Thierry Fischer To Give Commencement Address, Receive Honorary Doctorate From Utah State University

Utah Symphony Music Director Thierry Fischer, will serve as Utah State University's commencement speaker for its 131st graduation ceremony tomorrow. Maestro Fischer will also receive an honorary doctorate during the ceremony.

Three other prominent individuals will also receive honorary doctorates during the undergraduate ceremony May 5 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan.

"We are honored that Maestro Fischer has accepted our invitation to address our graduating students this year as we celebrate 'The Year of the Arts'," said USU President Noelle Cockett. "Captivating musicians, audiences and critics alike, Maestro Fischer is deeply committed to his orchestra whom he has placed on a steady upward trajectory. His ability to attract younger audiences through his use of fresh musical repertoire is intriguing and will resonate with our graduating class of 2018."

Maestro Fischer will receive an honorary doctorate along with Bartell C. Jensen, former USU vice president for research former president of the USU Research Foundation and Space Dynamics Laboratory; John Welch, founding partner of Los-Angeles, California-based law firm Latham and Watkins; and Gail Sorenson Williamsen, founder of the Elizabeth Academy in Salt Lake, an innovative and fully-inclusive Montessori school.

Ms. Cockett said honorary degrees are one of the most important ways the university has to recognize people for the commitment and sacrifices they have made to instill positive changes in the world.

"All of these individuals have contributed in a number of ways and in a number of fields, but all of them deserve honor for their passion and determination to serve others," she said.

THIERRY FISCHER (Commencement Speaker and Honorary Doctorate Recipient)

Maestro Fischer has been music director of the Utah Symphony since 2009. He has led the orchestra in annual single composer cycles including Mahler, Ives and Nielsen. He has conducted the orchestra in Utah's five national parks and forged outreach links in Haiti. In celebration of its 75th anniversary season in 2016, Fischer brought the orchestra to Carnegie Hall for the first time in 40 years.

During his time as principal conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (2006-2012) Maestro Fischer appeared every year at the BBC Proms and toured internationally. He also made many recordings, most notably for Hyperion (Honneger, d'Indy, Florent Schmitt) but also Stravinsky for Signum and Orfeo. His Hyperion recording of Frank Martin's opera Der Sturm with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus won the international Classic Music Award in 2012 (opera category).

Maestro Fischer started out at a principal flute in Hamburg at the Zurich Opera. His conducting career began in his 30s when he replaced an ailing colleague, subsequently directing his first few concerts with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe where he was Principal Flute under Claudio Abbado. He spent his apprentice years in Holland and became principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Ulster Orchestra from 2001-2006.

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's Symphony No. 8 in Fall 2017, Mahler's Symphony No. 1 (2015) and Dawn to Dust (2016), which features three Utah Symphony-commissioned works by Nico Muhly, Andrew Norman, and Augusta Read Thomas. 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 75,000 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 www.utahsymphony.org

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