Handel's "Messiah" during Challenging Times

Remember to get your season ticket to assure seating for this year's 80th Cedar City performance of Handel's Messiah.  Seating will be limited due to health restrictions and masks are required. Season ticket holders will be assured space. Other tickets will be released starting Nov. 27. Season ticket link

Thanks to the State Bank of Southern Utah and the Leavitt Group for making this production possible. We hope to provide a streaming option for those who are unable to attend live performances. 

The online performance will be available from Saturday, Dec. 19th at 10:00 a.m. to January 1st at 5:00 pm. The link will be at  myosu.org

Mystery of Godliness is the theme of this year's production. 
Poster design by Rollan Fell.

This year's performance will have a reduced choir and orchestra with a Baroque interpretation of this great masterpiece. The selections and soloists are noted below with the chorus noted in all capitals. Jackie Riddle Jackson is preparing the choir with Xun Sun as director.

Adjustments may be made depending on health restrictions, but the plan is to have a live audience for both evenings and then to provide a streaming option to share the music for the Christmas season.

#1 Overture, orchestra
#2 Comfort Ye My People ~ Derek Holt
#3 Every Valley ~ Derek Holt
#4 AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD
#5 Thus Saith the Lord ~ Joseph Marrow
#6 But Who May Abide ~ Alex Byers
#8 Behold! A Virgin Shall Conceive ~ Taliah Byers
#9 O THOU THAT TELLEST ~ Taliah Byers
#12 FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN
#13 Pastoral Symphony
#14 There Were Shepherds Abiding in the Field/And Lo the Angel of the Lord ~ Erica Griffin
#15 And the Angel Said Unto Them ~ Erica Griffin
#16 And Suddenly, There was with the Angel ~ Erica Griffin
#17 GLORY TO GOD
#18 Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion! ~ Dee Holt
#19 Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind be Open’d ~ Jan Pressgrove
#20 He Shall Feed His Flock ~ Jan Pressgrove
Come Unto Him ~ Brandi Hall
#22 BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD
#24 SURELY, HE HATH BOURNE OUR GRIEFS
#38 How Beautiful are the Feet of Them ~ Natalie Davila
#40 Why Do the Nations so Furiously Roar Together ~ Alex Byers
#44 HALLELUJAH!
#45 I Know That My Redeemer Liveth ~ Elise Fulton
#47 Behold, I Tell You A Mystery ~ Curtis Chamberlain
#48 The Trumpet Shall Sound
~ BARITONE: Curtis Chamberlain
~ TRUMPET: TBD
#49 Then Shall be Brought to Pass ~ Brooke Alldredge
#50 O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING
ALTO: Brooke Alldredge
TENOR: Jacob Moss
#52 If God Be For Us ~ Terri Metcalf-Peterson
#53 WORTHY IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN

Celebrating the Living Gift of Beethoven

By Bryce Christensen

Because the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig von Beethoven has coincided with a global pandemic, many concerts slated to celebrate his musical achievement have been cancelled. But as a few brave directors and orchestras have found ways this fall to again perform the great composer’s work for live audiences, listeners have responded with warm appreciation. In Bonn, Germany, Mayor Ashok Sridharan recently acknowledged, “We have had no concerts since March and the demand for them has become greater than any of us would have dreamed of. If there is one good thing that has come out of this pandemic, it is that people are desperately longing to hear Beethoven performed live again. It is as though many only now fully appreciate just how much of a gift his music is.”

Though a long way from Bonn, Cedar City has also experienced a famine of live symphony concerts during the Sesquicentennial of Beethoven’s birth, so generating a desperate yearning here--just as in Bonn--for live performances of his work. Over one hundred very happy music lovers-- all appropriately masked and socially distanced-- gathered at the Cedar City’s Heritage Center on November 12th to share in the sheer joy of a live Beethoven concert. Though no doubt somewhat diminished, the joy of hundreds of others who later experienced that concert as a cyber recording was heartfelt. Cedar City’s music-lovers together rejoiced in the gift given them by the Orchestra of Southern Utah (OSU) as it found a way to surmount the difficulties imposed by COVID-19 to again play the incomparable music of the German genius born 250 years ago--for both a live audience and a cyber one.

