Utah Symphony, Utah Opera To Take Residency In St. George

A longtime connection with Southern Utah is growing into a larger residency. From September 29 through October 1, Utah Symphony / Utah Opera will be in residence in St. George and surrounding areas with a total of eight performances, creating an extended opportunity for students, families, educators, and music lovers to experience live music and connect with the artists who make it.

Over the course three days, professional symphony musicians and opera artists will engage with multiple communities, audiences, and generations, demonstrating the unique impact that comes from having world-class artists spend meaningful time in a community.

The Utah Symphony will perform for Washington School District students in two education concerts taking place at Utah Tech University. Bringing opera to the youngest audiences, Utah Opera Resident Artists will give four performances of the game-show-inspired “Who Wants to Be an Opera Star?” program for students of Belknap Elementary, Valley Academy Charter School, Enterprise Elementary, and Escalante Valley Elementary. The Resident Artist program prepares emerging opera artists for professional careers—and for this year's Resident Artists, the Southern Utah residency is among their first opportunities to take their work beyond Salt Lake City and connect directly with communities across the state.

As a centerpiece of the residency, audiences of all ages are invited to a community concert, Unforgettable Overtures and More, on Wednesday, September 30 at Utah Tech University. Newly appointed Associate Conductor Kyle Dickson will lead the Utah Symphony musicians and Utah Opera Resident Artists in a program spanning opera, musical theater, and orchestral favorites. Featuring music by Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, Sondheim, Humperdinck, Mascagni, Offenbach, and Johann Strauss (ii), this concert offers audiences an opportunity to experience the breadth of Utah Symphony | Utah Opera's artistry in a single performance.

The residency culminates with a milestone on Thursday, October 1, when USUO brings its Access to Music program to Southern Utah for the first time. For more than 20 years in Salt Lake City, the free, sensory-friendly concert has welcomed individuals with disabilities and their families in Salt Lake City to enjoy a relaxed concert environment where they can fully express themselves. Now, in partnership with United Sound, the program expands to a second community with a performance at Crimson Cliffs High School, making the concert experience accessible to even more Utahns. A testament to the community need for a sensory-friendly concert, this program is already at full audience capacity.

“We've seen firsthand how meaningful it can be when our musicians and artists have the chance to connect with communities across Utah,” said Benjamin Kipp, USUO Vice President of Education and Community Engagement. “This residency allows us the time and space to build those connections in a deeper way, sharing music in a variety of settings across Southern Utah. It is especially exciting that by deliberately spending more time in the St. George region, the door opened to expand Access to Music to a new location for the first time in the program's history—making it possible for even more individuals with disabilities to experience a live concert with USUO.”

Together, the school visits, community performances, and expansion of Access to Music mark a new chapter in Utah Symphony | Utah Opera's relationship with Southern Utah. The residency reflects Utah Symphony | Utah Opera's broader commitment to ensuring that its world-class artists appear not just in mainstage concert halls and theatres, but are integrated in communities statewide.

For 80 years, the Utah State Legislature has supported arts education by funding the Professional Outreach Program in the Schools (POPS). Utah Symphony | Utah Opera is grateful to the Legislature for 80 years of visionary leadership and continued investment in bringing arts education to students throughout the state.

Community Concert in St. George: Unforgettable Overtures and More 

Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 7:30 PM

America First Performing Arts Center: 325 South 700 East Saint George, Utah

Featured Artists include: Kyle Dickson, conductor, Hyein Hong, soprano, Isabelle Kosempa, mezzo-soprano, Colin Miller, tenor, J. Andrew Garratt Jr., baritone and Utah Symphony.

PROGRAM:

MOZART: Overture to The Magic Flute
HUMPERDINCK: "Brother, Come Dance with Me” from Hansel and Gretel
SONDHEIM: “Agony” from Into the Woods
MASCAGNI: Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana
OFFENBACH: “Boléro” from An Evening with Mr. Cauliflower
OFFENBACH: “The Jolly Jailer” from La Périchole
STRAUSS JR.: “Oh goodness, me” (Trio) from Die Fledermaus, Act 1 No. 4
OFFENBACH: “Can Can” from the Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld
BEETHOVEN: Egmont Overture
MOZART: Symphony No. 39
ROSSINI: Allegro vivace from Overture to William Tell