The Utah Symphony is an American

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

based in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

. The orchestra's principal venue is Abravanel Hall. In addition to its Salt Lake City subscription concerts, the orchestra travels around the Intermountain West serving communities throughout Utah. The orchestra accompanies the Utah Opera in four productions per year at Salt Lake's Capitol Theatre. In addition, the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera have a summer residency at the Deer Valley Music Festival, located in

Park City, Utah Park City is a city in Utah, United States. Most of the city is within Summit County, Utah, Summit County, with some portions extending into Wasatch County, Utah, Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is sou ...

. The orchestra receives funding from the Utah State Legislature for educational concerts. The Symphony has a division in Utah Valley that is based out of the Noorda Center for the Performing Arts at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

History

The first attempt to create a symphony orchestra in the Utah area occurred in 1892, four years before Utah achieved statehood. The Salt Lake Symphony (not to be confused with the modern 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 continued until 1925. The organization of a symphony with "Utah" in its name started during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

as part of the

Federal Music Project The Federal Music Project (FMP) was a part of the New Deal program Federal Project Number One provided by the U.S. federal government which employed musicians, conductors and composers during the Great Depression. In addition to performing thousan ...

, an employment-assistance program which formed part of

Federal Project Number One Federal Project Number One, also referred to as Federal One (Fed One), is the collective name for a group of projects under the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program in the United States. Of the United States Dollar, $4.88 billion all ...

(which in turn was an arm of the

Works Project Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to c ...

). The Project 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 throughout Utah. By 1940, federal funding for arts projects had ceased, so local enthusiasts formed the Utah State Symphony Orchestra on April 4, 1940, with Fred E. Smith as president. They scheduled their first concert for May 8, 1940 and asked Hans Henriot to conduct it. The resulting concert was so successful that the group offered Henriot a contract to direct the orchestra. This ensemble grew to 52 part-time musicians. In 1947,

Maurice Abravanel Maurice Abravanel (January 6, 1903 – September 22, 1993) was an American classical music conductor. He is remembered as the conductor of the Utah Symphony for over 30 years. Life Abravanel was born in Salonika, Rumelia Eyalet, Ottoman Emp ...

became the orchestra's music director. He built the ensemble into a full-time orchestra and developed its wider national reputation. He recorded and toured extensively with the orchestra. Under Abravanel, the orchestra first recorded with

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the so ...

and then with Vox Records. including complete symphony cycles of Mahler and of Tchaikovsky, as well as works by Varese, Milhaud, Gottschalk, Honegger, and Satie. The Utah Symphony’s recordings of Mahler’s symphonies with Abravanel were the first complete cycle recorded by an American orchestra (Vanguard). Honors for Abravanel's Mahler recordings with the orchestra include the “Mahler Medal of Honor” from the Bruckner Society of America (1965) and the International Gustav Mahler Society award for “Best Mahler Recording” (Fifth Symphony, 1975). During Abravanel’s tenure, the Orchestra’s music education program grew into one of the most extensive arts education programs in the region. Educational concerts were given on orchestra tours across the Intermountain West and at home in the Salt Lake Valley. Abravanel concluded his tenure as music director in 1979. That same year, it left its longtime home at the Mormon Tabernacle and moved into Symphony Hall (renamed Abravanel Hall in 1993), its first dedicated concert venue. The Orchestra’s season grew to a year-round schedule by 1980. Successors to Abravanel included Varujan Kojian (1980–1983), Joseph Silverstein (1983–1998), and

Keith Lockhart Keith Alan Lockhart (born November 7, 1959) is an American conductor. He is the Conductor of the Boston Pops orchestra, and the Artistic Director of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. Keith Lockhart, the conductor, is the brother of ...

(1998–2009). Under Silverstein and Lockhart, the orchestra continued its commitment to contemporary American music. In July 2002, the governing boards of Utah Symphony and Utah Opera decided to consolidate both organizations, resulting in the formation of ''Utah Symphony , Utah Opera''. At the time of the merger, it was one of only two merged symphony and opera companies in the United States. In September 2009,

Thierry Fischer Thierry Fischer (born 28 September 1957) is a Swiss orchestra conductor and flutist. Early life and education Fischer was born in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Zambia) to Swiss parents. He studied flute with Aurèle Nicolet and bega ...

became the orchestra's music director. Contemporary works commissioned by the orchestra during Fischer's tenure have included ''EOS (Goddess of the Dawn)'' by Augusta Read Thomas and the percussion concerto ''Switch'' by Andrew Norman. Fischer is currently contracted with the Utah Symphony through the 2021–2022 season. In May 2019, the orchestra announced that Fischer is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the end of his current contract, at the close of the 2021–2022 season. However, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, in October 2020, the orchestra announced a change to the scheduled conclusion of Fischer's contract as its music director, through August 2023, to supersede the May 2019 announcement. In January 2009, the orchestra named Gerald Steichen as its principal pops conductor. In 2017, Conner Gray Covington was appointed to the role of assistant conductor, and subsequently promoted to associate conductor. Covington remained with the orchestra until 2021. Benjamin Manis became the orchestra's next associate conductor for the 2022-2023 season. Matthew Straw held the title of assistant conductor for the 2023-2024 season. The current assistant conductor of the orchestra is Jessica Rivero Altarriba. David Robertson first guest-conducted the orchestra in October 2020. He returned for an additional guest-conducting engagement in December 2021. In December 2022, the orchestra announced the appointment of Robertson as its first-ever creative partner, effective with the 2023-2024 season, with a contract of 3 years. In December 2022, Markus Poschner first guest-conducted the orchestra. He returned for a subsequent guest-conducting appearance in November 2023. In November 2024, the Utah Symphony announced the appointment of Poschner as its next music director, effective with the 2027-2028 season. Poschner took the title of music director-designate with immediate effect. In May 2024, Delyana Lazarova first guest-conducted the orchestra. In December 2024, the orchestra announced the appointment of Lazarova as its next principal guest conductor, the first female conductor to be named to the post, effective with the 2025-2026 season, with an initial contract of two seasons.

Music Directors

* Hans Henriot (1940–1945) * Werner Janssen (1946–1947) *

(1947–1979) * Varujan Kojian (1980–1983) * Joseph Silverstein (1983–1998) *

(1998–2009) *

(2009–2023) * Markus Poschner (designate, effective autumn 2027)

References

External links

*
Musicians of the Utah Symphony website

Utah Symphony page on orchestra history

Official collective page of Utah Symphony , Utah Opera

Deer Valley Music Festival
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1940 American symphony orchestras Musical groups from Salt Lake City Wikipedia requested audio of orchestras Orchestras based in Utah 1940 establishments in Utah