“As the Utah Symphony returns to Carnegie Hall on Friday for the first time in decades, it is an ensemble on the upswing, with rising ticket sales, new players and an energetic music director, Thierry Fischer,” writes Michael Cooper in Wednesday’s (4/27) New York Times. “Among the many factors that allowed the orchestra to rebound [after the Great Recession] was … significant state and local aid … making up over 18 percent of its unrestricted operating revenue.… Local aid comes from Salt Lake County’s Zoo, Arts and Parks tax, a sales tax of a penny on every $10 spent.… State education aid pays for an intensive outreach program.” The orchestra recently released an album of works it commissioned from Augusta Read Thomas, Andrew Norman, and Nico Muhly. “The orchestra has also expanded its horizons geographically. In 2014, it went on what it called the Mighty 5 tour [of] free outdoor concerts.… The orchestra is looking forward to reaching a different audience at Carnegie. ‘We would like people outside Utah to see what we’ve been doing,’ ” said Patricia A. Richards, the orchestra’s interim president and chief executive. Richards also serves as chair of the League of American Orchestras.
Posted April 28, 2016
Photo of Thierry Fischer and the Utah Symphony by Scott Jarvie
