Utah Cultural Alliance, Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, and University of Utah Fine Arts College announced today an initiative aimed at broadening student awareness of and access to the plethora of performing arts opportunities in the state.

The campaign includes the launching of a portal on NowPlayingUtah.com that allows arts organizations to pinpoint and highlight student-access, student-focused professional opportunities, and discounts to performances, exhibits and student passes. The new resource site can be found here: https://www.nowplayingutah.com/student-resources/.

“We are excited to join forces with other cultural entities within Utah that will help draw attention to student opportunities at performing arts institutions,” said Utah Symphony | Utah Opera Director of Communications and Digital Media Renée Huang. “We want students to know that we’ve made it easier and more accessible than ever for them to attend a performance without breaking the bank. We are committed to broadening the access and appeal of symphony and opera – and other forms of artistic expression — to younger audiences.”

The goal of the partnership is to increase attendance for Millennial college-age patrons, and encourage mentorship opportunities between arts organizations and students pursuing studies in various performing arts areas.

“We at Utah Cultural Alliance are thrilled to be able to amplify statewide student discounts on nowplayingutah.com. The humanities and arts inspire all of us. All of us should be able to experience culture, not just some who can afford it,” said Crystal Young-Otterstrom, executive director of Utah Cultural Alliance.

The state’s fine arts colleges recognize the importance of access to performance and mentorship opportunities for students in the arts.

“We make arts at the University of Utah as accessible to our students as possible through our Arts Pass,” said John W. Scheib, associate vice president for the arts and dean of the College of Fine Arts. “And not just because we want them to have a good time (although we know they will), but because arts experiences are linked with better critical thinking skills, greater social tolerance, and even better workforce opportunities. We are thrilled that this partnership will extend similar benefits to even more arts experiences in our community program.”

Encouraging students to broaden their classroom studies to real-life experiences in their fields of study gives them access to professional networking, said Joshua Stavros, Associate Director of Arts Administration, Southern Utah University.

“Cultural organizations know that they need to keep their audiences growing, and remain relevant in their communities. There is no better way to do this than to engage with the schools and students in their areas and invite them to participate,” continued Mr. Stavros. “Whether it is bringing art and culture to schools, or students and schools to cultural organizations, the result is the same. I am so thrilled that NowPlayingUtah.com will have a ‘one stop shop’ for schools and students to see the wonderful opportunities that the arts and culture community are providing.”

Utah’s performing arts organizations will join in a state-wide “Back to School” month of student-friendly performances and exhibits in September. Non profit arts organizations highlighting student access and awareness include:

·       Grand Theatre: “A Wall Apart” September 4

·       Timpanogos Storytelling Conference and Festival: Festival Opening Night September 5th

·       Salt Lake Acting Company: “Death of a Driver” by Will Snider, directed by Alexandra Harbold September 11-15, 18-22, 24-29

·       The Leonardo Museum: September 20th Students receive Free admission

·       The Mundi Project: “#PeoplesPianoProject” September 20-21 at the Leonardo Museum

·       Pioneer Theatre Company: “Cagney” September 24

·       Utah Symphony: : “Pines of Rome” September 27

·       Ririe Woodbury: “Meet the Choreographer Series” September Edition (Date TBA)

Utah Cultural Alliance offers student memberships for $25, which includes access to mentor lists and other professional development opportunities.

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About Utah Cultural Alliance

Founded in March 1980, Utah Cultural Alliance (UCA) is the statewide advocate for the humanities and arts. We amplify culture’s contributions to Utah’s economic, family, and community life. You can read more about our mission at www.utculture.org

Utah Cultural Alliance is also the manager of NowPlayingUtah.com, the statewide calendar of everything to see and do in Utah with a heavy emphasis on the arts and humanities. The site sees 1.3 million unique visitors a year.

About the Utah Symphony

Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony performs more than 175 concerts each season and offers all Utahns access to world-class live performances of the world’s greatest music in the state’s top venues. Since being named the orchestra’s seventh Music Director in 2009, Thierry Fischer has attracted leading musicians and top soloists, refreshed programming, drawn increased audiences, and galvanized community support. In addition to numerous regional and domestic tours, including the Mighty 5® Tour of Utah’s national parks and last season’s Great American Road Trip, which also included Utah state parks and national monuments, the Utah Symphony has embarked on seven international tours—from Europe to Central and South America—and performed at Carnegie Hall in 2016 coinciding with the orchestra’s 75th anniversary celebrations.

The Utah Symphony has released more than 100 recordings, and recent releases include the first of a three-volume set of all five Saint-Saens symphonies on Hyperion Records in 2019, and on Reference Recordings, Mahler’s Symphonies No. 1 and 8 (2015 and 2017, respectively) and Dawn to Dust (2016), which features three Utah Symphony-commissioned works by Nico Muhly, Andrew Norman, and Augusta Read Thomas. The orchestra’s discography with former Music Director Maurice Abravanel includes not only the complete Mahler symphonies, but also premiere recordings of works by Honegger, Milhaud, Rorem, Satie, Schuman, and Varèse.

Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra’s parent organization, reaches 450,000 residents in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving more than 155,000 students annually. In addition to performances in its home in Salt Lake City, Abravanel Hall, and concerts throughout the state of Utah, the Utah Symphony participates in Utah Opera’s four annual productions at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre and present the six-week Deer Valley® Music Festival each summer in Park City, Utah.

For more information about the orchestra, visit utahsymphony.org.

About the College of Fine Arts and Arts Pass

The University of Utah College of Fine Arts faculty and programs challenge, immerse and ultimately prepare the committed student for a rewarding career in the arts. The College is home to the Schools of Dance and Music, the Departments of Art & Art History, Film & Media Arts, and Theatre. Arts Pass is the award-winning program at the University of Utah that allows students to use their UCard to get free or deeply-discounted access to hundreds of arts experiences on campus each year including those by the College of Fine Arts’ five academic units and the three professional affiliates: Pioneer Theatre Company, UtahPresents and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

For more information or to find upcoming events, visit artspass.utah.edu.