With the concert’s very first number, listeners recognized the reason that OSU labeled its celebration of Beethoven’s art as a “Masterful Romance,” so extending its season-long theme of “Romanza.” For with marvelous creative mastery, Beethoven conjures a romance of heart-breaking defeat and unassailable hope in his Egmont Overture. With his signature fervor, OSU director Xun Sun drew from the orchestra a regal stateliness in the opening measures, segued into dark and tense transitional passages, and finally reached a piercing and dramatic finale. Inspired by Goethe, the playwright who wrote the tragedy for which his work was a musical complement, Beethoven truly plumbs the spiritual depths of the political martyr at center-stage in this play, but also soars to the heroic ideals for which he gives his life. Director and orchestra seamlessly glide through the dark and tense passages in this dramatic number to climb to the empyreal heights of its majestic conclusion.

The spritelier second Beethoven number in the concert--the Scherzando movement of Quartet No. 7: in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1-- stirred audiences with its puckish energy. This effervescent piece radiated a boundless zest and hope, impervious to melancholy and despair. Sun and the talented musicians under his baton poured forth an enchanting river of musical radiance. As a complement to the opening number, this Quartet compellingly reminded listeners of the breadth and diversity of Beethoven’s musical palette.

As they turned their attention to the final Beethoven work of the concert, listeners thrilled to Triple Concerto in C Major for Violin, Cello, and Piano--identified by Beethoven’s first biographer as a work written for the composer’s royal pupil, the Archduke Rudolf of Austria. Certainly, in its serene opening passages, it delivered something of the gracious and dignified leisure of a regal sphere. But by the end of its first movement this concerto had risen into a powerful crescendo, only to subside in its later movements-- and then crested again. While the orchestra as a whole adeptly shaped the broad contours of this composition, the inner details emerged in the interplay of the three guest musicians: violinist Paul Abegg (faculty at Dixie State University), cellist Ka-Wai Yu (faculty at Dixie State University), and pianist Christian Bohnenstengel (faculty at Southern Utah University). Listeners could only relish the exquisite musical colloquy between Abegg’s soaring violin flights, Yu’s plangent cello interludes, and Bohnenstengel’s pellucid piano cascades--melded in perfect synchrony with the larger harmonic pattern developed by the orchestra. Somewhere, the shade of Beethoven (his hearing surely restored) smiled with pleasure. Director Sun deserves high praise not only for having the orchestra so well prepared for this culminating number but also for having secured the services of such extraordinary soloists.

As the spell-binding final notes of the Triple Concerto died out, listeners in the Heritage Center applauded their thanks for the opportunity to once again hear such sublime music in live performance--while those who later joined via cyber recording savored a gift still very much worth having. While no one knows just how long COVID-19 will continue to challenge symphony orchestras, listeners in Cedar City have reason to join listeners in Bonn in expressing deep appreciation for musicians willing to meet that challenge by venturing onto the concert stage for live performances again.

Photos thanks to Christian Bohnenstengel

Xun Sun directing the Egmont Overture

Scherzando from string quartet

OSU President Harold Shirley introducing the selections

Triple concerto performance

Celebrating the Legacy of Beethoven

The Orchestra of Southern Utah presented a celebration of Beethoven's music on November 12, 2020, with safety measures during a pandemic. With a reduced audience, lots of masks, and social distancing the music provided a respite and healing moment. Streaming of the concert goes from November 14 to 21 and the access code is now available with a ticket from the website ticket link.  

Ticket holders should have received an access code email. If not, please check your spam folder and if it is not there let us know: osucedarcity@gmail.com Thank you for your support of your orchestra.

