Our Mission
Connect the community through great live music.
To perform. To engage. To inspire.
Utah Symphony | Utah Opera connects Utah communities through great live music and is the flagship arts organization of the Intermountain West. USUO’s 87 full-time symphony musicians and five opera Resident Artists perform for more than 450,000 citizens in Utah and the Intermountain region each year, presenting more than 175 symphonic and chamber music performances; week-long runs of four fully produced operas; and music education programs for students and adult learners. The organization’s statewide service includes tours featuring outdoor performances against the backdrop of Utah’s natural beauty as well as education offerings—most recently, the six-stop Music Elevated Tour in August 2023.
Founded in 1940 and one of just 17 year-round professional orchestras in the U.S., the Utah Symphony performs at downtown Salt Lake City’s Maurice Abravanel Hall, at its Deer Valley Music Festival in Park City, in Utah Opera productions, and at venues throughout the state of Utah. The symphony has embarked on seven international tours and performed at Carnegie Hall in 2016 in honor of its 75th anniversary season. The orchestra’s celebrated recording legacy includes more than 100 recordings; in April 2023, its latest album featuring Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles—a work inspired by three scenic Utah locations—was released to great international acclaim. Thierry Fischer, who led the Utah Symphony as Music Director from 2014 to 2023, was named Music Director Emeritus beginning in the 2023-24 season.
Since 1978, Utah Opera has provided citizens with distinguished and entertaining productions at Salt Lake City’s historic Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre—showcasing emerging and established artists, celebrating traditional works, and championing new works and the American operatic tradition. Utah Opera is one of justsix opera companies in the U.S. with full production capabilities, including in-house costume design, set building, and props studios; the company currently has costumes for 50 productions and 19 full sets in its inventory. Utah Opera’s Resident Artist program is nationally recognized for providing invaluable career-training opportunities for professional singers and collaborative pianists.
USUO leads in music education, with interactive and immersive education programs that engage and inspire tomorrow’s musicians and music-lovers. In the community and in classrooms, these programs serve 130,000 students annually and reach every school district in Utah on a three-year rotation.
Values: Excellence, Integrity, Trust, and Communication