Salt Lake Symphony

Amahl
2018-11-29 19:30 - 2018-12-01 00:00 (America/Denver)
Two inspiring events await our audiences to ring in the holiday season. The SLS is collaborating with the University of Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble to present Menotti’s beloved Christmas opera: Amahl and the Night Visitors. This will be presented as a double-bill with Utah composer Michael Leavitt’s new setting of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. With four performances to choose from (November 29 – December 1) this performance allows flexibility for your busy schedule with room to remember the spirit of the season.
The orchestra will also present Christmas favorites on December 15th in “Christmas Through the Ages.” Holiday favorites like Tchaikovsky’s Overture from The Nutcracker, Corelli’s Christmas Concerto, and Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride are sure to help even the grinchiest Grinch experience plenty of holiday cheer! Happy Holidays from YOUR Salt Lake Symphony!
ConductorsRobert Baldwin, Mike Leavitt

Menotti Amahl and the Night Visitors
Leavitt and Buck A Christmas Carol

Triumphs & Fanfares
2018-11-03 19:30
Local talent shines for our November concert. Dr. Peyden Shelton joins us from the University of Utah School of Music, performing Alexandra Pakhmutova’s dazzling Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra. We will also perform the premiere of Utah composer Nathaniel Eschler’s Cherish, written specifically for the Salt Lake Symphony and marking the 10th Anniversary of the Salt Cricket Composers Collective. The SLS is pleased to collaborate with this organization and support our local composers. We also continue our tradition of playing side-by-side with some of the talented young musicians from the Salt Lake region. Youthful talent will join us to play Rossini’s effervescent Overture to Gazza Ladra. All of this AND Sibelius’ beloved Symphony No. 5, featuring YOUR Salt Lake Symphony! It’s an evening chock full of talent, music, and energy!
ConductorsRobert Baldwin, Nick Harker

Rossini Overture to La Gazza Ladra Side-by-Side with high school students
Eschler, Nathaniel Cherish: Seven Fall and Winter Scenes World Premiere
Pakhmutova, Alexandra Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra Solo: Peyden Shelton, trumpet
Sibelius Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major, op. 82

Rhythm, Passion, Fate
2018-09-29 19:30
We open our season with a salute to rhythm. Stravinsky’s Petroushka is one if the composer’s earliest examples of mastery. In many ways, the piece set the stage for the Rite of Spring, appearing only two years after this ballet. We will be performing the original 1911 version, the version the young Stravinsky intended when it was composed. Also on the program is Silvestre Revueltas’ homage to sacrifice, Sensemaya. Revueltas’ music is highly evocative and will transport audiences to long-forgotten rituals and new musical vistas. Add to that Utah native and favorite pianist Josh Wright playing Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2, and it’s an evening to remember. Don’t miss it!
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Revueltas, Silvestre Sensemayá
Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto #2 in G Minor, op. 22 Solo: Josh Wright, piano
Stravinsky Petrushka 1911 version

Peter and the Wolf
2018-06-07 10:30
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf 4870 S 2700 W

Mozart’s Coda
2018-05-19 19:30
Mozart’s Requiem has long been hailed as one of the great masterpieces of western art. To listen to this music is to be transported to a different time and space. Come hear the Salt Lake Symphony, Utah Voices and U of U Faculty Voice Quartet perform this masterpiece, as we bring our season to a close with style and gravitas. It’s a fitting end to a grand season of music.
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Mozart Ave verum corpus
Mozart Requiem Solo: Julie Wright-Costa, soprano;Kirstin Chavez, mezzo-soprano;Robert Breault, tenor;Seth Keeton, bass

GuestUtah Voices

Concert
2018-04-28 19:30
April brings guest conductor Russell Guyver to town for his first appearance, and also the return of pianist Andrew Staupe, an audience favorite from last season. A cornerstone of the orchestral repertoire, Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony will be played alongside two lesser-known works, Malcolm Arnold’s Scottish Dances and Tchaikovsky’s thrilling “other piano concerto,” the Piano Concerto No. 2. Come hear the familiar and soon-to-be familiar music at Libby Gardner Concert Hall!
ConductorsRussell Guyver

Arnold Four Scottish Dances
Schubert Symphony #8 “Unfinished”
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #2 Solo: Andrew Staupe, piano

