Utah Symphony | Utah Opera Celebrates Utah’s
Landscapes and Communities With “Music Elevated:

Forever Mighty® State Tour”

Six Tour Stops Across Utah, August 10, 2023

Utah Symphony | Utah Opera is going on tour! Join us as we hit the road and travel more than 600 miles with FREE concerts and music education opportunities in six locations across Utah, from August 7-12, 2023:

Please join us Thursday, August 10th: Bryce Canyon National Park
8:00 PM | Ruby’s Inn Bryce Canyon Rim

Utah Symphony Mighty 5 Tour

Following the Utah Symphony concert, Zion’s Bank is sponsoring a drone light show on the Ruby’s Inn Bryce Canyon Rim.

Utah Symphony | Utah Opera stops at Bryce Canyon on August 10, where Associate Conductor Benjamin Manis leads the orchestra in a program featuring two internationally acclaimed (and Utah-based!) singers. Soprano Madison Leonard and baritone Shea Owens will perform a wide collection of Broadway, opera, and American folk music—plus, hear favorites ranging from Aaron Copland’s Hoedown and Simple Gifts to John Williams’ Theme from Jurassic Park.

Get ready to travel back in time to the land of the dinosaurs! Dinosaur Island at Thanksgiving Point is traveling with the Utah Symphony and two creatures from another time: a shy plant-eating Dryosaurus and a fearsome Deinonychus, a cousin to the Utahraptor. This one-of-a-kind experience will transport you to a world of prehistoric wonder. Our experienced team of Dinos Wranglers will also introduce you to some of the babies of Dinosaur Island. You are invited to pet, greet, and get photos with these ancient animals.

What is a Drone Light Show?

Drone light shows are performed by illuminated, synchronized, and choreographed groups of drones that arrange themselves into various aerial formations. Almost any image can be recreated in the sky by a computer program that turns graphics into flight commands and communicates them to the drones.

You need to be on the rim of Bryce Canyon to watch this drone light show. You won’t be able to watch it anywhere else.

This concert and light show is FREE to the public. Shuttle pick up with be at Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill. Please follow parking attendants. Bring a camp chair, coats, and blankets.

RESERVE YOUR TICKETS

WATCH: Re-live moments from the 2021 Forever Mighty® tour and discover where Utah Symphony |

Utah Opera is traveling this summer.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (April 26, 2023) – Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, along with Governor
Spencer Cox, are thrilled to announced the “Music Elevated: Forever Mighty® State Tour”—
continuing USUO’s mission to connect communities through great live music, give back to Utah

residents, and serve the entire state. The August 2023 tour offers rural communities access
to enriching performances by the premier arts organization in the Intermountain West and
celebrates Utah’s cultural history and scenic landscapes.
“We are thrilled to bring our world-class Utah Symphony musicians and Utah Opera
guest artists to communities throughout our state,” says Steve Brosvik, USUO President
& CEO. “Our musicians are eager to share their passion and talent with audiences across Utah.
This tour will showcase not only their extraordinary artistry, but will also shine a spotlight on the
natural beauty and rich heritage of our state as we perform at national parks and breathtaking
venues, and partner with local organizations to create unparalleled live music experiences.”
“Nothing could be better than an evening with Utah Symphony | Utah Opera in some of
the most striking and inspiring settings throughout our great state,” says Governor
Spencer Cox. “Music has the power to inspire, uplift, and connect us all, and USUO has a long-
standing tradition of excellence and artistic innovation. I urge all Utahns to take advantage of
these unique cultural opportunities that will sustain your imagination and uplift your heart.”
Featuring a wide collection of favorite classical, Broadway, opera and American folk music, the
tour brings an elevated outdoor concert experience to six locations, August 7 through 12—with
the orchestra and artists traveling more than 600 miles altogether. Stops include debut
appearances in Huntsville, Fountain Green, Spring City, and Torrey; and returns to Bryce
Canyon and Teasdale.

Featured with the symphony are Utah natives soprano Madison Leonard and baritone Shea
Owens—both of whom have international careers within the operatic field and perform regularly
with Utah Opera (Owens, in fact, was a Utah Opera Resident Artist from 2012 to 2014). Their
appearance on the tour brings together both symphonic and vocal music on the program,
helping to elegantly represent USUO’s identity as a uniquely merged organization. Utah
Symphony Associate Conductor Benjamin Manis will conduct.

