Utah Symphony Announces 2020 Deer Valley® Music Festival

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (March 3, 2020) –Deer Valley® Music Festival Principal Conductor Conner Gray Covington and Utah Symphony | Utah Opera (USUO) Interim President & CEO Patricia A. Richards today announced the lineup for the Utah Symphony’s 2020 Deer Valley^® Music Festival in Park City, Utah. The six-week, 19-concert music festival begins on Friday, July 3, 2020 and runs through Wednesday, August 12, 2020. Subscriptions, group and VIP tickets are on sale now. Single-concert tickets go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at 12 PM (MDT) at deervalleymusicfestival.org, 801-533-NOTE (6683) and through ArtTix outlets.

Eleven Outdoor Concerts at Deer Valley Resort

The 17^th annual festival continues the tradition of pairing a diverse lineup of well-known, popular artists with the Utah Symphony in the beautiful outdoor setting at Park City’s Deer Valley® Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater. This summer includes Utah Symphony performances with Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Beach Boys, multi-platinum selling singer-songwriter Ben Folds, legendary R&B/funk band Kool & the Gang, the keepers of New Orleans jazz tradition Preservation Hall Jazz Band and rock group Little River Band.

The schedule at Deer Valley Resort also features the Utah Symphony for the annual Patriotic Pops Celebration with the charismatic vocals of Capathia Jenkins; a celebration of the doo-wop era with The Doo Wop Project; two concert tributes, the first to the music of John Denver with Jim Curry and Denver’s arranger Lee Holdridge and the second to the music of Neil Diamond with Super Diamond; a concert featuring selections of music from all eight Harry Potter films in The Magical Music of Harry Potter; and the perennial festival favorite, Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” with live cannon fire on the hillside and 2018 Gina Bachauer Competition Gold Medalist Changyong Shin performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

The festival opens on Friday, July 3, 2020 with guest vocalist Capathia Jenkins, a festival favorite, singing red, white and blue inspired tunes with the orchestra at the annual Patriotic Pops concert. Ms. Jenkins, born and raised in Brooklyn, most recently starred as ‘Medda’ in the hit Disney production of “Newsies” on Broadway. Her song selections for this program will include “America the Beautiful,” “Amazing Grace” and “Summertime” from “Porgy and Bess.”

The following week, on Friday, July 10, 2020, Kool & The Gang showcase their high energy blend of R&B/funk and perform their iconic hits, such as “Celebration,” “Cherish,” and “Jungle Boogie,” live with the Utah Symphony. These two-time Grammy Award-winning musicians have performed together continuously longer than any other group in R&B history, and their bulletproof funk and jazzy arrangements have also made them the most sampled R&B band of all time.

The following night, Saturday, July 11, 2020, singer/songwriter Ben Folds returns by popular demand after several sold-out performances of his genre-bending music with the Utah Symphony to perform his greatest hits live with a full orchestra. Folds is widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of his generation and currently serves as the first ever Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. A limited number of packages featuring a Ben Folds Meet & Greet Experience or AMAA (Ask Me Anything…About Music) Masterclass are available for purchase through deervalleymusicfestival.org.

The following weekend, The Doo Wop Project brings unparalleled authenticity of sound and vocal excellence to recreate—and in some cases entirely reimagine—some of the greatest music in American pop and rock history on Friday, July 17, 2020. Featuring stars of Broadway’s smash hits Jersey Boys and Motown: The Musical, The Doo Wop Project begins at the beginning, tracing the evolution of Doo Wop from the classic sound of five guys singing tight harmonies on a street corner from groups like the Crests, Belmonts and Flamingos, to DooWopified versions of modern musicians like Michael Jackson, Jason Mraz, and Maroon 5.

