With performances from The Beach Boys, Disney, Ben Folds, and much much more, the Utah Symphony has a lot to offer this summer at the Deer Valley Music Festival. Most of the 16 performances will be held at the Deer Valley Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater, so bring or buy a picnic, spread out on the lawn, and enjoy the music in the great outdoors.
The series kicked off Saturday, July 1, with Broadway soprano Lisa Vroman in an all-American evening to celebrate Independence Day. On July 20 the music of the late Prince, with the Utah Symphony, conductor Brent Havens, and lead guitarist/singer Marshall Charloff will commemorate the eclectic musician who passed away last year. For the Harry Potter fans, on July 22 the entire film score of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” will be performed live by the Utah Symphony, while big screens play the movie. “Harry Potter in Concert” is sure to be a hit. The Disney evening, “A Dream is a Wish”, will also be using the big screens, displaying clips from Disney favorites, as the symphony plays with four talented
The Disney evening, “A Dream is a Wish”, will also be using the big screens, displaying clips from Disney favorites, as the symphony plays with four talented vocalists to wrap you up in the magic. Children three and under are always free, and shows like Disney and Harry Potter are a great way to introduce younger generations to orchestra music. For the more traditional symphony goers “Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and Piano Concerto No. 1” will be featured Aug. 4. The summer season will close on Aug. 5 with “A Mystery Tour,” celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, a tribute to The Beatles.
Chamber concerts at St. Mary’s Church will also be a part of the Festival, offering a unique and intimate setting. “A Night at Bach’s Coffeehouse,” with director Jeannette Sorrell, is one of the four performances taking place at the Old Town Park City Chapel. The Utah Symphony/Utah Opera website explains the evening “is inspired by the lively coffeehouse concerts led by Bach in 18th-century Leipzig with fiery strings, colorful recorders, and a dizzying harpsichord solo.”
With so many genres of performances to choose from, there is really something for everyone. If you want to see four or more festival concerts this year you can design your own series and save some money. “Your outing doesn’t have to end when the concert does” the Deer Valley Festival website boasts. The Festival has partnered with certain Park City hotels so you can enjoy the Mountains a little bit longer. So, see a concert or all 16 and stay a while in the beautiful Wasatch.
For more information about the schedule, lodging, and to purchase tickets, visit www.deervalleymusicfestival.org. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Grab your friends and make the Utah Symphony a part of your summer.