The first half of the Music Elevated Tour program includes energetic orchestral music from two
ballets by Aaron Copland—Celebration (from Billy the Kid) and Hoe-Down (from Rodeo)—both
of which honor the “out west” theme and pair beautifully with Utah’s stunning vistas. The second
half features opera, film, and Broadway hits, including two high-wire, virtuoso arias—Largo al
factotum from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (with baritone Shea Owens) and Je veux vivre (I
Want to Live) from Gounod’s Romeo & Juliet (with soprano Madison Leonard). The symphony
will share many immediately familiar works, such as Rossini’s Overture to The Barber of Seville
and John Williams’ Theme from Jurassic Park—a nod to ancient Utah when dinosaurs roamed
the Beehive State.

Along the way, Utah Symphony musicians will also perform chamber music concerts in
Fountain Green and Torrey, diversifying the tour itinerary with smaller and more intimate
settings.

The “Music Elevated: Forever Mighty® State Tour” builds on the past success of Utah
Symphony’s 2021 “Forever Mighty® Tour,” the 2017 “Great American Road Trip Tour,” and the
2014” Mighty 5® Tour,” all of which also featured the orchestra performing in beautiful outdoor
settings in rural Utah communities. This year’s tour is again created in collaboration with the
Utah Office of Tourism’s “Forever Mighty®” initiative, which encourages visitors and residents to
travel responsibly to help ensure strong communities and preserve cherished parks and outdoor
recreation access.

“The Music Elevated: Forever Mighty® Tour promises to be an incredible celebration of
Utah's diverse and vibrant cultural heritage,” says Vicki Varela, Managing Director of the
Utah Office of Tourism. “Music and the arts are an integral part of our state's identity, and we
believe that Utah Symphony | Utah Opera's performances will not only entertain, but also inspire
audiences to explore the many incredible destinations that our state has to offer.”
While recent state tours primarily visited communities in Southern Utah’s red rock country, this
summer’s tour begins in northern Utah’s Ogden Valley, with a performance in the heart of the
local community at Huntsville Town Park on August 7. Chamber music ensembles perform on
August 8 at Sage Canyon Ranch in Fountain Green, a lush hillside village abundantly watered
by Big Springs and Silver Creek. On August 9, the full orchestra will perform behind the historic
Spring City Church in Spring City, a national historic district that has reinvented itself as a
destination for artists. The tour also highlights one of Utah’s Mighty 5® National Parks with a
concert on the rim of Bryce Canyon—in celebration of its 100th anniversary—at Ruby’s Inn on
August 10. August 11 will feature a second chamber music concert hosted at the Cougar Ridge
Lodge in Torrey, a sun-drenched Utah backcountry that features colorful sandstone cliffs
soaring above narrow slot canyons. The culmination of the “Music Elevated: Forever Mighty®
State Tour” will take place in Teasdale Town Park as the symphony and guest vocalists come
together once more for a grand finale performance.

The tour will also engage students with educational opportunities. USUO has long been
dedicated to bringing the joy of music to schools and communities throughout the state.
Through a variety of programs, including in-school residencies, interactive performances, and
master classes with world-renowned musicians, USUO reaches thousands of students and
families each year, providing opportunities to experience the transformative power of music
firsthand. This endeavor continues with the statewide tour as USUO partners with another
renowned cultural and educational organization, Thanksgiving Point, in a collaborative effort to
enhance the concert programs with related hands-on activities for all ages.
“By partnering with Thanksgiving Point, we continue to foster a love of lifelong learning
and music to help build a stronger, more vibrant Utah,” said Ben Kipp, USUO Director of
Education and Community Engagement. “We will spark joy among students and adults alike
while on this tour—building genuine connections along the way.”
Additional partnerships with educational and cultural organizations in local communities will be
announced closer to the performances.

All Music Elevated performances are free and open to the public; attendees are
encouraged to reserve free tickets in order to guarantee admission. Tickets are available
at USUO.org/MusicElevated or by phone at (801)-533-NOTE (6683).
Season Sponsor for Utah Symphony | Utah Opera is the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles
Foundation. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera would like to thank the Department of Cultural &
Community Engagement and the Utah Legislature for supporting our 2023 Music Elevated
Tour. Additional Sponsors include Zions Bank, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints Foundation, and the Stewart Family Foundation.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Thursday, August 10 / 8:00 p.m. / Ruby’s Inn Bryce Canyon Rim
(26 South Main Street, Bryce Canyon City, Utah)

PERFORMERS:
Benjamin Manis, conductor
Madison Leonard, soprano
Shea Owens, baritone
Utah Symphony

Media Contact:
Megs Vincent
Communications Manager
Utah Symphony | Utah Opera
[email protected] | (801) 869-9021