The next night, on Saturday, July 18, 2020, the Utah Symphony and acclaimed performer Jim Curry perform Take Me Home: The Music of John Denver, a tribute to one of the most beloved singer/songwriters ever to grace the stage. Jim Curry emerged as the top performer of John Denver’s music after singing for the 2000 TV movie “Take Me Home, the John Denver Story.” In this concert, Curry and the Utah Symphony perform John Denver’s music under the baton of Grammy Award-winning composer Lee Holdridge, whose original symphonic arrangements were created in collaboration with John Denver himself when Denver wanted to add a full orchestra to his live shows and recordings.

Fans of Harry Potter will enjoy the magic of the movies through the music that brought them to life on Friday, July 24, 2020. Deer Valley Resort’s Snow Park Amphitheatre will fill with the sounds of the wizarding world as the Utah Symphony, with conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez, performs The Magical Music of Harry Potter. The concert features iconic scores, from John Williams’s music for “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” through all eight films in the beloved series.

On Saturday, July 25, 2020, the Utah Symphony performs a high-octane concert featuring Neil Diamond’s power ballads and up-tempo hits with Super Diamond, featuring lead singer Randy Cordero and conductor Rama Kolesnikow. The show is pure entertainment—classic music combined with fun, energy, and passion—creating nostalgia for the good old days and excitement for today’s generation.

The vibrant sounds of New Orleans will echo through Snow Park Amphitheater on Friday, July 31, 2020 as Preservation Hall Jazz Band performs with the Utah Symphony in their festival debuts. At a moment when musical streams are crossing with unprecedented frequency, it’s crucial to remember that throughout its history, New Orleans has been the point at which sounds and cultures from around the world converge, mingle and resurface, transformed by the Crescent City’s inimitable spirit and joie de vivre. Nowhere is that idea more vividly embodied than in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which has held the torch of New Orleans music aloft for more than 50 years, all the while carrying it enthusiastically forward as a reminder that the history they were founded to preserve is a vibrantly living history.

Then, on Saturday, August 1, 2020, Little River Band joins the Utah Symphony onstage at Snow Park Amphitheater performing chart-topping hits including “Reminiscing,” “Lonesome Loser,” “The Night Owls,” “Take It Easy on Me,” “The Other Guy,” and “It’s A Long Way There.”  Dubbed “the best singing band in the world” by Eagles founding member Glenn Frey, the Little River Band enjoyed huge chart success throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s with multi-platinum albums.

The final weekend of the festival, on Friday, August 7, 2020, experience Rachmaninoff’s breathtaking Piano Concerto No. 2 performed by 2018 Gina Bachauer Competition Gold Medalist Changyong Shin, followed by Tchaikovsky’s explosive 1812 Overture, an annual tradition and festival favorite. This exhilarating score is accompanied by live cannon blasts.

Closing out the 17^th annual Deer Valley Music Festival on Saturday, August 8, 2020 is the return of The Beach Boys. As The Beach Boys mark more than half a century of making music, the group continues to ride the crest of a wave unequaled in America’s musical history. Dozens of their chart-toppers have become eternal anthems of American youth; “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” “I Get Around,” “California Girls,” “Good Vibrations,” “Kokomo,” and many more have propelled them to over 100 million albums sold–and made them icons around the world. With more than five decades of touring under their belts, The Beach Boys have performed more concerts than any major rock band in history. The Beach Boys are led by Mike Love, who, along with longtime member Bruce Johnston, musical director Scott Totten, Christian Love, Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill, Keith Hubacher and Randy Leago continue the legacy of the iconic band. This concert will not feature Brian Wilson, Al Jardine or David Marks. VIP upgrade packages, sold separate from concert tickets, are available at thebeachboys.com or mikelove.com.

The Deer Valley® Music Festival’s Principal Conductor Conner Gray Covington, also the Associate Conductor for the Utah Symphony, will conduct the Deer Valley Resort concerts on July 3, July 10, July 11, July 17, July 31, August 1, August 7 and August 8.

