Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy, an organization dedicated to creating understanding and respect between Utahns and the rest of the world. The group does that, in part, by bringing leaders from around the globe to the Beehive State to see how Utahns live, work and worship together.
"We believe it's critically important for foreign leaders to have a first-hand idea of the United States, and not get their ideas from the television," said Laura Dupuy, executive director of UCCD.
Approximately 300 people a year come here to meet with experts in their field -- everything from national security and the environment, to public health and the arts. Visitors give presentations, attend cultural events, and even enjoy the hospitality of a meal in a Utahn's home.
"It's such a wonderful opportunity for people from other nations to see how an open society functions. Nothing is more enlightening than to see a Republican and a Democrat sitting down at the dinner table and sharing their views," said Dupuy.
Now in its 23rd year, the Vivaldi concert has developed a loyal following, and not just because it supports a good cause. There's also the music.
"Vivaldi's music is just so appealing. It has an energy, a rhythm, an accessibility to it that is pretty unique," said conductor Gerald Elias, who is better known to local audiences as associate concertmaster of the Utah Symphony.
Utah audiences, moreover, may have a special affection for Vivaldi's music, since it was often performed here under the direction of Maurice Abravanel, the late father of the Utah Symphony, he said.
"I feel very positive about the way the whole [concert] came together," said Elias, who hand-picked the music and the musicians, many of whom are principal players from the symphony. "I feel quite honored. I'm just going to let them play however they want."
Elias -- who has conducted professionally before, but not in Utah -- said his style is to relinquish a little control to allow the musicians more freedom. "You'll find the overall energy level greater and more passionate. As a result, I think the quality of sound will be much less rigid and much more generous, much richer."
The setting should lend itself to a wonderful experience, too, said Elias, because some of the music -- including Corelli's "Christmas Concerto" -- was written for smaller, intimate settings. "Playing at the church is going to be a real pleasure," he said.
The Vivaldi Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra will perform an all-Baroque concert, featuring "Winter" from the "Four Seasons," as well as Concerto for Trumpet and Oboe, and Sinfonia in B Minor, "Al Santo Sepolcro," all by Vivaldi; and Concerto for Flute and Violin by Telemann.
Go and glow
l The 23rd annual Vivaldi by Candlelight Concert is Sunday, 8 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church, 12 N. C St., Salt Lake City. Tickets are $40. Call 801-532-4747 for reservations.