American Expressions
2018-03-24 19:30
We celebrate American music in our March concert, featuring names you know (Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber), and names you will not soon forget (Miguel Chuaqui, Alan Hovhaness, Peter Boyer). Boyer’s Symphony No. 1 rounds out the evening, marking the Utah premiere of this rising American composer’s work. We invite you to hear the scope of American classical music in an evening of variety and unity.
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Copland Fanfare for the Common Man
Hovhaness And God Created Great Whales
Barber Adagio for Strings
Chuaqui Sonora Run Utah composer
Boyer Symphony #1

Vienna Ball
2018-02-10 20:00, 2016-02-13 20:00
It’s time for the Vienna Ball, the Salt Lake Symphony’s annual gala fund raiser.
Click the Vienna Ball link for further details.
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Summer Arts Piano Competition Winners Concert
2018-01-27 19:30
The SLS proudly partners with the University of Utah’s Summer Arts Piano Competition to present some of the finest young talent in the Intermountain West. Join us for an evening of youthful energy, dazzling technique and great piano concertos.
ConductorsMatthew Mainella

Mendelssohn Piano Concerto in g minor 3rd movement Solo: Juyoung Kim
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto in d minor, 1st movement Solo: Jacob Lobrot
Gershwin Concerto in F, 1st movement Solo: Spencer Hopson
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto 3rd movement Solo: Harrison Wynn
Prokofiev Piano Concerto #1 Solo: Ian Wagman

Family Fun Concert: Read, Listen, Play!
2018-01-13 14:00
Fun and Reading are on the schedule for our annual Family Fun concert. Children’s classics will be translated in symphonic sound, including a short comic opera based on Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. So bring the entire family for a symphonic story hour! The program is suitable for children of all ages.
ConductorsRobert Baldwin, Matthew Mainella

Aaron Copland Hoedown from Rodeo
Harry Gregson-Williams Chronicles of Narnia
Elfman, Danny Spiderman
Kapilow, Robert Green Eggs and Ham (short children’s opera/sm. Orchestra) Solo: Jenny Erickson, soprano;Kiersten Erickson, soprano
Alford, Kenneth Colonel Bogey March (Kids conduct)
Williams, John Harry Potter Selections

Tales of Snow and Wonder
2017-12-16 19:30
Tales of winter wonderlands abound in our December concert. The magical story of Rimsky Korsakov’s Snow Maiden brings a Russian winter fairy tale to life. Similarly, a magical frozen landscape will arrive in the concert hall with another story from a cold land, Lemminkäinen’s Return, by Jan Sibelius. And what holiday would be complete without a visit from St. Nick? Audiences of all ages will be entranced with Anthony DiLorenzo’s version of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and early American composer William Henry Fry’s charming Santa Claus Symphony. Narrated by Nathan Florence and conducted by Matthew Mainella and Robert Baldwin, this program promises to be the most unique holiday program of the season, and guaranteed to expand your holiday horizons!
ConductorsRobert Baldwin, Matthew Mainella

Rimsky-Korsakov Suite from The Snow Maiden
DiLorenzo ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
Sibelius Lemminkäinen’s Return (Op 22)
Fry Santa Claus Symphony

Heroic Gestures
2017-11-11 19:30
Beethoven’s Eroica is widely recognized as the first important Romantic era symphony. The interesting backstory (Beethoven originally dedicated it to Napoleon and then angrily withdrew the dedication when Bonaparte declared himself Emperor) only touches on the genius found in this symphony. Truly revolutionary, Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony takes us on a journey into the human spirit, from the hopeful opening chords, into the depths of despair of the second movement, then returns to the heights of victory and joy in the Finale. Certainly one of music’s most heroic gestures, the other music on the program follows suit: Shostakovich’s Festive Overture (played side-by-side with our high school guests) and Mussorgsky’s seldom heard “Songs and Dances of Death.” Round out our program. bass-baritone Seth Keeton joins us to add his deeply resonant sound to the Mussorgsky songs. It’s a musical journey you won’t want to miss!
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Shostakovich Festive Overture Side-by-Side with high school students
Mussorgsky Songs and Dances of Death Arr: Aho, Kalevi Solo: Seth Keeton, baritone
Beethoven Symphony #3 “Eroica”

