Utah Symphony 2018-19 Season Continues With Tributes To Leonard Bernstein

Utah Symphony continues the 2018-19 season with a tribute to the quintessentially American composer Leonard Bernstein to honor his 100th birthday. Bernstein on Broadway will present the late composer's greatest Broadway classics, featuring soprano Morgan James and conducted by Teddy Abrams on September 14 and 15, 2018, at 7:30 PM. Tickets are priced from $15-$66 and can be purchased at utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 533-6683.

From the giddiness of "On the Town" to the heartbreak of "West Side Story," Leonard Bernstein's genius is as much alive on the Broadway stage as it is in the concert hall. In October and November, the Utah Symphony explores two other Bernstein programs, offering further insight into the prolific composer's masterpieces.

An unusually versatile musician, Teddy Abrams is the widely-acclaimed Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra and Music Director and Conductor of the Britt Orchestra, as well as an established pianist, clarinetist, and composer. A tireless advocate for the power of music, Mr. Abrams continues to foster interdisciplinary collaboration with organizations around the world. He is an award-winning composer and a passionate educator, and has taught at numerous schools throughout the United States.

Morgan James is a New York-based soul singer, songwriter, and Broadway chanteuse. She recently released her first album as an independent recording artist. Her studio album is her most personal outing yet. Morgan assumed co-writing duties on all twelve tracks and sang all her own background vocals. The album is stocked with lush horns and harmonies, and stretches limbs between genres for a sound all its own. She is most known for her roles on Broadway in "Motown: The Musical," "Godspell," and "The Addams Family."

Building on the Utah Symphony's "Bernstein at 100" celebration launched during the 2017-18 season, performances of Three Dances from "Fancy Free" led by guest conductor Andrew Litton will continue the tribute on October 26 and 27.

Music director of the New York City Ballet and former music director of the Dallas Symphony and Norway's Bergen Philharmonic, Mr. Litton has conducted the Utah Symphony on numerous occasions, including stepping in for Maestro Fischer in April 2017 when he fell ill. He has been called "one of the most brilliant of American conductors" by "American Record Guide."

An all-American first half features Artist-in-Association Philippe Quint performing John Corigliano's Violin Concerto, inspired by the Academy Award-winning film score from "The Red Violin." Also on the program is Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, which the composer described the opening fanfare as "fate waking us from mere daydreams."

In continuation of the homage to Bernstein's birth centennial, on November 9 and 10, Utah Opera will collaborate with the Utah Symphony in a semi-staged presentation of Bernstein's "Candide" in concert conducted by Maestro Fischer, led by stage director Garnett Bruce, and featuring the Utah Opera Chorus. The cast includes tenor Jonathan Johnsonas Candide, soprano Lauren Snouffer as Cunegonde, and baritone Hugh Russell as Pangloss. A fundraising soirée will follow the Saturday evening performance of "Candide."

Utah Symphony's celebration of the late great composer began during the 2017-18 season, when the orchestra completed a two-week "Bernstein at 100" festival featuring Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety" on February 23 and 24 and a program of "Chichester Psalms" and Divertimento on March 2 and 3.