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Letter: Upcoming Utah Symphony | Utah Opera event is a proud moment for our state

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utah Symphony performs Firebird by Igor Stravinsky during a presentation of Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds for 2,475 5th graders from the Wasatch Front.

Many residents on our west and east coasts refer to the middle of the country as “flyover states.” More than likely, Utah is included in this pejorative trope. An event is about to take place that again proves Utah is undeserving of this label.

The League of American Orchestras National Convention is taking place in Salt Lake City June 11-13. This prestigious event will be hosted by our very own Utah Symphony | Utah Opera (USUO). The League of American Orchestras was founded in 1942 and chartered by Congress in 1962. The league includes nearly 25,000 members representing 1,600 world renowned orchestras and associated institutions.

USUO is one of only 17 full-time orchestras in the country and one of six opera companies with full costume and set building capacities. Additionally, USUO presents the Deer Valley Music Festival every summer and provides state-wide education programs for about 130,000 students annually. Unlike many of their peers situated primarily on both coasts, USUO is geographically more isolated and consequently serves the entire Intermountain West as a cultural hub.

Utah Symphony | Utah Opera’s primary performance venue, Maurice Abravanel Hall, is situated at one of the most important intersections in our capital city and will be the cultural core of a revitalized downtown district, serving both residents of Utah as well as many newcomers and visitors to the state as the beloved iconic architectural feature of the city and home to the Utah Symphony.

It is a tremendous honor for Utah Symphony | Utah Opera and our capital city to host this significant annual event. This honor is well deserved and should remind all of us of the absolute treasure that is Utah Symphony | Utah Opera.

Vincent A. (Van) Novack, Park City

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