Guest Conductor Richard Egarr Makes His Utah Symphony Debut on an All-Bach Program

On March 24 and 25 at 7:30 PM, guest conductor Richard Egarr takes to the podium, leading the Utah Symphony in an evening of music by Johann Sebastian Bach. Also featured on the program are Utah Symphony Principal Flutist Mercedes Smith and Concertmaster Madeline Adkins. Tickets start at $21 ($15 for students), and can be purchased at www.utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 533-6683.

British pianist Richard Egarr makes his Utah Symphony debut as guest conductor, and will lead the orchestra from the keyboard for Bach's Piano Concerto in D Minor. Although the piece was originally written for harpsichord, Mr. Egarr said in a January article in BBC Music magazine: "I would never say you can't play Bach on the piano. I'd play Bach on a synthesizer. It's the same music. You're playing the music on a different machine with different parameters, but the music doesn't change. I'm just playing it with a different tool."

Mr. Egarr will also perform the piano solo for the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, a piece that highlightsMadeline Adkins and Mercedes Smith.

Richard Egarr is Music Director of the Academy of Ancient Music and Associate Artist with the Scottish Chamber, and guests with leading orchestras such as the London Symphony and the Royal Concertgebouw. If being a renowned conductor is not enough, he is also a brilliant harpsichordist, and is equally skilled on the organ and forte piano. He was formerly an organ scholar at Clare College Cambridge, and is now a Visiting Artist at the Julliard School in New York.

Concertmaster Madeline Adkins joined the orchestra during Fall 2016 after previously serving as Associate Concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and as guest concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra in Chicago among others. Daughter of noted musicologists, Ms. Adkins is the youngest of eight children, six of whom are professional musicians who form the Adkins String Ensemble.

Mercedes Smith is in her fifth season as Principal Flutist of the Utah Symphony, having previously served as Principal Flutist of the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet Orchestras for nearly a decade as well as performing as guest principal with the Seattle Symphony and San Diego Symphony.

RELATED EVENTS
A pre-concert lecture, free to all ticket holders, will take place at all Masterworks Series performances in Abravanel Hall's First Tier Room 45 minutes prior to the performance.

Experience a behind-the-scenes look at the orchestra during the Finishing Touches rehearsal on Friday, March 24 at 10 AM. Includes light refreshments in the lobby prior to the rehearsal. Please note that these events are working rehearsals and programming is chosen from that weekend's selections at the discretion of the conductor. Tickets are $17.00 and can be found at http://www.utahsymphony.org/component/k2/1223-an-evening-of-bach

This concert also celebrates Utah Symphony's annual Healthcare Night. This event combines an evening of excellent music with the philanthropic resources of the medical sector to support USUO's extensive education and outreach programs. This marks the fourth year that Healthcare Night has raised over $100,000 to support over forty ongoing music education programs, and the first year that University of Utah Healthcare has joined as a corporate sponsor.

PROGRAM
The Utah Symphony presents
An Evening of Bach

March 24 & 25 | 7:30 PM
Abravanel Hall, 123 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

Richard Egarr, Conductor, piano
Madeline Adkins, violin
Mercedes Smith, flute

J.S. BACH Orchestral Suite No. 3
J.S. BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 5
J.S. BACH Piano Concerto in D Minor
J.S. BACH Orchestral Suite No. 4

SPONSORS:
Symphony Season Sponsor: George S. and Dolores
Doré Eccles Foundation
Concert Sponsor: Healthcare Night
Conductor Sponsor- Richard Egarr: Larry H. & Gail
Miller Family Foundation
Guest Artist Sponsor- Richard Egarr, piano: Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation
Corporate Healthcare Sponsor: University of Utah Healthcare

Tickets, priced from $21-$65, are available for purchase through 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 the new release of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in fall 2015. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra's parent organization, reaches 450,000 residents in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving nearly 145,000 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.

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