Four commissioned world premieres – chamber music, jazz and two in dance – are part of this year’s Utah Arts Festival. The Utah Review highlights each of the new works. KATLYN ADDISON, JOSHUA WHITEHEAD DANCE COMMISSIONS, RUUDDANCES — June 21, 5:45 p.m., Festival Stage For the annual dance commission concert at the Utah Arts Festival. … Read more
In 1931, as the Great Depression’s grip tightened, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the obituary for the flimsy age of roaring confidence and youth-driven abandon that had been “jolted” out of existence when the stock market crashed in 1929. In an essay titled Echoes of the Jazz Age, he wrote, “It was an age of miracles, … Read more
One of dance’s most powerful functions is its capacity to express something so profoundly that the audience watching it connects to it immediately. As we have listened to the voices of the #MeToo movement that always have been there but suddenly gained the frequency and volume which has asked us to empathize on a deeper … Read more
Friday’s headliners for the Utah Arts Festival comprise a blockbuster lineup on the main stages with world premieres in two programs (click on previews for each program): the jazz commission concert with the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra featuring Alex Heitlinger, Andrea Miller and Chuck Findley (7:45 p.m., Festival Stage) and the dance commission concert … Read more
Since being established in 2011, the Utah Arts Festival’s dance commission program has brought forward a tremendous partnership with Ballet West performers and adventurous original choreographed compositions. The legacy expands this year with Laden, a work created by Emily Adams, Ballet West principal, which will be the closing piece on a program of six works … Read more
Two musical works inspired by autobiographical transitions – one the news of an impending birth of a child and the other relocating from the Midwest to Salt Lake City – and a new dance composition about conformity and the age of social media mark this year’s newest Utah Arts Festival commissions for music and dance. … Read more
A blizzard and musical inspirations from two great composers and the unique therapeutic sounds of the handpan inspire this year’s newest Utah Arts Festival commissions for music and dance. The chamber music commission is sponsored by The Mandel Foundation. Robert Honstein, Juno, June 27, 4 p.m., City Library Auditorium Robert Honstein, 35, is in the … Read more
Salt Lake City’s professional dance scene is extensive and nationally respected, a significant accomplishment in a city of this size. In additional to Christopher Ruud’s works premiere commission which will be performed by members of Ballet West, four dance companies are performing at this year’s Utah Arts Festival. Ririe Woodbury, June 27, 6 p.m., Festival … Read more