Keeping their talents in tune

For Frances Darger, music is more than a hobby — it's a way of life.

That's because the Salt Lake resident has spent much of her life immersed in it. For the past 60 years she has played in the Utah Symphony.

"I was raised with music, and I'm still playing in the symphony," she said. "It's a joy and pleasure."

Along with several of her close friends, who were also musically inclined, Darger founded a group whose purpose is to share one's musical talents. Squeak and Swak is a group of women, half symphony members and half singers, who get together once a month for lunch and then perform for each other.

"The basic idea was to make you get up and use your talent so it doesn't fritter away," Darger said.

Many of the women in the group are former members of the Utah Symphony, Mormon Tabernacle Choir or Orchestra at Temple Square, who weren't able to keep up with the time demands of being in the choral groups while raising their families. As Squeak and Swak has been around for almost 60 years, Darger says many of the members' children have grown up with it and now their grandchildren are also participating.

Each person in the group is required to perform at least once a year, and if they're unable to do so, they have the option to arrange for someone else to perform for them. Members take turns hosting the luncheon at their homes.

Frances Young of Holladay, a member of the group, also has a long musical history. She started playing violin at age 4 and continued studying music while growing up. After graduation from college, she played in the Utah Symphony for 20 years. Being in Squeak and Swak has been a great experience, she said.

"It was just a way to express our talents and get together, and we've remained very close," she said. "It's a really good social experience."

Young says members of the group all enjoy classical music and keeping up on one another's families, something made possible by having children and grandchildren perform at the monthly luncheons.

Jewel Cutler, Darger's sister, is a former member of the Tabernacle Choir and another founder of the group. She has performed many times at the University of Utah and at summer festivals. Being in the group, she said, has been an enjoyable experience.

"It's just a joy to sit there and listen to beautiful, top-notch music and sit in (someone's) home which is comfortable and beautiful," she said. "We all look forward to it to keep going, to keep performing. It's a challenge."

Cutler says one of the highlights of being in the group for her is the friendship and enjoyment of the music. She also enjoys preparing the music pieces she performs for the group.

"We all just look forward to it," she said. "It's a treat. What's not to like about symphony players playing for you personally, and it's fun to get acquainted with grandchildren playing so beautifully and carrying on the musical traditions in their families."

Darger feels the friendships formed through the group are the most important.

"(I enjoy) just the camaraderie of being together and watching," she said. "We've really all grown up together and raised our families together. It's interesting to see what's happened to everybody's children and grandchildren, and it's good to still play."

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E-mail: twalquist@desnews.com