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Symphony and opera musicians and Art Pianos for All plan pop-up performances

Lance Rothchild, 13, plays the piano for attendees of the How We [=] Move opening reception at the Kimball Junction Transit Center Tuesday evening, Feb. 21, 2017. Rothchild, who's been playing for the past seven years, needed no music and entertained guests as they filtered in for the reception and talk with artist Kevin Arthofer. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)
Tanzi Propst

What: Utah Symphony | Utah Opera and Art Pianos for All Pop-Up Concerts

When: 3-5 p.m. on Sunday, July 26

Where: Surprise locations in Summit County

Web: facebook.com/ParkCitySummitCountyArtsCouncil

The Summit County Public Art Advisory Board, Mountain Town Music and the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera will roll out a new concept to its Art Pianos for All pop-up concerts due to coronavirus concerns.

Instead of performing at some of the seven Art Pianos for All locations that are scattered throughout the county, the nonprofits decided to load one piano on a flatbed and, between 3-5 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, stop for performances at three different Summit County locations, said Leslie Chavez, content and marketing manager of the Arts Council of Park City and Summit County, which serves as an administrator to the Summit County Public Art Board.

“We won’t tell people where these concerts will take place, because we don’t want to draw huge crowds,” Chavez said. “We wanted to take in consideration eastern Summit County and Park City. We also took in consideration where people would congregate anyways.”



Art Pianos for All is a concept that places used pianos, which are refurbished by local artists, in accessible locations for the public to play, Chavez said.

“Two years ago the Summit County Public Art Advisory Board partnered with Utah Symphony | Utah Opera for some pop-up performances using the Art Pianos,” she said. “This year, instead of canceling the program, we are taking a cue from Mountain Town Music’s Door 2 Door performances.”



During the Door 2 Door Tour, Mountain Town Music loads a band and its equipment onto a flatbed and drives around the county for short, on-site concerts, Chavez said.

“So we got Mountain Town Music involved with what we wanted to do, decided we would bring the music to the community and give surprise shows,” she said.

Participating performers will be Utah Opera resident artists — tenor Addison Marlor, baritone Brandon Bell and pianist Taylor Burkhardt, according to Chavez.

Marlor, a Salt Lake City native, is a two-time participant in the Merola Opera Program, and has performed as Sellem in Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress,” the title role in Bernstein’s “Candide” and Ruggero in Puccini’s “La Rondine.”

Bell is a baritone hailing from Suffolk, Virginia. Before joining Utah Opera as a resident artist in the fall of 2019, he appeared as Colline in West Bay Opera’s production of “La Bohème,” Terry in “Breaking the Waves” and his debut as the corporal in “La Fille du Régiment.”

Burkhardt collaborates with a number of musicians as a duo partner, chamber musician, répétiteur and coach. In the 2018-2019 season, she was involved with productions at Kentucky Opera, Virginia Opera and the Atlanta Opera.

“The performers are excited for the upcoming concerts because all of their performances, including the Deer Valley Music Festival, have been canceled due to the (pandemic),” Chavez said. “They wanted to perform in a creative and safe way in the Summit County community, and, since opera singers can’t wear masks when they sing, they felt more comfortable performing this way.”

The concerts, which will be professionally shot, will be livestreamed on the Arts Council of Park City and Summit County’s Facebook page, and posted later on other social media platforms to promote Arts Pianos for All and the musicians, according to Chavez.

“This is a way for the Summit County Public Art Advisory Board to fulfill its goal to bring free and accessible arts and cultural events to our community,” she said. “And it is fulfilling for all of us to get creative to achieve that goal, and enrich the lives and lift spirits of Summit County residents.”


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