Video: Small portion of the Egmont Overture rehearsal

Video: Rehearsal fragment from Triple Concerto with Dr. Paul Abegg, Dr. Ka-Wai Yu, and Dr. Christian Bohnenstengel

Concert photos:

Triple Concerto with Zion Trio

Zion Trio with Music Director Xun Sun

OSU during the Egmont Overture

From the wings

Backstage

Sisters Carol Kenney Davis and Cheryl Kenney Walser

Projection at Heritage Center

Thanks to Lisa Cox who serves as the Heritage Theater stage manager.

Dress Rehearsal Photos

For more information on this concert: Masterful Romance Concert information

Celebrate Beethoven's 250th Birthday Year with Great Music

Update
The Orchestra would like to reassure patrons that the State Mandate does not affect the Orchestra of Southern Utah's Event this Thursday, November 12, 7:30pm. We encourage you to come prepared with your masks for a wonderful evening of music.
The Heritage Theatre and Orchestra of Southern Utah have complied with all state requirements and mandates.
We are so excited to share this concert with you.
Your ticket also gives a streaming access code: In-person and streaming tickets

Special Guests from the Zion: Trio Dr. Paul Abegg, Dr. Ka-Wai Yu, and Dr. Christian Bohnenstengel will perform Beethoven’s famous Triple Concerto

on Nov. 12 with the Orchestra of Southern Utah.

Orchestra of Southern Utah Celebrates the 250th Birthday Anniversary of Beethoven

Written by Mary Furse

The Orchestra of Southern Utah pays homage to the pioneer of romanticism in concert music, the man who has influenced generations of composers and elevated music as an expression of the human spirit: Ludwig Van Beethoven. This celebratory concert will be conducted by Xun Sun and feature guest soloists Paul Abegg, Ka-Wai Yu, and Christian Bohnenstengel. The performance will take place live on November 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Heritage Theater and also be streamed online on November 14 through 21. Anyone who purchases tickets will be given an access code. Ticket link

Opening quietly, with a hint of swells of joy to come, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in C Major for Violin, Cello, and Piano takes us on a journey through the avenues and open scenes of nature, where Romantic Era artists of all mediums were often drawn to wander. The music is reminiscent of long walks the composer would take, notebook in hand, to seek inspiration. The three solo instruments carry on a conversation, often mimicking sounds one can pick out in nature, while the orchestra casts a moving backdrop of land, water, and sky.

The three soloists, Dr. Paul Abegg, Dr. Ka-Wai Yu, and Dr. Christian Bohnenstengel, have all performed extensively on the international stage. Violinist Dr. Paul Abegg has served as an adjudicator and presented master classes across the nation. He has performed as a recording artist for film and television scores, and recently performed the Brahms Violin Concerto with OSU. He serves as Director of Strings at DSU and conducts the Dixie State Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Ka-Wai Yu teaches cello and string chamber music at DSU. He serves on the board of Utah’s American String Teachers Association and as President of the Cello Society of Southern Utah. Dr. Bohnenstengel, on the piano, is proficient in a variety of genres and was recently the featured soloist in the OSU performance of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. He serves as Director of Keyboard Studies at SUU.

Next on the program, with quick and surprising turns in mood, the scherzo movement of Quartet No. 7: in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1, rambles and leaps through patches of light and shadow and in-betweens. As a scherzo, it is meant to be a musical joke. It doesn’t linger in the darker moods for long, and even within them, it doesn’t take them too seriously. This is, however, enough of a contrast to make the brighter moments pleasing.

The single first chord of Egmont Overture carries weight and depth of expression, a sufficient introduction for this stormy and passionate program finale. But this description is too ambiguous. This is one of the pieces where Beethoven takes classical music farther than it had previously dared to go into the dark night of the soul, which he proved that only music could express. But it ultimately climbs out into a shining and deeply personal triumph.

