Kool & the Gang will be part of the “Celebration” when the Utah Symphony performs music in the mountains during the Deer Valley Music Festival.

The festival, which was canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, will return with 10 concerts that will begin with “Patriotic Pops” with singer Capathia Jackson on July 2 at the Snow Park Amphitheater, and Kool & the Gang will perform on July 9, said Heather Weinstock, director of Deer Valley Music Festival donor relations.

“We are unbelievably excited, and after talking with our patrons, everyone is thrilled beyond belief to be able to be back in the mountains and listening to music,” Weinstock said. “We’re glad the community wants us to be there and we’re really appreciative of all of our community partnerships with Deer Valley Resort and the city. We could not be happier.”

Tickets for the concerts, which will also include performances by Kristin Chenoweth, the LIttle River Band and the Beach Boys, among others, can be purchased by calling 801-869-NOTE or visiting deervalleymusicfestival.org. (See accompanying schedule).

“There is definitely something for everyone, and bringing in these wonderful guest artists who can be backed by our wonderful musicians is something we cherish,” Weinstock said. “I have to give props to our artistic team who does a wonderful job in finding these artists, where the orchestra can be their band.”

In addition to the Snow Park Amphitheater concerts, the Deer Valley Music Festival will include three chamber performances, which will showcase select Utah Symphony members, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, she said.

All amphitheater performances will feature reduced capacity in the reserved area, and the St. Mary’s performances will also be a little more intimate, according to Weinstock.

“We want to make this happen the safest way possible,” she said.

Deer Valley is taking safety precautions, and will offer concessions and picnic bags by preorder through the resort’s mobile app, according to a press release.

The resort will also follow other COVID-19 protocols that can be found by visiting deervalley.com/about-us/covid-operations.

In addition to the ticketed music performances, the Deer Valley Music Festival is hoping to announce some free community and educational events in the upcoming weeks, Weinstock said.

“We’re still trying to figure out if we can do those safely, because they are usually held in galleries and other small, indoor spaces,” she said. “We do enjoy working with the Arts Council of Park City and Summit County and Mountain Town Music and the Park Silly (Sunday) Market. So we will definitely try to get back into the community and make the music available to as many people as possible.”

Reinstating the Deer Valley Music Festival is an important step for the Utah Symphony’s mission, according to Weinstock.

“We are one of the few full-time orchestras in the nation, and the Deer Valley Music Festival is the reason why we can say that,” she said. “We are the Utah Symphony, which means we’re the symphony for the entire state. So being able to head to the mountains 40 minutes away during the summer is special to us.”