Utah Symphony Orchestra
Encyclopedia
History
The first attempt to create a symphony group in the Utah area occurred in 1892, before Utah was a state. The Salt Lake Symphony was created and presented just one concert before disbanding. In 1902 the Salt Lake Symphony Orchestra was formed, and it remained in existence until 1911. In 1913 the Salt Lake Philharmonic was formed, and it remained in existence until 1925.During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the Federal Music Project
Federal Music Project
The Federal Music Project , part of the Federal government of the United States New Deal program Federal One, employed musicians, conductors and composers during the Great Depression. People in the music world had been particularly hard-hit by the era's economic downturn...
(an employment-assistance program which formed part of Federal Project Number One, an arm of the Works Project Administration) hired Reginald Beales to create a musical group in Utah. He formed the Utah State Sinfonietta with a core of 5 members. That group grew rapidly and toured extensively, presenting concerts in all corners of the state.
By 1940 federal funding for arts projects had ceased, so local enthusiasts formed the Utah State Symphony Orchestra on 4 April 1940, with Fred E. Smith as president. They scheduled their first concert for 8 May 1940 and asked Hans Henriot to conduct it. He accepted the challenge, and the resulting concert was so successful that the group offered Henriot a contract to remain at the helm. This symphony group functioned until the 1960s as a part-time orchestra. Its most prominent conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
was Maurice Abravanel
Maurice Abravanel
Maurice Abravanel was aSwiss-American Jewish conductor of classical music. He is remembered as the conductor of the Utah Symphony Orchestra for over 30 years.-Life:...
, who built it into a full-time orchestra which gained national respect. He recorded and toured extensively with the orchestra. Under Abravanel, the orchestra first recorded with Vanguard Records
Vanguard Records
Vanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...
and then with Vox Records
Vox Records
VOX Records is a budget classical record label. The name is Latin for "voice."-History:Vox was founded in 1945, starting out with 78-rpm discs, specializing in licensed pressings of classical recordings made in Europe. It was one of the last major recording companies to adopt stereo recording,...
; many of these performances, including a complete set of the symphonies of Tchaikovsky, have been reissued on CD.
The orchestra received added luster by the appointment of Joseph Silverstein
Joseph Silverstein
Joseph Silverstein is an American violinist and conductor.As a youth, Silverstein studied with his father, Bernard Silverstein, who was a public school music teacher...
as conductor in 1983. Mr. Silverstein's experience as concertmaster of the esteemed Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
served him well in guiding the Utah Symphony during his tenure.
Its former music director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
and principal conductor was Keith Lockhart
Keith Lockhart
For the baseball player, see Keith Lockhart Keith Lockhart , to Newton Frederick and Marilyn Jean Woodyard Lockhart, is an American orchestral conductor....
(his contract with the orchestra expired in May 2009). The assistant conductor is Korean-born David In-Jae Cho. In January 2009 the Orchestra named Gerald Steichen
Gerald Steichen
Gerald Steichen is an American music conductor, pianist and stage actor.Steichen is one of the most versatile young conductors presently active. He holds music degrees from Oklahoma City University and from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles...
as its principal pops conductor. In September 2009, USUO selected Thierry Fischer
Thierry Fischer
Thierry Fischer is a Swiss orchestra conductor and flutist.Fischer studied flute with Aurèle Nicolet and began his musical career as Principal Flute in Hamburg and at the Zurich Opera, where he studied scores with Nikolaus Harnoncourt...
as the new music director.
Merger
In 2002, the institution merged with the Utah Opera to form Utah Symphony | Utah Opera. The orchestra performs in Abravanel HallAbravanel Hall
Abravanel Hall is a concert hall in Salt Lake City, Utah that is home to the Utah Symphony, and is part of the Salt Lake County Center for the Arts. The hall is an architectural landmark in the city, and is adjacent to Temple Square and the Salt Palace on South Temple Street...
in downtown Salt Lake City near Temple Square
Temple Square
Temple Square is a ten acre complex located in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In recent years, the usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities immediately adjacent to Temple Square...
.