Season Opener
2017-09-30 19:30
We open the season with the Salt Lake Symphony by continuing our tradition of presenting some of the finest talent in the State of Utah. Rachel Aina Call, 1st Prize Winner, Utah Division of the 2016 Stradivarius International Violin Competition will join us for Sibelius’ Violin Concert in D minor. The work captures all of the vibrant energy and muted color of Sibelius’ native Finland in a work full of melody and virtuosic violin playing. Libby Gardner’s magnificent organ will be featured on the second half of the program as organist Linda Margetts joins us for Saint-Saëns’ powerful Organ Symphony (Symphony No. 3). Long considered one of Saint-Saëns’ finest works, the symphony has been an audience favorite since its premiere in 1887. The concert will open with a delightful overture by William Walton, the Portsmouth Point Overture. The jazzy, rhythmic score depicts rambunctious life of British sailors as depicted in a painting by Thomas Rowlandson. In total it’s a concert that is sometimes reverent, sometimes rowdy and always exciting!
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Walton Portsmouth Point Overture
Sibelius Violin Concerto, op. 47 in D minor (1st Prize Winner, Utah Division of the 2016 Stradivarius International Violin Competition) Solo: Rachel Call, violin
Saint-Saëns Symphony #3 “Organ Symphony” Solo: Linda Margetts, organ

Sonic Nature
2017-05-20 19:30
Luckily we are never at a loss for natural wonder in our great state of Utah. Composers have looked to nature for inspirations for thousands of years, and our final concert of the 2016-2017 season features three works that depict nature with uniquely individual expressions. Dvo?ák’s In Nature’s Realm is a seldomly heard concert overture that expresses the nature of the composer’s native Bohemia. Inspired by Beethoven’s Pastorale Symphony, the work effectively imparts the feeling of being in the woods surrounding Prague. We will also feature our concertmaster, Elizabeth Palmer, in Vivaldi’s Spring from the Four Seasons, one of the finest depictions of nature ever written—-and it’s a concerto! We conclude with American composer Ferde Grofé’s signature work, the Grand Canyon Suite. Musical sunrises, sunsets, storms and even a burro ride down to the floor of the Grand Canyon are all effectively portrayed in this beloved piece. So bring your virtual backpack and boots and join us as we venture outside with music. We’ll provide the musical compass!
ConductorsXiao Ming

Liu, Feng Festivity
Hongye Ma and Lu Zheng The good news of Beijing to the Frontier
Shostakovich Piano Concerto #2 Solo: Andrew Staupe, piano
Brahms Symphony #3 (in F Major)

Dvo?ák In Nature’s Realm (Op. 91)
Vivaldi Spring from The Four Seasons
Grofé Grand Canyon Suite

Concert
2017-04-29 19:30
Cultural exchange has long been a hallmark of classical music tradition. The SLS proudly takes this to a new level in April. Guest conductor Xiao Ming joins us from Hunan, China to conduct music from China, Russia and Austria in a truly rich program of both old favorites and music that will be new to western audiences. Maestro Xiao is bringing two pieces with him that were written for his orchestra, the Hunan Symphony. In addition, pianist Andrew Staupe joins us to present Shostakovich’s powerful Piano Concerto No. 2. The concert will conclude with the shortest, yet most carefully composed, symphony from the pen of Johannes Brahms, the Symphony No. 3. It’s a cross cultural evening of great music with connections and friendships made from around the world.
ConductorsXiao Ming

Liu, Feng Festivity
Hongye Ma and Lu Zheng The good news of Beijing to the Frontier
Shostakovich Piano Concerto #2 Solo: Andrew Staupe, piano
Brahms Symphony #3 (in F Major)

Musicians' Choice
2017-03-18 19:30
Ever wonder what the musicians would choose if they programmed a concert? Come see our March concert: Musicians’ Choice! From Haydn’s ebullient and rarely heard Symphony No. 99, to DeFalla’s energetic dances from the Three-Cornered Hat, the SLS musicians will transport you into a realm of sound with exciting textures, buoyant rhythms and memorable melodies. The Silver Fanfare kicks off the program. It’s the debut of music by American composer Peter Boyer with the orchestra, and is filled with a full orchestral sound inspired by the biggest Hollywood studio orchestras. Join us on March 18th. The musicians cannot wait to share some of their favorites with you!
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Boyer, Peter Silver Fanfare
Haydn Symphony #99
Rossini Habanera and Seguidilla from Carmen Solo: Gretchen Windt, mezzo soprano
De Falla The Three-Cornered Hat Solo: Gretchen Windt, mezzo soprano

Vienna Ball
2017-02-11 20:00
It’s time for the Vienna Ball, the Salt Lake Symphony’s annual gala fund raiser.
Click the Vienna Ball link for further details.
ConductorsClaudia Restrepo

Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto #2, movement 3
Mozart Piano Concerto in A, movement 1
Beethoven Piano Concerto #1, movement 3
Grieg Piano Concerto, movement 1
Mendelssohn Piano Concerto #1, movement 3
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #3, movement 1

Summer Arts Piano Competition Winners Concert
2017-01-28 19:30
The winners of the SummerArts Piano Concerto Competition take center stage with Salt Lake Symphony conducted by Assistant Conductor Claudia Restrepo. These gifted young people will each play one concerto movement.
ConductorsClaudia Restrepo

Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto #2, movement 3
Mozart Piano Concerto in A, movement 1
Beethoven Piano Concerto #1, movement 3
Grieg Piano Concerto, movement 1
Mendelssohn Piano Concerto #1, movement 3
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #3, movement 1

OrchestrAnimals
2017-01-14 14:00
Join the Salt Lake Symphony and special guest KUTV Chief Meteorologist Sterling Poulson for a concert the whole family will love on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 2:00 pm at Libby Gardner Concert Hall on President’s Circle on the University of Utah campus. Led by Conductor Claudia Restrepo, the orchestra will perform selections, traditional and new, dedicated to the amazing animals that inhabit this planet.
Music includes Beethoven’s Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Finale, Mark McKenzie’s The Lion and the Mouse, Elton John’s Hakuna Matata from The Lion King, Haydn’s Finale from Symphony no. 82 “The Bear,” and Highlights from Jurassic Park.
The Salt Lake Symphony will accept donations of new and/or gently used stuffed animals at the concert. The animals collected will be donated to Family Promise of Salt Lake, a non-profit, interfaith, non-proselytizing, organization that provides shelter, case management and housing services to homeless families.
ConductorsClaudia Restrepo

Beethoven Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus
Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Finale to Act 4
McKenzie, Mark The Lion and the Mouse
John, Elton Hakuna Matata from the Lion King Arr: Vanhaegenberg
Haydn Finale from Symphony No. 82, The Bear
Williams, John Highlights from Jurassic Park Arr: Calvin Custer

Christmas a la Classique
2016-12-17 19:30
Holiday magic continues with a classical touch on December 17th as the Salt Lake Symphony performs music that will help you entertain, inspire and invigorate. On the program is two unique selections of traditional holiday carols, Samuel Barber’s reflective Die Natali, and Victor Hely-Hutchinson imaginative Carol Symphony. And a traditional adventure is awaiting as well with Leopold Mozart’s Musical Sleigh-Ride featuring dancers from the University of Utah Department of Ballet. Happy Holidays!
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Barber Die Natali (Op. 37)
Mozart Die Musicalische Schlittenfahrt Musical Sleigh-Ride
Hely-Hutchinson Carol Symphony

Christmas at Temple Square
2016-11-26 19:30
Get in the holiday spirit with the Utah Voices and the Salt Lake Symphony for a free Christmas concert at Temple Square, Saturday November 26, 2016 7:30 pm. The Salt Lake Tabernacle is the stage for the opening concert of the Christmas Season at Temple Square. Utah Voices conductor Kelly DeHaan and SLS conductor, Robert Baldwin will share the podium and help spread good cheer to all.
ConductorsRobert Baldwin, Kelly DeHaan
GuestUtah Voices, Chorus

Ancient Tales, Youthful Energy!
2016-11-12 19:30
The SLS welcomes many friends, Romans and countrymen to the stage for our November concert. Our annual side-by-side event will feature young artists playing alongside seasoned veterans for the Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz. The theme continues with the rest of the program with Khatchaturian’s Adagio from Spartacus and Debussy’s seldom heard symphonic fragments from his unfinished opera, Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien. Music by the most famous Roman composer of all ends the program, with a rousing finale—-Respighi’s Belkis, Queen of Sheba Suite. Get your marching sandals ready and join your Salt Lake Symphony for the march into the past. The Legions depart on Saturday, November 12, 2016 at Libby Gardner Concert Hall.
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Berlioz Roman Carnival
Debussy Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien, Fragments Symphoniques
Khachaturian Adagio from Spartacus
Respighi Belkis, Queen of Sheba Suite

