Salt Lake County’s arts venues will stay closed into March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing Utah Symphony and Utah Opera to cancel performances into the spring.
The county announced Friday that the four arts venues it operates in downtown Salt Lake City — Abravanel Hall, the Capitol Theatre, Eccles Theater and the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center — will stay closed through March 24.
The closure of Abravanel Hall means the Utah Symphony is canceling three shows in March: a screening of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” with live accompaniment, March 4-6; violinist Vadim Gluzman performing Prokofiev with the symphony, March 5 and 6; and a March 20 performance of Prokofiev’s children’s tale “Peter and the Wolf.”
Two April bookings — the symphony’s shows with the retro pop/jazz band Pink Martini, April 16 and 17, and an April 27 screening of “How to Train Your Dragon” with live accompaniment — are also being canceled, because of safety protocols.
The Utah Opera, which calls the Capitol Theatre its home, is canceling its production of Giacomo Puccini’s classic opera “Tosca,” which was set for March 13 to 21.
The four venues closed last March, when the pandemic began. Abravanel Hall reopened last September for some Utah Symphony performances, with reduced seating and modifications to the stage and hall to reduce the risk. The Capitol Theatre opened in October for a Utah Opera production of two short works and Ballet West’s production of “Nine Sinatra Songs” in early November.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson ordered those venues to close again starting Nov. 23, 2020. Friday’s announcement is the second time that closure has been extended.
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