The Music We Share: A Story from Southern Utah
By Camila Baltazar
At the end of Utah Symphony | Utah Opera’s Access to Music concert in St. George, the audience stood up to sing. Members of Pineview and Bloomington Hills Special Needs Mutuals had prepared “In This Very Room,” part of that community’s tradition of offering a gift to those who have served them. This time, the members were singing for the musicians.
The experience brought Utah Opera Resident Artist Hyein Hong to tears. “That moment reminded me of why I became a singer, why I have dedicated so many years of my life to music,” the soprano recalled.
Building Relationships, Beyond the Concert Hall
The exchange was one of many memorable moments during the USUO residency in Southern Utah, earlier this fall. Across eight performances in four days, symphony musicians and Resident Artists reached 3,954 people, including 2,825 students, and served 20 schools throughout the region.
For Ben Kipp, Vice President of Education and Community Engagement, returning to Southern Utah has become personal. After years of visits, familiar faces and friendships have made St. George feel like an extension of his own neighborhood.
“Over time, we’ve gotten a feel for St. George. We listened to community and arts leaders, heard what’s important and what’s needed, and found something only USUO could provide,” said Kipp.
Access to Music, Beyond Salt Lake City
Access to Music, USUO’s sensory-friendly concert, offers a relaxed setting where people with disabilities and sensory sensitivities can experience live music on their own terms. Until this fall, it had only been presented in Salt Lake City.
It came to St. George because of Hayley Winslow, a music teacher at Snow Canyon Middle School. In 2025, Kipp visited her school with Utah Symphony musicians Karen Wyatt (second assistant principal second violin), Keith Carrick (principal percussion), and Lissa Stolz (English horn) to work with students who use music to support classmates with disabilities.
“I saw what Hayley was building. I saw the power in that, and I thought, oh, we’ve got to do more,” he said.
For Winslow, the concert in St. George meant families who couldn’t make the trip north could finally attend.
“This is going to be a huge thing for our community,” she said.
Like their song, the post-event dance party is a Special Needs Mutuals tradition. After the photos, hugs, and high-fives, the lobby filled with dancing, and staff and musicians joined in.
“That’s a Great Answer”
In elementary schools, Resident Artists performed Who Wants to Be an Opera Star?, a game-show-style introduction to opera. Opera can feel like something you’re supposed to already understand. The show is built to take that pressure off.
In one round, Resident Artist and mezzo-soprano Isabel Kosempa, playing a contestant, rang in and answered, “I don’t know.” Without missing a beat, host and Resident Artist tenor J. Andrew Garratt Jr. replied, “That’s a great answer!”
For young people, not knowing can feel like failing. The exchange reflects what the program is for: Students (and adults) don’t have to arrive knowing anything about opera to belong in the room.
The residency also brought symphony musicians and Resident Artists together for Unforgettable Overtures and More, a community concert of orchestral, opera, and musical theater works at Utah Tech University’s recently completed M.K. Cox Performing Arts Center.
“You Did”
At the Access to Music concert, some of Winslow’s students volunteered to support classmates with disabilities. They arrived early, helped organize the evening, and made sure everyone found a seat and settled in.
“Last year, I saw these students work together to make music,” Kipp said. “That night, I saw them doing small acts of compassion so everyone could enjoy the performance. They put in hours and hours supporting this program.”
Kipp told Winslow he wished he could do something for them.
“You did,” she said.