Tickets for Utah Symphony | Utah Opera's Upcoming 2024-25 Season Are Now on Sale

Tickets for Utah Symphony | Utah Opera’s highly-anticipated 2024-25 season went on sale at noon today, with best available main floor seats for most performances starting at just $25 for a limited time. For the best prices available, music lovers are encouraged to secure tickets to their favorite performances during August, while supplies last.  

The Utah Symphony's 2024-25 season stands as a testament to the exceptional caliber of its musicians—most of whom have come from across the country, and some from around the globe, to be in Utah as part of one of the top professional orchestras in the nation. “This season showcases our musicians’ talents on another level, as they’re challenged by new guest conductors each week, collaborate with each other in continuing to bring their ensemble sound to new artistic heights, and are spotlighted as soloists,” says Utah Symphony | Utah Opera President & CEO Steve Brosvik. “In turn, this brightens their visibility and deepens their connections with our community.” 

Utah Symphony Masterworks Season Highlights 

While the symphony continues the search for its next music director, David Robertson continues his three-year term as USUO’s inaugural Creative Partner—and in the 2024-25 season, he has crafted four diverse concert experiences to excite existing audiences and attract newcomers. Robertson’s first program builds on his dynamic artistic chemistry with the orchestra by inviting another artist with whom he has a special connection: his wife and world-renowned pianist Orli Shaham, who will share the timeless elegance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17. At the beginning of 2025, in the first of a two-year exploration of film scores, Robertson envisions a festival celebrating the power of orchestral music in movies—including a special one-night screening of Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times with the symphony performing the score live, followed by a weekend Masterworks concert, dedicated to five decades of masterful film music by John Williams. In the current season, Robertson has expanded the expectations of Masterworks programming by offering orchestral arrangements of music by The Beatles and Frank Zappa—and this curation of iconic music from John Williams’ scores on a Masterworks program furthers the effort this upcoming season.  

For his final project of the season, Robertson pushes the boundaries of sound and sensation. In an inspired pairing, the hypnotic minimalism of Steve Reich's The Desert Music (a debut performance for the Utah Symphony), featuring the haunting vocals of London-based vocal group Synergy Vocals (an ensemble known particularly for their performances of Reich’s music), is followed by the explosive energy of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Primal rhythms will collide to depict the raw power of nature in all its untamed glory—emphasizing the stark difference between creation and destruction.    

Providing a clear example of the exceptional skill of the orchestra’s musicians, Concertmaster Madeline Adkins will do double-duty as both soloist and leader of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, which will reverberate in Maurice Abravanel Hall for the first time in 10 years. “Performing this without a separate conductor, The Four Seasons becomes almost like a piece of chamber music with all the musicians collaborating. It’s something very special and unique, to have the whole orchestra moving and breathing together in this way,” says Adkins, who is also featured as soloist in the Glazunov Violin Concerto and Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise (conducted by audience favorite David Danzmayr) in the 2024-25 season. Toward the end of the season, Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra gives every musician a chance to shine by displaying the virtuosity and versatility of each section in the orchestra with its difficult solo parts. The work is extraordinarily challenging and is only performed successfully by the most accomplished ensembles.  

Affirming its stature as one of America’s major symphony orchestras (and one of only 17 year-round orchestras in the country), the Utah Symphony has been selected to host the 2025 National Conference of the League of American Orchestras. The conference will bring more than 1,000 orchestra leaders from across the U.S, who will experience the excitement and beauty of Salt Lake City—including the artistic excellence of its symphony. Music Director Emeritus Thierry Fischer will return to conduct two performances featured during the conference week, which concludes the 2024-25 season in June. To showcase the orchestra for a national audience, Fischer has developed a program that echoes the richness of Utah’s cultural heritage and diverse population by featuring composers of multifaceted backgrounds, along with South Korean-German violinist Clara-Jumi Kang as soloist in the Korngold Violin Concerto.  

Fischer will present back-to-back Mahler weekends earlier in the season, beginning with Mahler’s Fifth Symphony—a program that also features Haydn’s Symphony No. 13, continuing the orchestra’s exploration of the Haydn’s symphonies over many years. The following weekend, Fischer conducts Mahler’s “Tragic” Symphony, a deeply introspective journey into the composer's inner thoughts and premonitions—aspects Fischer and the orchestra will expertly coax from the score.  

The symphony strives to speak to all Utah communities through its programming, representing the breadth of our world. Nearly three-quarters of the 2024-25 Masterworks programs feature women or people of color as guest artists, conductors, or composers—including two works by Jessie Montgomery, who will also be composer-in-residence at Westminster College; two works by Florence Price performed by violinist Randall Goosby and featuring the Masterworks debut of Stephanie Childress, a conductor known for her clear and focused musical intention; Please let there be a paradise... by Angel Lam, presented by the Utah Symphony as part of a 30-orchestra consortium performing works by women composers commissioned by the League of American Orchestras; and works by Gabriela Ortiz to open and close the season; among numerous others. 

For many years, the Utah Symphony has begun its season and celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with Celebración Sinfónica. The 2024-25 season continues that tradition, this time placing the popular concert on the Masterworks Series—encouraging the featured works by renowned Latin American composers to be more widely experienced by subscription audiences. The concert will see the highly anticipated return of vivacious conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez and Costa Rican trumpet soloist José Sibaja.  