GuestHigh school musicians, side-by-side

Season Opener
2016-09-28 19:30
Salt Lake’s new Eccles Theater Hall becomes alive with sounds of Russia and Germany for our opening concert. The program will feature our outstanding horn section in Weber’s Overture to Der Freischütz. We are pleased to welcome Utah Symphony principal cellist Rainer Eudeikis to perform Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, an exciting work of virtuosity and melodic invention. Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 ends the evening. Prokofiev’s Fifth is a monument of the 20th century orchestral repertoire and a testament to the creative artist. Though lacking an exact program, Prokofiev described the work as “a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit.” Don’t miss this unforgettable, uplifting evening of music!
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Weber Overture to Der Freischütz
Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme Solo: Rainer Eudeikis, cello
Prokofiev Symphony #5 (Op. 100)

Days of '47 Pops Concert
2016-07-08 19:30 - 2016-07-09 00:00
The Salt Lake Symphony joins the Choral Arts Society of Utah for the Annual Days of ’47 Pops Concert in Abravanel Hall to kick off Utah’s Pioneer Celebration. Sterling Poulson and Robert Baldwin share conducting duties leading the choir, orchestra and special guests in two nights of Family Friendly Music.
Sponsored by: KUTV 2News Sorenson Legacy Foundation
ConductorsSterling Poulson, Robert Baldwin
GuestChoral Arts Society of Utah, Chorus

The French Connection
2016-05-21 19:30
We end our 40th Anniversary Season with a trip to France and spend it with some of our favorite collaborators, the Utah Voices, directed by Kelly DeHaan. Music from the French Baroque to Impressionism will be featured, culminating with the spiritually-moving Requiem by Gabriel Faure. Thank you to all of our patrons for a fantastic 40th season. We look forward to performing for you next September as we begin Season 41!
ConductorsRobert Baldwin, Kelly DeHaan

Rameau Overture to Naïs
Ravel Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2
Fauré Requiem (in D Minor, Op. 48)

Concert
2016-04-23 19:30
After last month’s rhythms from Stravinsky, we could only follow it with the rhythms of another master, Ludwig van Beethoven. Join guest conductor Gordon Johnson (Great Falls Symphony) as he leads the Salt Lake Symphony through Beethoven’s glorious Symphony No. 7. Once called the apotheosis if the dance, the work sparkles with thrilling motives that build to an amazing climax in each movement. We are pleased to also welcome the young musicians of the Rocky Mountain Strings to perform Sarasate’s Navarra on this program. The group, from right here in Salt Lake County, is renown for their technique and artistry, all the result of excellent teaching right here in Utah. The concert opens with Respighi’s The Fountains of Rome, a colorful slideshow in sound of some of Rome’s most famous landmarks.
ConductorsGordon Johnson

Respighi Fountains of Rome (Music Director of the Great Falls Symphony)
Sarasate Navarra (Ramona Stirling, Rocky Mountain Strings Director) Solo: Rocky Mountain Strings, violins
Beethoven Symphony #7 (in A Major, Op. 92)

Primal Energy!
2016-03-19 19:30
Few pieces have the primal energy as Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. This year marks a first for the Salt Lake Symphony, our initial performance of this monumental work. Originally intended for ballet when composed in 1913, the piece has become a staple in the concert hall as the quintessential work of the early 20th century. With its driving rhythms and eerie sounds, it’s a piece that creates a lasting memory for performers and audiences alike. It’s not the only legacy we will celebrate at this concert, though. We will open the concert with our annual side-by-side performance, featuring talented young musicians sitting alongside our musicians. After their rousing opening of Dvo?ák’s Slavonic Dances, we will perform the Utah premiere of Jett Hitt’s Yellowstone Concerto, with Dr. Hasse Borup playing the solo violin part. Join us for and evening of music and musicians filled with energy and excitiement. This is an event not to be missed!
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Dvo?ák Slavonic Dances #2 and 7 (Op. 72)
Hitt, Jett Yellowstone for Violin and Orchestra Utah Premiere Solo: Hasse Borup, violin
Stravinsky The Rite of Spring

GuestHigh school musicians, side-by-side

Summer Arts Piano Competition Winners Concert
2016-01-23 19:30
The winners of the SummerArts Piano Concerto Competition take center stage with Salt Lake Symphony conducted by Resident Conductor and U of U DMA alum, Jong-hun Bae. These gifted young people will each play one concerto movement.
ConductorsRobert Baldwin

Family Fun Concert: Wild, Wild, Musical West!
2016-01-09 14:00
Saddle up, pardners! Join us for a Wild West version of our annual Family Fun Concert. There will be western favorites and some surprises, too, as we learn about music, cowboys, horses and tumbleweeds. Always fun and appropriate for the entire family, our Family Fun concert has been an annual favorite for generations, and is fun for all generations!
ConductorsRobert Baldwin
