For 47 years, the annual Salute to Youth concert has been the premier venue for showcasing Utah's young musical talent. Whether it's violin or piano — or even saxophone or marimba for that matter — the chance to solo with the Utah Symphony has been a magnet that has attracted many of the state's best youthful musicians.
This year the concert, which is sponsored by the Deseret Morning News, takes place Tuesday in Abravanel Hall. Symphony music director Keith Lockhart will conduct the program, which features seven performers from Salt Lake and Utah counties, ranging in age from 12-19:
Zachary Adamson, 12, Salt Lake City, piano
Mandy Hillary, 18, Sandy, saxophone
Melissa Jensen, 19, Orem, voice
Bethany Richards, 15, Pleasant Grove, piano
John Sargeant, 16, Orem, piano
Ryan Tani, 13, Salt Lake City, voice
Rebekah Lara Willey, 12, Pleasant Grove, violin
They will be performing music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Pierre Max Dubois, Franz Lehar, Dmitri Shostakovich, Franz Liszt, George Frideric Handel and Pablo de Sarasate.
Being chosen to appear in a Salute to Youth concert means that each musician must undergo a series of competition rounds, as well as audition in front of a panel of judges from the Utah Symphony. This year, the symphony instituted a change in eligibility requirements. Along with accepting the top three winners from the Utah State Fair Music Competition, the symphony opened it up to any Utah Symphony Youth Guild member who performed at the symphony's Youth Guild Recital last spring.
Thirty-seven young artists qualified to audition for symphony judges. The auditions were held in Abravanel Hall on Aug. 17. On the jury were Walter Haman, cello; Jason Hardink, principal keyboard; Jeffrey Luke, associate principal trumpet; and Scott O'Neil, former Utah Symphony associate conductor.
It's a long process to be selected as one of the soloists. And since many of the kids have been through it more than once, they and their families know better than anyone else what's expected of them.
Intimately acquainted with the process is the Willey family of Pleasant Grove.
Donell and Denise Willey have had four children appear on Salute to Youth. And now their youngest, Rebekah, is keeping alive a family tradition that began in 2002. "I'm pleased with what they've done," Denise Willey told the Deseret Morning News. "I'm pleased they have this opportunity."
What's helped the Willey offspring be successful in becoming Salute to Youth soloists is that all of them have performed with local orchestras before auditioning. At least that's what Denise Willey believes. "It's prepared them to play with the Utah Symphony. The pieces are well prepared, and they're not nervous onstage."
Rebekah will play Sarasate's dazzlingly challenging "Zigeunerweisen" ("Gypsy Airs"). "It's pretty hard, but it's pretty cool," said the 12-year-old. She likes that it places huge demands on the violinist. "It goes pretty fast at the end, and I like that."
It took Rebekah only four months to learn the piece, her mother said. "She was invited to solo with the Debut Orchestra in Beverly Hills, and they wanted something flashy." That concert takes place next month.
"Zigeunerweisen" is the young violinist's third major work in her repertoire. She also plays Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 and Dmitri Kabalevsky's Violin Concerto.
This will be Rebekah's second appearance on a Salute to Youth concert. Her first solo performance was in 2004 with the Kabalevsky concerto when she was only 10. She's looking forward to playing with the Utah Symphony again. "It's pretty exciting."
The other 12-year-old at this year's concert is Zach Adamson. This is his first time on Salute to Youth, and he's also thrilled to be playing with the Utah Symphony. "It's a great accomplishment. I think it's a lot of fun."
Zach will play the first movement from Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, K. 459. The reason he chose Mozart was because he likes his music. "His music is cool," he said.
He's been playing the first movement of the F major Concerto for the past two years. Earlier this year, Zach performed it with the Pleasant Grove Symphony, so he's comfortable with the piece. "I've also played it on quite a few competitions."
Zach will get an encore performance when he plays the young Mozart for the Utah Symphony's "Mozart Alive!" concert in February. He was selected for the part by former Utah Symphony associate conductor Scott O'Neil. "(He) found out that I played Mozart with the Pleasant Grove Symphony. And he came to my (Symphony Youth Guild) recital, and I guess he liked how I played."
Despite their tender age, neither Rebekah nor Zach seems stressed about performing for a large audience in Abravanel Hall. "Right before I walk onstage I get really nervous," Rebekah said, "but after I'm onstage I think, 'This is really cool."'
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com