Utah Symphony Performs Orff's 'Carmina Burana' with Utah Symphony Chorus and The Madeleine Choir School

Guest conductor Jun Märkl returns to lead the Utah Symphony for Carmina Burana on October 23-24 at 7:30 PM in Abravanel Hall. This concert will feature the Utah Symphony Chorus, The Madeleine Choir School, and two University of Utah choral ensembles - the University of Utah Chamber Choir and the A Cappella Choir -- performing alongside the orchestra and soloists Erin Morley, Mark Womack and Ryan Belongie in an explosive and powerful experience. Tickets, priced from $18 to $85, are available for purchase through www.utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 355-2787.

"Carmina Burana", composed by Carl Orff in 1935, is based on 24 poems from the Medieval collection of the same name. It is an iconic work for voices and orchestra, drawing on the ever-changing nature of fate: full of pain and suffering but also of happiness and triumph.

Joining Utah Symphony will be the Utah Symphony Chorus, Utah Symphony's first fully-professional ensemble of 40 elite singers under the direction of Dr. Barlow Bradford. In an official partnership with the University of Utah School of Music's Choral Area, 80 university singers will join the Utah Symphony Chorus on stage throughout the 2015-16 season for exciting works such as Orff's "Carmina Burana" this weekend, as well as Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in December.

"When Thierry Fischer approached me last year to share his vision of artistic excellence, I was honored by the opportunity to help shape the distinctive sound and personality of the Utah Symphony Chorus," said Utah Symphony Chorus Director Dr. Bradford. "The expectations are high, and I believe the results will be felt by the audience."

Also contributing to the powerful sound of "Carmina Burana" are three talented guest soloists. Soprano Erin Morley, a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, has recently performed in "The Magic Flute" with the Santa Fe Opera, "Ein Deutsches Requiem" in Carnegie Hall, and "Socrate" in Carnegie's Zankel Hall. Mark Womack's baritone voice has been praised by "Opera News" as "strikingly warm and gracefully honey-toned." Womack has performed in "La Traviata" with Knoxville Opera, "The Mighty Casey" with Opera Saratoga, and this season with Tony Award winner Mark Medoff in "Carousel" with the Las Cruces Symphony. Countertenor Ryan Belongie has received acclaim from the "San Francisco Classical Voice" for his "oft-astounding vocalism." Belongie made his debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago's "Rinaldo", and will perform this season in "Hercules" with Canadian Opera Company and "Partenope" with San Francisco Opera.

Also on the repertoire is Debussy's "Clair De Lune," originally titled "Promenade Sentimentale," which he began composing in 1890, but did not finish or publish until 1905. "Clair De Lune" is heard widely in movies, TV shows and advertisements, including James Dean's final motion picture, "Giant", the scene outside the Bellagio's fountains in "Ocean's Eleven", and Edward and Bella listening to the song in his room in "Twilight".

Despite having no formal music training, Toru Takemitsu decided to become a composer after hearing a French chanson as a teenage conscript in World War II. He was largely self-taught in both traditional Japanese music and in Western music, except for occasional lessons beginning in 1948. "Spirit Garden" is one of Takemitsu's last works, premiered in 1994 by Hiroshi Wakasugi and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, and is a rich exploration of contrasting sonic fields.

Renowned conductor Maestro Märkl has worked with the Utah Symphony several times, including last season's performances of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Wagner's Orchestral Suite from "The Ring".

Maestro Märkl is the Principal Conductor for the Basque National Orchestra and the Pacific Music Festival. Well known for his Music Directorships of the Orchestre National de Lyon and MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig, he also guests with the world's top orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Munich Philharmonic.

The Madeleine Choir School will return to Utah Symphony to sing the children's chorus role for "Carmina Burana." The choristers of The Madeleine Choir School perform regularly with local arts organizations, including Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, and have been featured with Ballet West, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and Utah Chamber Artists, among others. The students also embark on national and international performance tours. Past tours included performances in Rome, Paris, Sevilla, Prague, Leipzig, and Vienna. For more on The Madeleine Choir School visit www.utmcs.org.

Music from "Carmina Burana" has been alive in film and television since the early 1970's, making it a staple in pop culture. Setting the mood for dramatic or climactic situations, the composition has been featured in films such as "Speed" and "Cheaper by the Dozen." The famous work is also heard in many commercials and sitcoms including in scenes of "Glee", as well as episodes of "Survivor" and "The X Factor."

About Utah Symphony

Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony performs more than 175 concerts each season and offers all Utahns easy access to world class live musical performances of the world's greatest music in the state's top venues. Since being named the orchestra's seventh music director in 2009, Thierry Fischer has attracted leading musicians and top soloists, refreshed programming, drawn increased audiences, and galvanized community support. In addition to numerous regional and domestic tours, including the Mighty 5 Tour of Utah's National Parks, the Utah Symphony has embarked on seven international tours and will perform at Carnegie Hall in Spring 2016 coinciding with the orchestra's 75th anniversary celebrations. The Utah Symphony has released more than 100 recordings, including the new release of Mahler Symphony No. 1 in Fall 2015. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra's parent organization, reaches 450,000 residents in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving more than 155,000 students annually. In addition to performances in its home in Salt Lake City, Abravanel Hall, and concerts throughout the state of Utah, the Utah Symphony participates in Utah Opera's four annual productions at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre and presents the six-week Deer Valley Music Festival each summer in Park City, Utah. With its many subscription, education, and outreach concerts and tours, the Utah Symphony is one of the most engaged orchestras in the nation. For more information visit www.utahsymphony.org.

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