story slam. During a year-long ArtistYear Fellowship, TJ was able to co-run and collaborate in musical performances and songwriting workshops with residents of Project HOME, a Philadelphia based organization fighting to end chronic homelessness.

Ms. Cole has been commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony, the Louisville Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, Time for Three and the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, among others, and served as a composer-in-residence at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in 2014. She received her Bachelor's degree in composition from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she and Mr. Covington became acquainted.

PROGRAM

The Utah Symphony presents Mozart's Symphony No. 39 January 18, 2019 | 7:30 PM | St. Mary's Church, Park City

Conner Gray Covington, Conductor Utah Symphony

Haydn Symphony No. 49 "La Passione"TJ Cole "Death of a Poet"Britten "Soirées Musicales"Mozart Symphony No. 39

Tickets are priced at $40 and can be purchased at utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 533-6683. Tickets increase $5 on the day of the performance.

About the 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 and performed at Carnegie Hall in Spring 2016 coinciding with the orchestra's 75th anniversary celebrations. The Utah Symphony has released more than 100 recordings, including Mahler Symphony No. 1 in Fall 2017, and will be releasing the first of three CDs of all Saint-Saëns works in December 2018. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra's parent organization, reaches 450,000 residents in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving around 137,000 students annually. In addition to performances in its home in Salt Lake City, Abravanel Hall, and concerts throughout the state of Utah, the Utah Symphony participates in Utah Opera's four annual productions at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre and presents the six-week Deer Valley Music Festival each summer in Park City, Utah. With its many subscription, education, and outreach concerts and tours, the Utah Symphony is one of the most engaged orchestras in the nation. For more information, visit utahsymphony.org.