Eight Chamber Concerts at St. Mary’s Church & Art Galleries on Historic Main Street

Wednesdays at St. Mary’s Church feature the Utah Symphony in an intimate venue with gentle breezes and views of the Wasatch Mountains during five classical concerts. The 2020 Chamber Orchestra Series includes 2019 International Tchaikovsky Competition winner, American cellist Zlatomir Fung, performing “Variations on a Rococo Theme” for Cello and Orchestra and Fauré’s “Elégie” for Cello and Orchestra; Utah Symphony’s Principal Flute Mercedes Smith performing Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2; Guest conductor and violinist Dmitry Sinkovsky leading the orchestra and performing as soloist on Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”; Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 performed by Utah Symphony Acting Principal Cello Matthew Johnson; Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony and other chamber works by composers including Handel, Mozart, Stravinsky, Debussy, Puccini and Beethoven, whose works Symphony No. 4 and the final movement of Symphony No. 7 are featured in commemoration of the composer’s year-long 250^th birthday celebration. Utah Symphony Associate Conductor and Deer Valley Music Festival Principal Conductor Conner Gray Covington and Kerem Hasan also conduct performances.

This summer the festival expands its Gallery Concerts on Historic Main Street with small ensembles of Utah Symphony musicians performing at J GO Gallery, Gallery MAR and Susan Swartz Studios on Main Street in Park City. Ticket buyers are invited to come early for light refreshments and view the art on display. Utah Symphony musicians performing at these events include a string trio featuring Lynn Rosen (violin), Carl Johansen (viola) and Kevin Shumway (cello); a woodwind trio comprised of Caitlyn Valovick Moore (piccolo/flute) Lissa Stolz (English horn/oboe) and Jennifer Rhodes (bassoon); and a string quartet with Alex Martin (violin), Yuki MacQueen (violin), Joel Gibbs (viola) and John Eckstein (cello).

Utah Symphony | Utah Opera continues to focus on community involvement and engagement with a series of “Pop-up” Performances featuring smaller Utah Symphony and Utah Opera ensembles. The short performances occur around Park City and Summit County at existing events and in collaboration with other local groups as a way of extending thanks to the community for hosting the Utah Symphony in its summer home.

In- and out-of-state visitors to the Utah Symphony’s Deer Valley® Music Festival boost the Summit County tourism economy through activities surrounding their concert attendance. A 2019 post-festival survey of visitors found 86 percent of respondents indicated that they had come from outside Summit County. Festival attendees reported that 30 percent visited local restaurants, 19 percent went shopping, 16 percent visited Park City’s historic Main Street and 10 percent participated in a recreational outdoor activity such as hiking or biking. An overwhelming 65 percent of respondents said that the Deer Valley® Music Festival influenced their decision to visit Summit County. The festival has grown to an annual attendance of more than 40,000.

Ticket Information

Subscription, group and VIP tickets for the Utah Symphony’s Deer Valley® Music Festival are on sale now. The Park City Locals Sale for Summit and Wasatch County residents takes place on Saturday, April 4, 2020 at a time and location to be announced at a later date. Single-concert tickets for the general public will go on sale on April 7, 2020 at 12 PM (MST). Lodging packages, which can include tickets to performances, are available through lodging partners starting in May. Programming and guest artists are subject to change. Performance tickets and lodging information are available by calling (801) 533-6683 or online at deervalleymusicfestival.org.

 Deer Valley® Music Festival VIP Packages

VIP packages for the Utah Symphony’s Deer Valley® Music Festival can include premium reserved seating, VIP parking, pre-concert gourmet dinners, playbill recognition and intermission receptions. VIPs have first access to Salon events featuring intimate performances in luxurious private residences by festival artists. VIP packages are available at varying levels and all include a charitable contribution.  For more information, please call (801) 869-9011, email [email protected], or visit https://deervalleymusicfestival.org/tickets/vip-packages/.

Volunteer Information

Volunteers for the Utah Symphony’s Deer Valley® Music Festival are needed in multiple positions: ushers, ticket takers, backstage, etc. Benefits include a complimentary ticket voucher, T-shirt and the opportunity to work closely with guest artists. Visit https://usuo.org/support-live-music/volunteer/ for more information.