Utah Opera Season Highlights 

Just in time for the Halloween season, audiences are whisked to the dark heart of Victorian-era London for Sondheim and Wheeler’s Sweeney Todd, an infamous tale of love and revenge. Sweeney Todd, a wrongly exiled barber, seeks retribution against the lecherous Judge Turpin, the architect of his ruin. With a razor-sharp thirst for vengeance, Todd's path converges with the cunning pie shop owner Mrs. Lovett. Together, they form a macabre partnership, crafting infamous meat pies that satiate more than just hunger. The relentless pursuit of justice takes a twisted turn as Todd's razor weaves a chilling narrative—and revenge becomes a dish served hot as the line between justice and savagery blurs in the shadows of London's cobblestoned streets. 

This delightfully dark story has charmed audiences with a penchant for the macabre on Broadway, opera stages, and the movie screen since the 1970s. Known for its biting lyrics and dazzling score that mimics the soundtrack of a classic horror film, the words and music intertwine to bring a haunting depth and swelling dissonance to the grim tale, foreshadowing the ending of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. 

This ever-popular production is followed in January 2025 with Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, which is “the most performed opera in Utah Opera’s history,” says McBeth. It has been programmed frequently since it is perfectly positioned to appeal to families as well as continuing a long-standing collaboration with The Madeleine Choir School. Based on the Grimms’ fairytale, this enchanting opera follows the adventures of the courageous siblings Hansel and Gretel as they navigate the treacherous forest and confront the forces that threaten to engulf them. The theme of power is embodied in the form of the spooky (if a bit silly) Witch, who is driven to ensnare unsuspecting children in their gingerbread house. As Hansel and Gretel strive to outwit The Witch and find their way home, their bond of sibling love serves as a powerful force against the darkness that surrounds them. Through its evocative folk-inspired music and heartwarming narrative, Hansel and Gretel reminds audiences of the enduring power of love and resilience in the face of adversity. 

“It’s about coming of age, greed, and, perhaps, is the first ‘stranger danger’ story in opera,” says Christopher McBeth, Utah Opera Artistic Director. “It’s wonderful to bring this piece to our stage again, and we’ll also be incorporating The Madeleine Choir School—their students are incredible budding artists and it’s a privilege to partner with them again in the coming season.” 

March 2025 brings another familiar performance to the stage with Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, a “story derived from the commedia dell'arte that becomes one of the most tragic operas of all time,” says McBeth. Set within a traveling comedy troupe, the opera follows the tumultuous relationships among the performers, particularly the passionate rivalry of romance between the troupe leader Canio and his wife, Nedda. Driven by jealousy and suspicion, Canio grapples with the power dynamics within his marriage and the fragile nature of trust. As emotions reach a boiling point, performance and reality become intertwined, culminating in a tragic climax that lays bare the destructive consequences of unchecked passion and the wielding of authority.

Utah Opera concludes its 2024-25 season with a bold new production of Puccini's Madame Butterfly, a masterpiece cherished for its beautiful melodies and profound narrative. This opera, set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century Japan, tells the heart-wrenching story of Cio-Cio-San, a young geisha known as Butterfly, who falls deeply in love with Pinkerton, an American naval officer. Despite his proclaimed love, Pinkerton's fleeting intentions lead to tragic consequences as this opera explores themes of passion, power, and the resilience of the human heart. 

While Madame Butterfly is beloved, it has faced criticism for its portrayal of Japanese culture and, particularly, Japanese women. McBeth highlights the importance of acknowledging these complexities saying, “With Madame Butterfly, as much as we love the music, the characters, and the story, we must also recognize the European and American perspectives of the time, which lacked a deep understanding of Japanese culture." 

Utah Opera (as a co-producer of this new production together with Cincinnati Opera, Detroit Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera), introduces a fresh interpretation of this classic, conceived and directed by Matthew Ozawa. This production was created by a talented team of Japanese and Japanese American designers, offering a modern-day reimagining that frames the story through the lens of a lonely gamer entering a virtual, vibrant, Japanese fantasy world. This innovative approach not only acknowledges but confronts the cultural stereotypes and misconceptions inherent in the original plot by providing the context that they are playing out in an imagined realm—while preserving the opera's story, music, and emotional depth. 

“I’ve always loved the story of Madame Butterfly, but now, our new production reclaims the narrative through the lens of an entirely Japanese and Japanese American team; and amplifies the voices of an entirely female Japanese design collective,” says director Matthew Ozawa, the visionary behind this modern production. “Of course, audiences will be swept away by the music's emotional power, but hopefully this production of Madame Butterfly will also take them on a journey that enables them to experience a more multifaceted sense of understanding, compassion, and empathy—to see that what we do has an impact on each other.” 

In collaboration with the local Japanese American community, Utah Opera aims to use this production as a platform to foster greater appreciation and respect for Japanese heritage in Utah. By reinterpreting Madame Butterfly through a contemporary lens, Utah Opera promises an experience that is not only visually stunning and emotionally powerful, but also culturally insightful and respectful, making it one of the most significant and impactful productions in the company's history. 

Newcomers and seasoned symphony and opera patrons will find much to love and connect with in the new season, beginning this September. With these early summer prices,* tickets for the highest-demand performances are expected to sell out quickly; it is vital to act now to secure the best available main floor seating while supplies last. 

*Some exclusions apply. 

How to Purchase  

All tickets for individual performances are on sale now.  

In addition, Utah Symphony | Utah Opera offers numerous options for season ticket packages to the Masterworks, Entertainment, Films in Concert, Family, Noorda, and Opera Series, as well as flexible Design-A-Series packages.  

Individual tickets and subscriptions may be purchased three ways:   

·USUO mobile app  

·Online: UtahSymphony.org or UtahOpera.org 

·By phone: USUO Patron Services, 801-533-NOTE (6683)    

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