Music Fest features trio's premiere

The 21st annual Park City and Salt Lake City Music Festival kicks off today in a program that will feature the world premiere of Michael Carnes' Trio for Flute Clarinet and Piano.

"Laurel Ann Maurer commissioned the piece, and I'm excited that we're giving the premiere," said violist and festival founder/co-director Leslie Harlow.

Maurer, flutist and a frequent guest at the annual summer event, will be joined by clarinetist and festival co-director Russell Harlow, and pianist Gail Niwa, a former Gina Bachauer gold-medal winner.

There will be many familiar faces during the two-week-long festival, Leslie Harlow said. "We're bringing back a lot of old friends, people who've been coming here for years." Among them is violinist Manuel Ramos. "He's one of Mexico's top solo violinists. He has an award-winning series of concerts in Mexico, and he's been the featured soloist with several major orchestras," including the Pittsburgh and Saint Louis symphonies.

Ramos will be bringing with him quintets by Carlos Jimenez and Manuel de Falla, both of which will be played during the second week of the festival. Joining him will be the Utah Symphony's new principal second violinist Dara Morales and her husband, cellist Jesus Morales. "The three will bring a lot of energy to their concerts," Harlow said.

Cellist Scott Ballantyne has been part of the mountain resort festival for years. He is a former member of the Utah Symphony, joining when he was just 16 years old. "He's close friends with Russ, and I've performed with him at the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina," Harlow said. "He's a wonderful cellist, whose career has really taken off and blossomed."

Niwa and John Jensen, the two pianists taking part in the summer event, are both well-known figures locally. Both have been associated with the festival for several years. "Gail is just fabulous," Harlow said. "When I was at Juilliard, I asked Paul Neubauer who the best pianist at the school is to play a recital with, and he said without hesitation that it's Gail." Among other works, Niwa will play Busoni's famously demanding transcription of the Chaconne from J.S. Bach's Partita in D minor for Solo Violin.

Even though he's classically trained, Jensen is at much at home with jazz as he is with chamber music. And he'll be playing both during the festival. "For John, jazz is just another form of classical music," Harlow said. Jensen will be the featured artist Saturday in an evening of jazz, that will also spotlight other festival musicians.