Utah Symphony Presents Two Halloween-Themed Concerts, Inspired by Swashbucklers and Superheroes

Swashbucklers and superheroes have reason to celebrate Halloween in style this year with the Utah Symphony's pair of entertainment concerts in the month of October. Tickets start at $12 for "Spooktacular on the Seven Seas!" and $21 for "Superheroes!" and can be purchased at www.utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 533-6683.

On October 25, the Utah Symphony will present a spooky pirate-themed Halloween Spooktacular on the Seven Seas! concert led by Associate Conductor Rei Hotoda. This special event includes one of the state's largest costume contests, and this year will involve a treasure trove of prizes. The program will include festive Halloween music sure to entertain the whole family, featuring pieces from Hook, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Witches of Eastwick.

Then on October 28 and 29, avengers, mutants, and innovators alike assemble at Abravanel Hall to revel in epic compositions of the superhero variety, as performed by the Utah Symphony. Your spirits will soar with live renditions of blockbuster themes from Dark Knight, Avengers, X-Men, Captain America and more.

OCTOBER 25 (TUESDAY) - HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR ON THE SEVEN SEAS! CONCERT RETURNS TO ABRAVANEL HALL WITH 26TH ANNUAL COSTUME CONTEST

The Utah Symphony will present The Halloween Spooktacular on the Seven Seas! concert at 7 p.m. in Abravanel Hall, led by Associate Conductor Rei Hotoda. Tickets start at $12 and can be purchased at www.utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 533-6683.

Rei Hotoda currently serves as Associate Conductor for the Utah Symphony and made her debut with the symphony at the 2015 Deer Valley Music Festival. She received her Bachelor's degree in piano performance at the Eastman School of Music, Master's and Doctorate degrees at the University of Southern California, and studied conducting with Gustav Meier at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Ms. Hotoda has served as assistant conductor at several of today's leading ensembles and has appeared as a guest conductor for many esteemed orchestras. She has been awarded the 2006 Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship, a Peabody Career Development Grant, the Women's Philharmonic Scholarship, and an Illinois Arts Council International Arts Exchange Grant. Ms. Hotoda has appeared many times as a featured piano soloist and conductor from the piano.

Media sponsor KSL NewsRadio and community sponsor Salt Lake Comic Con present the 26th annual costume contest, which will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 PM in the main lobby of Abravanel Hall. Families, groups, and individuals are invited to participate in the contest. This is the largest Halloween costume contest in the state, and it attracts elaborate, outrageous, and extraordinary costumes. Be sure to wear your zombie masks and witch hats for your chance to win amazing prizes! Utah Symphony musicians have also been known to get into the Halloween spirit, donning costumes of their own to play in for the duration of the concert.

Each costume contest category will have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes, including Salt Lake Comic Con FanX 2017 passes, Living Planet Aquarium passes, a Clark Planetarium family pass, and other prizes from The Leonardo, Natural History Museum of Utah, Utah's Hogle Zoo, local restaurants, and other family-friendly attractions. No prior registration is necessary; however the costume contest line will close at 6:30 PM sharp to allow patrons time to take their seats. The winners will be announced on stage immediately following intermission as determined by audience applause.

This performance one of the Utah Symphony's 2016-2017 Special Events. This season include popular concerts such as the 57th Annual Salute to Youth concert, Handel's The Messiah Sing-In, Celtic Woman: "Home for Christmas," Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions, and Pink Martini with the Utah Symphony.

OCT. 28 / 29 (FRIDAY & SATURDAY) - UTAH SYMPHONY PRESENTS SUPERHEROES! WITH INTERNATIONALLY-ACCLAIMED POPS CONDUCTOR John Morris Russell

On October 28 and 29, the Utah Symphony present a superhero-themed program featuring blockbuster tunes from The Dark Knight, The Avengers, X-Men, Captain America, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, Supergirl, and more.This concert will be led by guest conductor John Morris Russell and four local superhero musicians, including guest violinist Karen Ferry, Soprano Abigail Rethwisch, Baritone Christopher Clayton, and Tenor ChristIan Sanders. Tickets start at $21 ($15 for students) and can be purchased at www.utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 533-6683.

Internationally-acclaimed conductor John Morris Russell has served as the Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops-one of the world's most respected pops orchestras-since 2011. He is also the Music Director of the Hilton Head Symphony in South Carolina and the Principal Pops Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic. In 2012, he completed his eleven-year tenure as Music Director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and was named its first Conductor Laureate. He frequently appears as a guest conductor with many prominent symphonies.

The performance marks the first concert of the Utah Symphony's 2016-2017 Special Events Series. This season includes popular concerts such as Cirque Musica Holiday Spectacular!, Jerry Herman: The Broadway Legacy Concert, and The Spy Who Loved Me starring Sheena Easton.

PROGRAM

Utah Symphony Presents
Halloween Spooktacular on the Seven Seas!

October 25, 2016 | 7 p.m.
Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Rei Hotoda, conductor
Utah Symphony Orchestra

Glière "Russian Sailor's Dance" from The Red Poppy
Gounod Funeral March of a Marionette
Britten "Sea Interludes" from Peter Grimes, IV. Storm
John Williams "Devil's Dance" from The Witches of Eastwick
Wagner Overture to The Flying Dutchman
Rimsky-Korsakov "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship" from Scheherazade
John Williams "Flight to Neverland" from Hook
Klaus Badelt Suite from Pirates of the Caribbean

SPONSORS:

Concert Sponsor: KSL
Community Sponsor: Salt Lake Comic Con

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PROGRAM

Utah Symphony Presents
Superheroes!

October 28 & 29, 2016 | 7:30 PM
Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

John Morris Russell, conductor
Karen Ferry, violin
Abigail Rethwisch, soprano
Christopher Clayton, baritone
ChristIan Sanders, tenor
Utah Symphony Orchestra

Goldsmith Theme from Supergirl
James Newton Howard (Arr. Pete Anthony) The Dark Knight Suite
Alan Silvestri (Arr. Rebecca Pellett) The Avengers
Wagner "Ride of the Valkyries" from Die Walküre
Lalo Symphonie espagnole, V. Rondo: Allegro
John Ottman Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Fain (Arr. Tovey) "I'll Be Seeing You"
John Powell X-Men: The Last Stand
Alan Silvestri "Captain's March" from Captain America
John Debney (Arr. Rebecca Pellett) "I Am Iron Man" from Iron Man 2
Verdi "Sempre libera" from La Traviata
Mozart "Deh vieni alla finestra" from Don Giovanni
Verdi "La donna è mobile" from Rigoletto
Pete Anthony Conduktor's Theme
John Williams "The Imperial March" from Star Wars
Patrick Doyle (Arr. Rebeccaellett) Thor Suite
Bates (arr. Tim Berens) "America the Beautiful"

About the Utah Symphony

Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony is dedicated to offering orchestral performances that span the traditions of the past and challenge possibilities for our present and future audiences. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra's parent organization, reaches 450,000 residents in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving more than 155,000 students annually. The orchestra presents more than 70 performances each season in Abravanel Hall, participates in Utah Opera's four annual productions at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre, in addition to numerous community concerts throughout Utah and the annual outdoor summer series - the Deer Valley Music Festival -in Park City, Utah. With its many subscription, education, and outreach concerts and tours, the Utah Symphony is one of the most engaged full-time orchestras in the nation. For more information visit utahsymphony.org.

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Season Sponsor for Utah Symphony | Utah Opera is the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation.