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American, foreign youths join in Utah Youth Symphony
By Edward Reichel
Deseret News music critic
When Barbara Scowcroft, music director of the Utah Youth Symphony, was asked to take part in the Cultural Olympiad, she immediately had visions of having young musicians from every corner of the world join their Utah counterparts for a series of concerts.
As far as Scowcroft was concerned, getting American and foreign kids working together toward a common goal was the only way to bring home the true spirit of the Olympics and to celebrate the multi-culturalism of the Games. "It's as much a cultural exchange as it is a music exchange," Scowcroft said.
Thirty-six youngsters from Russia, Germany, Italy, Israel, Australia, China, Thailand, Taiwan and Costa Rica, chosen from the hundreds who auditioned, have come to Salt Lake City to take part in this venture. They're staying here through the entire month of February, and during that time will join the Utah Youth Symphony for a series of concerts in Idaho and Wyoming, as well as Utah.
Here in Salt Lake City, the visiting young artists will perform with select members of the Youth Symphony for two chamber concerts under the auspices of the NOVA Chamber Music Series. The concerts are tonight and tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral Church of St. Mark, 231 E. 100 South, and the program will consist of movements from several works. "It will be a collage of music," Scowcroft said.
Then, on Monday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in Abravanel Hall, the 36 foreign musicians will join the entire 140-member Utah Youth Symphony for a concert of American music. Under Scowcroft's baton, the orchestra will play the "Symphonic Dances" from Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story" and Aaron Copland's Symphony No. 3. "This is great music that probably none of these kids have played before," said Matt Cowan, Utah Youth Symphony artistic administrator.
While these concerts were still in the planning stage, Scowcroft realized she wanted to make them accessible to a wider audience. "Because of the Olympics, we wanted to do something memorable and make it more personal. That's why we decided to incorporate an outreach program, so we could bring Olympic cheer to outlying areas," Scowcroft explained.
The first outreach concerts were in Driggs, Idaho, and Jackson Hole, Wyo. And both Scowcroft and Cowan were surprised by how warmly the group was embraced by the local population. "They greeted us with open arms," Cowan said. "It was just amazing."
Two more outreach concerts are scheduled, at Utah State University on Feb. 20 and Timpview High School in Provo on Feb. 22.
For many of the foreign youngsters, coming to the United States has been a dream come true. Scowcroft said that the young people come from all walks of life, and many would otherwise never have had the opportunity of leaving their own country to travel abroad. Scowcroft traveled to four countries to personally audition the musicians. She said the response she received everywhere she went was overwhelming. "We auditioned eight youth in Guangzhou, China, but we only wanted to take four. I asked who would benefit the most from (coming to the United States to perform), and I was told, 'They're all humble, they're all prepared and they're all grateful.' Hearing that, we decided to take all of them."
So far, the Utah Youth Symphony has raised $170,000 in donations, but Scowcroft said that more money is still needed after a large commitment of financial support was unexpectedly lost. "We're still open for donations," she said, pointing out that the youngsters, who'll be housed by members of the Utah Symphony while in Salt Lake City, don't have to pay for anything.
Scowcroft hopes that when all the kids return to their homes, they'll have learned something valuable from this experience. "I'm very hopeful they'll go home after a month with a different outlook and a better understanding of different cultures."
Tickets for the NOVA-sponsored concerts tonight and Saturday are $15 and can be purchased at the door prior to each performance.
The Feb. 18 concert in Abravanel Hall is free, but tickets will be required. Tickets will be available either by calling ArtTix at 355-ARTS or 1-888-451-ARTS or in person at the ArtTix outlet in Abravanel Hall. Tickets can also be reserved online at www.saltlake2002.com.
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com
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February 15, 2002
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