SOUTHERN UTAH — Visitors to Zion National Park Tuesday and Cedar Breaks National Monument Wednesday will be serenaded at sunset and dazzled after dark when the Utah Symphony and the Utah Symphony’s brass musicians perform, with star parties following.
The combined events are part of the symphony’s “Great American Road Trip” covering 1,200 miles across Utah Aug. 29-Sept. 2. The trip will include three full-orchestra concerts and two chamber performances at state parks and national monuments.
The full Utah Symphony Orchestra will perform Tuesday at the O.C. Tanner Amphitheater, 144 Lion Blvd. in Springdale at 8 p.m. A star party will follow the concert at the Zion Canyon Community Center, 126 Lion Blvd.
At Cedar Breaks Wednesday, visitors will be treated to a chamber concert from a quintet of brass musicians from the Utah Symphony at the Point Supreme Overlook at 6:30 p.m. A star party will follow at the same location. Guests are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and dress warmly for cool temperatures.
Tickets are not required but visitors can claim an optional ticket for the performances online or by calling the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera ticket office at telephone 801-533-6683.
“Concert locations were selected due to their proximity to state parks, national monuments and other cultural and historical icons in an effort to fulfill our desire to connect with communities, including our Native American communities, throughout Utah,” Utah Symphony and Utah Opera President and CEO Paul Meecham said. “We wish to … serve more rural and isolated parts of Utah that do not have easy or frequent access to live, professional classical music.”
The “star parties” after the symphony performances will be hosted by local astronomy groups and park rangers. The goal is to demonstrate the importance of limiting light pollution and honor rural Utah’s magnificent night skies.
An additional star party will be held in Ivins Monday at 10 p.m. in Unity Park, 200 West 400 South.
About the “Great American Road Trip”
This and five other stargazing events held in conjunction with the “Great American Road Trip” are presented in partnership with the University of Utah’s Consortium for Dark Sky Studies and the Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative. Rangers from the national and state parks and local astronomers will present at the events and provide large telescopes for viewing.
“The Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative and the University of Utah’s Consortium for Dark Sky Studies are honored to partner with the Utah Symphony to merge the splendor of symphonic and chamber music with the wonder of the stars,” said Bettymaya Foott, coordinator of the Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative. “The star party venues are near or in accredited or aspiring International Dark Sky Parks … Please join us for a spectacular evening under the best quality night skies in the developed world: those over the majestic public lands of Utah.”
These performances and star parties are brought to the public through partnerships with the Utah Office of Tourism, the Utah State Legislature, the Natural History Museum of Utah and the private sector.
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