CEDAR CITY— Southern Utah University’s elite chamber vocal group, Opus, will be performing with Josh Groban and Sarah McLachlan as part of the pair’s national “On Stage” tour. The students will join the tour for performances in Denver and Salt Lake City on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20 respectively.

The singers will be joined by Southern Utah University trumpeter Austin Clark, who will be a featured soloist on the song “Old Devil Moon,” part of the Broadway-themed concert that features repertoire from Groban’s 2015 album “Stages.”

For Dr. Steve Meredith, Southern Utah University director of choral activities, this is the second time he has been involved with a Josh Groban national tour.

“I was involved as a vocal contractor for Groban’s 2013 national tour, with performances in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas,” Meredith said. “He puts on a great show, and it is a tremendous opportunity to introduce emerging professional singers to the ‘behind-the-scenes’ world of concert performances.”

Meredith’s background as a professional performer has put him on stage and in the recording studio with many well-known artists and producers over the years. It is these connections that have established him as a provider of vocal groups for concerts and events throughout the western U.S.

His choirs have done a number of national tours, including “Star Wars Live” and many performances of “Video Games Live” with symphony orchestras in Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California.

“Being a professor has given me the opportunity to maintain a very active career as a professional musician for the past 30 years,” Meredith said.

“I’ve done a couple of professional gigs with Dr. Meredith,” senior vocal performance major Jordan Sanders said, “and it is such a great opportunity to see how music gets made.”

Corey Furr, a graduate student in the new Master of Music Technology degree program, has sung with Meredith for a number of years and enjoys the interaction with artists, technicians and audience members.

“I’m a young musician at the beginning of my career,” Furr said. “I’m used to performing in small venues where sometimes I am the sound engineer and lighting guy. It is amazing to be in front of 10,000 fans and see how it all comes together.”

“SUU has a national reputation in experiential learning,” Meredith said. “I am a huge believer in giving students the opportunity to apply the skills they have learned in the classroom and studio. This is as close to the ‘real world’ as they can get while still in school.”

Event details

• What: Southern Utah University group Opus performs with Josh Groban and Sarah McLachlan
• When: Friday, Aug. 19,  and Saturday, Aug. 20 | Both shows are at 7:30 p.m.
• Where:
  • Aug. 19: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
  • Aug. 20: USANA Amphitheater, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Tickets on sale now at Live Nation and many other online ticket sources

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