The Wasatch Front has a new professional orchestra.
Basing itself on such highly regarded ensembles as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the Salt Lake City-based OPUS Chamber Orchestra makes its debut this afternoon at 5 p.m. in the Jewett Center on the campus of Westminster College.Titled "All Mozart, Sort Of," the concert features Mozart's "Eine kleine Nachtmusik," the overture to "The Marriage of Figaro" and the Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major. Paul Dorgan, Utah Opera's principal coach and accompanist, will be the soloist in the concerto.
The rest of the program is devoted to excerpts from Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music," with guest artists Anne Cullimore Decker, Carolyn Talboys-Klassen, Paula Fowler, Maria Stahl, Michael McCown, Eric Glissmeyer and Joseph Onstott.
Music director Douglas Kinney-Frost likes the idea of blending different musical styles. "I want the audience to enjoy our concerts," he told the Deseret News, "and I think we can be fairly eclectic in our programming.
"There's a schism in the world of music between pops and classical, and those lines need to be blurred. People should have fun at concerts and enjoy themselves."
Plans for a chamber orchestra have been in the works for about a year now. Kinney-Frost, who teaches at Westminster and is also Utah Opera's chorus master and assistant conductor, says that OPUS began as a wish to start a new community orchestra at Westminster College.
"There were a group of people, who are now on our board (of directors), who came up to Christopher Quinn (a teacher in Westminster's music department) and me and said that they wanted a community orchestra at Westminster. We told them that our schedules didn't allow for that, because we just didn't have the time for it. But I told them that I was interested in a professional orchestra.
"We've had tremendous support from Westminster. Even though the orchestra is responsible for its own fund-raising, they gave us a $30,000 in-kind contribution. And they're sponsoring our first concert, which will celebrate Westminster's 125th anniversary as a college. The orchestra is going to be a huge boon for Westminster."
Kinney-Frost feels that it's time Salt Lake City had a professional chamber orchestra. "People have asked me, 'Why another orchestra?' And I say, 'Why not?' We have the three superpowers (Utah Symphony, Utah Opera and Ballet West), and I feel that the evolution in the art world here makes this feasible and necessary."
The size of the orchestra will range from a maximum of 32 musicians to a minimum of 20, depending on the requirements for each concert. The idea was to have a group of musicians the orchestra can draw from throughout the season, and to have basically the same people at the concerts.
The members of OPUS are all well-known musicians taken from the Utah Symphony; the Utah Chamber Orchestra, which accompanies Ballet West productions; and from the music faculties from several colleges and universities. The concertmaster of the new orchestra will be Leonard Braus, who is the associate concertmaster of the Utah Symphony.
Kinney-Frost also sees the importance of having OPUS become a useful tool in bringing music out to the schools and getting young people involved with music. "We're planning on having Saturday-morning concerts for kids and going into the schools.
"We're also going to have our dress rehearsal -- on the Saturday prior to our Sunday concerts -- open to students, and we're going to hold post-rehearsal discussions as a platform for music students to see where being in music can lead you."
All of the OPUS concerts will take place on Sundays, but Kinney-Frost doesn't believe that will have any detrimental effect on the audience base.
"Ticket sales have been going great," he points out, "and what can be more spiritual than listening to Mozart's Requiem on a Sunday?"
Kinney-Frost is encouraged by the initial public response to the orchestra. "I'm really happy with it," he said. "(OPUS) has already had a tremendous impact in the musical community and in the community at large.
"We have a tremendous group of people, and you'll recognize most of them when they come onstage."
Tickets for the concert cost $20 for general admission and can be purchased at the door.
There will be three more OPUS concerts in 2000:
-- Sunday, Jan. 30, 5 p.m. In a concert titled "Retro-active," the orchestra will play Albinoni's famous "Adagio," and Utah Symphony concertmaster Ralph Matson will be the soloist in Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." Utah Opera baritone Joseph Onstott will also join the orchestra to sing arias from some of Handel's operas.
-- Sunday, April 16, 5 p.m. This concert, "American Voices," will celebrate Aaron Copland's 100th birthday. The orchestra will play Copland's "Appalachian Spring" in its original version for 13 instruments, and selections from Scott Joplin's "Red Back Book." Soprano Theresa Santiago will sing Barber's "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" and arias from Carlisle Floyd's opera "Susannah."
-- Friday, June 9, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 11, 5 p.m. The final concert of the season is called "Mozart Masterpieces." The orchestra plays Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor, and the Utah Opera Chorus will join OPUS for a performance of Mozart's Requiem.
Tickets for these concerts are available at the door prior to each performance, or they can be purchased in advance at the Capitol Theatre box office or by calling ArtTix at 801-355-ARTS (2787).
For more information call 801-359-5151.