World-Class Guest Artists

You may know Conrad Tao from NPR’s Tiny Desk. Or from his GRAMMY-winning work. Or from the fact that he was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 as a teenager.

We know him as a longtime friend of Utah Symphony. Tao made his Utah debut at 16 and later spent time here in residence with the orchestra. Now he returns to Abravanel Hall as both pianist and conductor for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 and Symphony No. 40.

Tao brings something rare to the stage: remarkable technical command paired with curiosity, spontaneity, and an unmistakably personal voice.

And then there’s the piano.

Every piano responds differently. Every hall sounds different. For an artist like Tao, those differences become part of the performance itself.

Conrad Tao at a glance

• Forbes 30 Under 30
• NPR Tiny Desk artist
• Pianist, composer, conductor
• Former Utah Symphony artist-in-residence
• A Utah Symphony favorite since his debut at 16

Bass-baritone Matthew Burns is celebrated for his musical and comedic capabilities in equal measure, and is a true Utah Opera favorite—his Leporello in Don Giovanni is considered a signature role here. Opera News has praised the “vocal and comedic flexibility” of that performance, and critics have noted his “rare combination of comic timing, musical ability and stellar acting.”

A veteran of seven seasons at the Metropolitan Opera, Burns’ recent Utah Opera credits include La fille du régiment and Le nozze di Figaro, alongside engagements with Detroit Opera, Portland Opera, Nashville Opera, and the Delaware Symphony. This season includes performances with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Memphis, St. George’s Episcopal, and Odyssey Opera, with upcoming roles at Opera Omaha, Pensacola Opera, and Opera Southwest.

George Li’s star has been rising since he first appeared on the international stage as a teenager.

At 15, Li won the silver medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition. He has since performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras—and even brought his virtuosic playing to NPR’s Tiny Desk, where he made an upright piano sound much bigger than it had any right to.

Now he returns to Utah to play one of the most recognizable piano concertos ever written: Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

You may know the opening. You may know the sweeping melodies. But hearing this music live, with an artist of Li’s caliber, is something entirely different.

Did you know?

George Li has brought his virtuosic playing to NPR’s Tiny Desk, showing how remarkable musicianship can transform any piano—and any room—into a concert hall.

A returning favorite at Utah Opera, soprano Sara Gartland has performed multiple leading roles here, including Violetta in La Traviata, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Curley’s Wife in Of Mice and Men, and Alexandra in Regina. A passionate interpreter of opera, concert repertoire, and song, she has firmly established herself as an artist to watch, praised for her “dramatic storytelling and comedy” across major U.S. opera houses.

A graduate of the prestigious Adler Fellowship Program at San Francisco Opera, Gartland has since built a career spanning some of opera’s most demanding roles, from the title roles in Rusalka, Jenůfa, and Strauss’s Salome to Lady Macbeth in Macbeth and Marie/Marietta in Die tote Stadt. In the 2025-26 season, she returns to Opera Colorado for La traviata (Violetta), Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra for Tosca, and Lyric Opera Kansas City for Of Mice and Men (Curley’s Wife), and makes her highly anticipated role debut as Blanche DuBois in André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire at Opera Theater of Saint Louis.

You may know the sound. Now hear it live.

For decades, Joshua Bell has captivated audiences around the world with his extraordinary sound, expressive artistry, and unmistakable presence. A GRAMMY Award-winning artist and one of the world’s most celebrated violinists, Bell has helped bring classical music to generations of new listeners.

Now, he brings that artistry to Beethoven—music that is both deeply familiar and endlessly revealing in the hands of a great artist.

There’s something special about hearing Bell live: the richness of his Stradivarius filling the hall, the energy of the bow across the strings, and the connection that happens only between an artist and a live audience.

Come hear what happens when a legendary artist meets a timeless masterpiece.

Violinist Karen Gomyo is celebrated for performances marked by brilliance, vitality, and expressive depth. Born in Tokyo and raised in Montréal and New York, she studied with legendary violin teacher Dorothy DeLay at The Juilliard School before embarking on an international career.

A versatile artist, Gomyo moves between beloved works of the repertoire and contemporary music with equal curiosity and command.

Some artists bring a remarkable violin to the stage. Karen Gomyo brings a piece of history.

For Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Gomyo performs on a Stradivarius crafted more than 300 years ago by Antonio Stradivari. Hear its extraordinary voice meet one of the violin repertoire’s most virtuosic and deeply expressive masterpieces.