Join OSU to celebrate the music of Beethoven on Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Heritage Theater or stream it online November 14-21. Tickets will be required to attend either in person or online. An access code for streaming will be provided with ticket purchase. Ticket prices are as follows: $12 for adults, $6 for children, and $6 for students. Tickets are now available online at www.myosu.org.

Click here to Preview the music and an article tracing the cities of Beethoven's life.

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Date: November 12, 2020, at 7:30 p.m., Masterful Romance

Heritage Theater: 105 N 100 E Cedar City, UT 84720

Tickets: $12 Adults, $6 Children, and $6 Students Link to purchase tickets

More information: www.myosu.org

Review by Bryce Christensen for October OSU Concert

How Orchestral Music Survives—Even Prevails!--in a Pandemic

By Bryce Christensen 

Lamenting the numerous symphony concerts cancelled due to COVID-19, Anthony McGill of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra remarked, “It is tough for any musician who is used to [making] music in a group. We communicate with each other and we communicate with the audience. When you take that away, it’s very hard to know how to proceed.” With October 10th’s opening concert of a new season, the Orchestra of Southern Utah assured Cedar City’s music-lovers that even in the midst of a pandemic, its directors and musicians know “how to proceed.” Because of the risk that bringing an audience into the Heritage Center would pose, OSU prudently chose to do its first concert as an online transmission. But listeners who accessed that concert quickly realized that even in a cyber performance, OSU creates music alive with energy, filled with fire!

In his opening remarks for the concert, OSU President Harold Shirley acknowledged the strangeness of an orchestra performing “in an empty theater digitally streaming to an audience we cannot see.” Yet with a firm commitment to the unseen listeners who constitute “our real reason for playing,” Shirley rejoiced in the launching of a new season, dedicated to the theme Romanza: “ a celebration of music that refuses to remain silent, especially in a world of uncertainty, where it can provide . . . an anchor for the soul suffering under lockdown.”

Those “suffering under lockdown” knew they had found relief at the sound of the first measures of the evening’s opening number: Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major for Lute. Its first movement brimming with the irrepressible Allegro energy that listeners recognize as Vivaldi’s signature, this number instantly transported listeners into the radiant heat of a concert devoted to “Fiery Romance.”

In his opening remarks, Shirley had suggested that “the chemistry of a live audience would help us play better.” However, OSU director and conductor Xun Sun wrought such alchemy with his baton on this cyber-mediated evening that magical sparks flew, kindling a blaze that flared up among the OSU strings (the only part of the orchestra playing in this opening number) from the very first notes of the Vivaldi composition.

Flickering with genial warmth, the musical flames generated during the Vivaldi number rose with enchanting intensity from the fingers of guest soloist Jon Yerby, who generated from his dulcet-voiced guitar all the musical heat Vivaldi originally called forth from the strings of the 17th-century lute. Swiftly but surely, Yerby’s fingers flew during the highly kinetic first movement, drawing from his instrument’s taut strings a luminous stream of Allegro musical fire. Repeatedly, the fulgor of Yerby’s guitar dazzled listeners with its brilliance, gave way to an answering flare of zestful sound from the orchestral strings, then flared into solo prominence again. When the second movement slowed into a reflective and meditative Largo, the musical fire subsided to the white coals of intense thought, reflected by the nuanced and mellow strains rising alternately from Yerby and from the orchestra’s string section. But the heat in the coals of the Largo second movement burst forth into the rapid crackling of a third movement matching the first movement in its Allegro intensity, building to joyous pyrotechnics.

