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Utah Philharmonic Orchestra brings fall show to Draper

Nov 29, 2016 04:32PM ● By Kelly Cannon

The Utah Philharmonic Orchestra performs four concerts a year, including a fall performance featuring its signature eclectic symphony. (UPO)

By Kelly Cannon | [email protected]


Every year, the Utah Philharmonic Orchestra performs four concerts at various locations around the county. This year’s fall concert, held on Nov. 12 at Draper Park Middle School, was a special combination of music from video games and an eclectic symphony. The video game music included renditions from “Halo,” “Civilization IV,” “Bounty Hunter” and “Kingdom Hearts.” 

The eclectic symphony is a Utah Philharmonic Orchestra trademark and works as a good introduction to the symphony. According to LeAnn Hord, executive director for the Utah Philharmonic Orchestra, the piece is a compilation designed by the conductor, Ty Turley-Trejo.

“He’s taken different composers and put them into one symphony piece. It might be (Antonín Leopold) Dvořák’s overture or (Johannes) Brahms’s first movement or (Ludwig van) Beethoven’s second movement. It’s a unique combination of music,” Hord said. “We did the first one last year and it was so well received, the music director put together another one for this season’s concert.”

Another unique aspect to this year’s season is each concert is only 60 minutes long without an intermission. Hord said this is so people have time to go to dinner or dessert with the family and then come and “take in a wonderful, transcending moment and then be able to go about their busy lives.”

The Utah Philharmonic Orchestra began in 1999 as the Riverton Metropolitan Orchestra and was later incorporated in 2005. The orchestra consists of 60 to 80 members, with 40 to 50 playing at a concert. Musicians are from either Salt Lake, Davis or Utah County.  

According to Hord, the purpose of the orchestra is to bring symphonies to small cities and communities that do not have their own orchestra. 

“We’ve been introducing them to live, symphonic, classical music. That’s our mission. What we’re doing is bringing wonderful music genres to the cities and bringing it locally to our cities where they’ve never had it, especially people with families,” Hord said. “They don’t have to take their kids downtown. They can hear wonderful music right in their own neighborhoods. That’s what we’re about.”

The orchestra has identified 15 different cities without their own local orchestras. So far, the orchestra has been able to put on concerts in about 10 of the cities.

“We move them around each season and do a few here and a few there. It’s been well received,” Hord said. “We’re still in the audience-building mode.” 

The next Utah Philharmonic Orchestra concerts is a free Christmas concert on Dec. 10 at the Midvalley Bible Church, 13985 South 2700 West in Bluffdale.

For more information about the Utah Philharmonic Orchestra and their upcoming concerts, visit www.utahphil.org.