Thierry Fischer, music director of the Utah Symphony Orchestra, conducts a rehearsal at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City. Photo by Laura Seitz
“The Utah Symphony has ambitious plans for its first full season back after the COVID-19 pandemic: A world premiere of a symphony inspired by birds, acclaimed violinist Hilary Hahn performing two programs months apart, and nine guest conductors,” writes Sean Means in Tuesday’s (3/23) Salt Lake Tribune (UT). “Music Director Thierry Fischer, who extended his contract with Utah Symphony last fall to the end of the 2022-23 season, will conduct nine weeks of programs…. Utah Symphony will perform the world premiere of a work it commissioned, Arlene Sierra’s ‘Bird Symphony.’ Sierra is a composer-in-association with the symphony, a role that will include talks and workshops in Salt Lake City. Two of Sierra’s other works, ‘Aquilo’ and ‘Nature Symphony,’ will have their U.S. premieres with Utah Symphony…. The symphony will play … Nathan Lincoln de Cusatis’ work ‘The Maze,’ inspired by The Maze area of Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. Utah Symphony’s concertmaster, Madeline Adkins, commissioned the work and will perform it. [Also] on the schedule [are the last four movements of] Olivier Messiaen’s 12-movement ‘Des canyons aux étoiles.’ … The symphony performed eight movements during the 2019-2020 season, but was unable to finish the piece when … the COVID-19 pandemic began.”