The evening’s musical fire lost none of its heat but burned with a sinister cast when OSU Assistant Conductor Carylee Zwang took the podium to lead the entire orchestra--now including the brass, wind, and percussion sections--in Manuel de Falla’s Ritual de Fuego. A movement from the ballet El Amor Brujo, this unearthly number carried mesmerized listeners into a frenetic dance of exorcism, as a desperate gypsy beauty whirls sound the campfire with the ghost of her dead husband until he’s consumed by the flames. With Zwang’s potent wand casting an early Halloween spell, OSU’s musicians-magicians together conjured up all the dark sorcery of this eerie number. Zwang and all the instrumentalists under her direction deserve praise for conveying the black necromancy of De Falla’s composition. But special plaudits go to soloists Heather Wilhelm and Lindsay Szczesny on the violin and Sunny Chen. These three soloists evinced outstanding skill in weaving their musical enchantment.

Remaining on the podium for the concert’s final number, Zwang left behind Andalusia’s dark fires of incantation as she skillfully guided the orchestra into the vibrant and lively heat of the Mexican dance hall that Aaron Copland depicts in his tone poem El Salon Mexico. The fiery heat of this Latin dance-floor number rises from many sources, as befits music from the spirited land of Mariachi bands and salsa rhythms. Listeners indeed detect in Copland’s variegated composition the refined cadence of Mexico’s well-heeled elite brushing against the bare-foot vitality of its peasants. But it is clearly the peasants whose raw verve provides the fire in this selection’s simmering beat. Given how much Latin diversity that beat carries, it is not surprising that sustaining it required a remarkable parade of soloists. The exceptional level of musical artistry manifested in the solo by clarinetist Kortne Bradshaw was maintained in praiseworthy fashion in solos by trumpeters Gary Player and Will Zeller, oboists Ashley Davis and Patrice Ramsay, flutist Sunni Jackson, English horn Drew Holland, and pianist Sunny Chen. Together, these soloists provide convincing evidence that OSU has attracted a level of musical talent exceptional in a regional orchestra. Such talent helps explain how in this final number, Zwang and the musicians under her could bring all the calor of a Mexican dance floor to a concert performed more than six hundred miles north of the border.

No doubt, it took some time on this October evening for cyber listeners to adjust to seeing an orchestra’s director, instrumentalists, and even soloists in masks. But before long they recognized a commitment to music that could not be masked, could not be hidden. Even in a time of COVID restrictions, this is an orchestra that--despite all the obstacles--is showing its appreciative listeners that they know “how to proceed.” This is an orchestra that knows not only how to proceed but even how to do so with a musical fire that warms the hearts and illuminates the spirits of all who feel it. Those who allocate Cedar City’s Recreation-Arts-Parks revenue—along will all of OSU’s other sponsors--deserve praise for providing fuel for the heartening blaze of this pandemic-defying concert.

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The concert is online at myosu.org until October 17, 2020

Photos of the Orchestra of Southern Utah at the recording for the concert: 

Rehearsals

Recording link with soloist Jon Yerby

Fiery Romance Concert for Oct. 10

 

Guest soloist Jon Yerby will perform Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major on guitar

Orchestra of Southern Utah Opens 2020/2021 Season with Streamed Concert, 

Fiery Romance

By Mary Furse

Join the Orchestra of Southern Utah (OSU), for a free streamed concert, accessible from Oct.

10, 5:00 p.m. through Oct. 17, 5:00 p.m. at www.myosu.org. The concert will be conducted by Xun

Sun and Carylee Zwang and feature guest soloist Jon Yerby. OSU is excited to be able to bring a

program of lively and passionate music to the community, lending a spark of energy and

romance. Together, even at a distance, performers and listeners can keep that joy burning that we

find in sharing music.

Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major for Lute, with Jon Yerby on guitar, will open the

program with a bright, upbeat allegro. The following largo movement will give a few moments

of respite. But though serene, it speaks of a full heart with the romantic tones of the classical

guitar. Then the finale comes to life with a joyful frolic, bringing to mind an outing in a

picturesque Italian countryside.

With a blend of the primal, exotic, and modern, Danza Ritual de Fuego by Manuel da

Falla depicts not only the danger of flame, casting shadows, and consuming, but the life-giving

energy of its dancing light and heat. Though in his day, da Falla was criticized by his compatriots

for bringing foreign influence into his compositions, we can enjoy the richness of his synthesis of

styles.