Utah Symphony
Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony has become a vital presence on the American music scene through its distinctive performances worldwide and its well-known recording legacy.The orchestra became recognized as a leading ensemble largely through the efforts of Maurice Abravanel, its Music Director from 1947 to 1979. Under his direction, the orchestra made its first recordings of works by Varese, Milhaud, Gottschalk, Honegger and Satie, as well as the first complete cycle of Mahler Symphonies.
Under Keith Lockhart, whose tenure as Music Director began in 1998, and Joseph Silverstein, Music Director from 1983 to 1998, the orchestra has continued its commitment to the music of our time, recording and premiering a number of American works.
The Utah Symphony has its home in Abravanel Hall
Abravanel Hall
Abravanel Hall is a concert hall in Salt Lake City, Utah that is home to the Utah Symphony, and is part of the Salt Lake County Center for the Arts. The hall is an architectural landmark in the city, and is adjacent to Temple Square and the Salt Palace on South Temple Street...
, which is acclaimed as one of the world's great concert halls - having won awards for both its architecture and its extraordinary acoustics. In addition to performing more than 70 subscription concerts in Abravanel Hall, the Symphony regularly travels around the Intermountain West serving communities in Utah, Wyoming, Nevada and Idaho. In April 2005, the orchestra embarked on its first European Tour in 19 years, visiting concert halls in Austria and Germany.
The orchestra accompanies the Utah Opera in four productions per year at Salt Lake's Capitol Theatre. In addition, the Utah Symphony performs numerous concerts as part of Utah Symphony & Opera's Deer Valley Music Festival, held each summer in the Park City mountain community. Funding from the Utah State Legislature makes it possible for the Symphony to perform for over 55,000 students each year, both in Abravanel Hall and traveling to schools throughout the state.
Utah Opera
In 1978, the Opera presented its first production of Puccini's La Bohème. Founding General Director, the late Glade Peterson, refined the vocal and dramatic skills of Utah Opera artists during the initial twelve seasons. Under his leadership, the number of performances for each opera was set at five - an outstanding achievement among the majority of regional companies, which only present one to three performances of each production. New dimensions, such as symposia, lectures, concerts and educational programs, were added to enhance the public's experience of opera.In 1991, Anne Ewers was appointed General Director. Her tenure was marked by the casting of younger artists, including singers, composers, directors, lighting and costume designers. In 1996-97, the company grew from a three-production to a four-production season. In 2002, Utah Opera merged with Utah Symphony. Ms. Ewers was named as President & CEO.
Deer Valley Music Festival
The Deer Valley Music Festival (DVMF) is Utah Symphony | Utah Opera's (USUO's) summer home in the mountain resort town of Park City, Utah. The 2010 Festival is its seventh season of providing chamber music, classical, opera, and pops offerings in four venues: the Deer Valley Snow Park Amphitheater, St. Mary's Church, Temple Har Shalom, and salons in private homes in the Park City area.The goal of the DVMF is to be renowned for delivering musically diverse experiences in casual settings of natural beauty.
This first performance of the 2010 season featured renowned artist Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
.
Music Directors
- Thierry FischerThierry FischerThierry Fischer is a Swiss orchestra conductor and flutist.Fischer studied flute with Aurèle Nicolet and began his musical career as Principal Flute in Hamburg and at the Zurich Opera, where he studied scores with Nikolaus Harnoncourt...
(2009–present) - Keith LockhartKeith LockhartFor the baseball player, see Keith Lockhart Keith Lockhart , to Newton Frederick and Marilyn Jean Woodyard Lockhart, is an American orchestral conductor....
(1998–2009) - Joseph SilversteinJoseph SilversteinJoseph Silverstein is an American violinist and conductor.As a youth, Silverstein studied with his father, Bernard Silverstein, who was a public school music teacher...
(1983–1998) - Varujan Kojian (1980–1983)
- Maurice AbravanelMaurice AbravanelMaurice Abravanel was aSwiss-American Jewish conductor of classical music. He is remembered as the conductor of the Utah Symphony Orchestra for over 30 years.-Life:...
(1947–1979) - Werner JanssenWerner JanssenHans-Werner Janssen was an American conductor of classical music, and composer of classical music and film scores.-Biography:...
(1946–1947) - Hans Heniot (1940–1945)