Deer Valley Music Festival

Utah Opera's fifth annual Deer Valley Music Festival (DVMF) will return in 2008 with four weeks of performances in the picturesque setting of Park City, Utah, July 19 through August 16. For the past four years, DVMF has been bringing the best Pops, Classical, Chamber and Opera performances to the mountains of Park City. With at least four different performances each week, festival goers will have a wide variety of events to choose from. This summer will mark Keith Lockhart's last festival as Music Director of the Utah Symphony; he will officially step down from his post at the end of the 2008-2009 regular season. "In 2004, we began this concert series with the desire of creating a destination festival and attracting talent from around the world. That dream is coming true and we have had the pleasure of having remarkable musicians, conductors and vocalists participate in the festival. I'm amazed at the success we've gained and I look forward to watching this extraordinary summer event grow," said Lockhart. In 2004, Keith Lockhart began the Deer Valley Music Festival in collaboration with Utah Symphony, Utah Opera and former CEO Anne Ewers. On July 24, 2004, Lockhart conducted the first official performance of the inaugural festival featuring an all-Gershwin program and concluded the summer with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. The cannon filled ‘1812' Overture has become a tradition at DVMF and Lockhart will open the 2008 festival with it on Saturday, July 19, 2008. He'll then conduct a Chamber concert featuring Beethoven's Second Symphony and Beethoven's Violin Concerto on Wednesday, July 30. Lockhart's final concert of the summer will be a Classical program featuring Dvořák's New World Symphony and a performance by Time for Three on Friday, August 1, 2008. Highlights of the 2008 Deer Valley Music Festival include a performance with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, an evening with Gladys Knight and a concert with the Classical Mystery Tour performing 30 Beatles tunes sung and played exactly as they were written. Utah Opera will also present A Tribute to Gilbert & Sullivan featuring highlights from HMS Pinafore, The Mikado, The Prirates of Penzance, and The Gondoliers. Audience members are invited to bring a picnic, sprawl out on a blanket and enjoy the setting as Utah Symphony and Utah Opera surround them with music, filling the fresh mountain air. The Utah Symphony will also bring back audience favorites, such as Bravo Broadway and a performance by Time for Three at the Deer Valley Amphitheater. Chamber favorites will include performances by The Muir Quartet, the Georgia String Quartet and the Utah Symphony Chorus in the beautiful and serene stetting of St. Mary's Church. Friday Classical concerts and Saturday Pops concerts will be held at the Deer Valley Outdoor Amphitheater where the audience will be invited to lounge under the stars after a day of shopping, hiking, or golfing. Chamber concerts will be held on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the more intimate setting of Park City's St. Mary's Church. Details are included below. VIP dinners prior to both Friday and Saturday performances will continue at this year's festival. Salon Events will also continue, featuring intimate performances in luxurious private residences by festival artists. Salon Sunday Brunches will be held at 11:00 am on July 20 (Muir Quartet) and August 10 (Utah Symphony artist). Salon Tuesday Evenings will be held at 7:00 pm on July 22 (Muir Emerging Quartets), July 29 (Time for Three) and August 5 (Georgia Guitar Quartet). More information regarding educational VIP dinners, Salon events, free clinics will soon be available at www.deervalleymusicfestival.org. Tickets for all festival concerts go on sale on Tuesday, April 15. At that time, ticket-buyers can call (801) 355-ARTS (355-2787), 1-888-451-2787, buy in person at the Abravanel Hall box office, or visit www.deervalleymusicfestival.org. Subscribers and those desiring group or student discounts should call (801) 533-NOTE (533-6683).