A sonic painting, Aaron Copland’s El Salon Mexico brings to life a familiar scenario:

the social game of dance. It was inspired by the composer’s visits to Mexico, where he was taken

to experience the local dance halls. He later described how he felt “the atomic sense one

sometimes gets in far-off places, of suddenly knowing the essence of a people — their humanity,

their separate shyness, their dignity, and unique charm.” And in the music and dance are tied up

all the complicated feelings we all understand of navigating the social world, and perhaps

initiating and falling into romance.

The major concert sponsor is the Cedar City RAP Fund. 

This concert will be accessible for free streaming through www.myosu.org Oct. 10, 5:00

p.m. - Oct. 17, 5:00 p.m. Future concerts are planned with live “in-person” audiences, tickets

and donations are available to purchase through www.myosu.org.

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October 10, 5:00 p.m. – October 17, 5:00 p.m., 2020 Fiery Romance

Streamed Online at www.myosu.org

Tickets: Free admission through the portal at www.myosu.org

More information: 435-590 6829

Preview the music: 

El Salon Mexico conducted by Aaron Copland

Vivaldi Concerto for lute, RV93, by Antonio Vivaldi

Ritual Fire Dance by Manuel de Falla

Updates on Concerts, Handel's Messiah, and R. L. Halversen Young Artist Concert Auditions

Get Your Tickets Now

The current restrictions for audience numbers at the Heritage Center are 220 per night. Season ticket holders will be assured of Messiah tickets, We are hoping restrictions will be lifted however to guarantee your Messiah ticket purchase your season ticket now OSU Ticket Link

Messiah Solo Auditions

Handel's "Messiah" Solo auditions, Thursday, Oct 1, at 6 pm in the Lobby, Heritage Theater. A pianist will be available or you may bring your own accompanist. Prepare any of the solos or recitatives in the Messiah score. Virtual auditions must be received before 6 pm Oct 1 to soutchorale@gmail.com If you are selected as a soloist, there is no guarantee that the solo you audition with would be the solo for which you are assigned. 

Messiah Chorale Information

The Messiah will be performed with a smaller group of singers and a smaller orchestra. The repertoire will be shorter with only seven choruses for the chorale and several solos. The chorale will only be able to allow 60 voices this year and we will wear our masks during rehearsal. 

Also, with this smaller choir, a firm commitment would be needed. Rehearsals will begin in mid-October.
Please RSVP to Southern Utah Chorale soutchorale@gmail.com if you definitely want to be considered for the choir. Being in the choir will be on a first response basis, making sure there are enough voices on each part for a balanced sound. 

R.L. Halversen Concert Auditions due October 9

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The Orchestra of Southern Utah is pleased to announce the auditions for the R.L. Halversen Young Artist Concert. 

We extend an invitation to talented youth (ages 13-25) to audition with a concerto, orchestral solo. 

Southern Utah has a great history of music and we are surprised constantly at the amazing young musicians. This concert is specifically created to honor a teacher, Roy L. Halversen, who instilled a love and legacy of music. We could not imagine a better way to continue his legacy then by showcasing the talent and passion of our youth.

Audition submissions should be received by October 9, 2020.

Please see attached for complete Rules and Regulations. We hope you are excited to audition! 

Sincerely,

Pete Akins

Executive Director, Orchestra of Southern Utah

Audition guidelines and entry information

(Photos from previous Halversen concerts)

Opening Concert on October 10:

The Oct. 10 concert will be streamed without an audience. Audiences are planned for the rest of the season. It will be streamed starting on Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. for one week. Streaming will be free thanks to sponsorship from the Cedar City RAP fund on the website: https://www.myosu.org

 Listening Links to preview the October concert

As always, thanks to everyone involved in building the Orchestra of Southern Utah and for keeping the music alive for our area.