A Story of Music, Hospitality, and Human Connection Across Utah 

by Ben Kipp

Over the past month, two Utah Symphony | Utah Opera tours carried live music into communities across the state: a Resident Artists tour through southeastern Utah and a Symphony education tour that included stops in Tropic and Beaver. Together, they offered more than performances. They revealed what can happen when great artistry meets deep community care.

In southeastern Utah, the Resident Artists knew to expect stunning vistas and remarkable landscapes. What they may not have anticipated was the extraordinary hospitality, kindness, and gratitude they would encounter at every turn.

Across nine schools, Resident Artists shared their art with 2,390 students, many of whom have fewer opportunities to experience live performances of art forms that are entirely new to them. Students were engaged and curious, often lingering after presentations to ask questions, meet the artists, and continue the exchange. At TséBii’Nidzisgai Elementary in Monument Valley, after a performance of Who Wants to Be an Opera Star?, a student approached Soprano Stephanie Chee and Pianist Fang Goh and gifted them handmade, beaded bracelets as tokens of appreciation. Fang later reflected, “I was deeply moved—it remains one of the most meaningful and treasured gifts I have ever received.”

Moments of care continued beyond the school day. During one dinner, a waitress shared that an anonymous benefactor wanted each of the Resident Artists to choose a treat “because they’re awesome.” These gestures, small and profound at once, became part of the story too.

The Resident Artists presented a community concert, Once Upon a Song, in the beautifully lit and acoustically vibrant Blanding Arts & Events Center. Free to attend, the concert served as an expression of gratitude back to the community. While it appeared, at one point, they would be performing for an audience of five, approximately 100 people had found their seats by the first note.

We met and spoke with patrons who were excited to attend, some having been at the 2023 community concert during the last RA’s visit, some who had volunteered to provide Navajo tacos during Utah Symphony’s 2024 visit, and some students bringing their families following a visit to their school earlier in the week. The tour ended with a presentation of Who Wants to Be an Opera Star? at La Sal Elementary for an audience of two very engaged students, one of whom took to the keyboard following the presentation to share their passion with the RAs. And that sharing perfectly captures the spirit of the week-long residency. Some people thanked the RAs for bringing “some culture” to their community, but the whole residency was a cultural exchange as the USUO got to experience so much of the culture found in the southeastern corner of our beautiful state.

That same spirit was present on the symphony tour as well.

At Bryce Valley Elementary in Tropic, 130 students in grades K–6 experienced a live orchestra, many for the very first time, and their excitement filled the room. In Beaver, approximately 300 students in grades 6–12 attended the performance at Beaver High School, where the day continued with a post-concert gathering hosted by The Creamery.

Over ice cream, students and musicians shared time together in a way that extended the performance into partnership, and we were honored to be joined by Beaver Mayor Matt Robinson and Beaver School District Superintendent David Long.

The gratitude from educators gave language to what was already evident in the room. Teachers described the performances as engaging, thoughtful, and genuinely built for children. One called it “one of the best programs we had at the school this year.” Another wrote, “We are so lucky to get to experience your program. You do an awesome job.” Beaver School District Superintendent David Long offered a similar sentiment, sharing, “We are so grateful to have the symphony in Beaver.”

USUO’s legacy has been built in the quieter, lasting moments when a child feels seen, when a teacher feels supported, when a family chooses to come back, and when a community recognizes that this music belongs to them too. It is built when we carry our gifts across the state and return changed by the people we meet.

These tours remind us that USUO’s legacy is not only artistic. It is civic. It is relational. It lives in the memory of a student who heard something new, in the gratitude of a small town that felt remembered, and in the growing trust that this institution will continue to show up with excellence, generosity, and care.