Utah Symphony’s nature-inspired 2019-20 season

Is there anything more incredible than the natural beauty of Utah? French composer Olivier Messiaen was certainly inspired by it, eventually leading him to compose the 12-part orchestral work while he was visiting southern Utah in 1972. You can almost hear the wind whipping through Bryce Canyon and the birds of Southern Utah singing in this piece—and you’ll be able to see it too! We’re creating visual elements to accompany these concerts by teaming up with local organizations including the Utah Office of Tourism, Clark Planetarium, Dark Sky Cooperative, KUED, The Nature Conservancy, Tracy Aviary, and the Natural History Museum of Utah. In the 19-20 season, Music Director Thierry Fischer will conduct eight programs featuring movements of Messiaen’s iconic work, Des canyons aux étoiles, alongside classic favorites like Holst’s “The Planets,” Respighi’s “Pines of Rome,” Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”, and “The Maze,” a new work commissioned by Concertmaster Madeline Adkins, inspired by the area of Canyonlands National Park. Close your eyes, kick back and let us transport you into the natural world with these works.