For 14 years, Thierry Fischer has led the Utah Symphony on adventure after adventure.
He’s taken the orchestra on statewide tours, bringing classical music to rural communities and major Utah landmarks — including the state’s five national parks. He’s helped bring music education to young musicians in Haiti, and celebrated the Utah Symphony’s 75-year milestone with a major concert at Carnegie Hall.
The Swiss conductor has embraced his Utah home over the years, honoring the state’s beauty by championing lesser-known works like French composer Olivier Messiaen’s “Des Canyons aux etoiles” (“From the Canyons to the Stars”) — which was inspired by the composer’s visit to southern Utah in the 1970s — and commissioning a new piece to celebrate the transcontinental railroad’s 150th anniversary.
It’s this passion and dedication that the Utah Symphony is honoring in its upcoming season as it says farewell to Fischer, who is stepping down from the podium in August 2023 and making a home in Brazil, where he is the music director of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra.
The 2022-23 season — ending in a large collaboration with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and the Madeleine Choir School — will be a tribute and farewell to Fischer. But for the conductor, the focus, as it has been for 14 years, will continue to be on the music.
“In my final season as music director of this splendid orchestra, it will be my privilege to push the limits of our artistry and hear the insights that the extraordinary musicians of the Utah Symphony will bring to the grand-scale repertoire we’ve programmed,” Fischer said in a statement. “My hope is to give a gift back to our audiences who have given so much to us over these years.”
Here’s a breakdown of the symphony’s upcoming season, which will feature Broadway star Bernadette Peters, classic works like Beethoven’s Fifth, “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Carmina Burana,” and films including “The Goonies” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
The Utah Symphony’s Masterwork series
Major pieces featured in the symphony’s Masterwork series include:
- Sept. 9-10 — Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 3, featuring Stefan Dohr, the Berlin Philharmonic’s principal horn
- Sept. 15-17 — Khatchaturian’s Violin Concerto, featuring violinist Nemanja Radulović
- Oct. 20-22 — Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, featuring pianist Andrew Staupe
- Nov. 3-4 — Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring pianist Andrei Korobeinikov
- Nov. 10-12 — Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, featuring pianist Stephen Hough
- Dec. 2-3 — Beethoven’s Fifth
- Dec. 9-10 — Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, featuring pianist Behzod Abduraimov
- Jan. 6-7 — Elgar’s “Enigma Variations”
- Jan. 26-28 — “Carmina Burana,” featuring Utah Symphony Chorus, University of Utah Choirs and choristers of The Madeleine Choir School
- Feb. 3-4 — Mozart’s “Magic Flute Fantasy,” featuring flutist Emmanuel Pahud, principal flute of the Berlin Philharmonic
- March 2-4 — Dvorak’s Symphony No. 5
- March 24-25 — Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5
- April 7-8 — Florence Price’s piano concerto, featuring pianist Michelle Cann
- April 20-22 — Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5
- April 28-29 — the music of Ravel, Rachmaninoff and Strauss
- May 19-20 — Messiaen’s “Turangalila,” featuring Augustin Viard on the ondes martenot
- May 26-27 — Fischer’s Farewell, featuring Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with sopranos and altos of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and choristers of the Madeleine Choir School
The Utah Symphony’s Entertainment Series
Major events in the symphony’s entertainment series include:
- Nov. 18-19 — Bernadette Peters with the Utah Symphony
- Dec. 15-17 — A Soulful Holiday with the Utah Symphony, featuring “Postmodern Jukebox” vocalist Morgan James
- Feb. 9-11 — “America’s Got Talent” contestant Storm Large with the Utah Symphony
- April 13-15 — “Blue Rhapsody: 100 Years of “Rhapsody in Blue” and Concerto in F, featuring pianist Kevin Cole
The Utah Symphony’s Films in Concert Series
The Utah Symphony will perform the scores to the following films as they play on the big screen:
- Sept. 22-24: “The Goonies”
- Oct. 27-29 — “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1”
- Dec. 21-23 — Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
- Feb. 24-25 — “An American in Paris”
- June 23-24 — “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
The Utah Symphony’s Family Concert Series
The Utah Symphony’s family events include:
- Dec. 12 and 17 — Here Comes Santa Claus!
- March 16 and 18 — FLY Dance Company: Breakin’ Classical
- April 11 and 15 — Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of an Orchestra
The Utah Symphony’s Special Events
- Sept. 8 — A Toast to Thierry
- Sept. 20 — Celebracion Sinfonica: Latin Fire
- Nov. 22 — 62nd annual Salute to Youth
- Nov. 26 and 27 — Utah Symphony and Utah Opera’s “Messiah” Sing-in