The Joy of Performing at Home

MY CHILDHOOD memories of Utah revolve around music and theater. The first production I remember seeing at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre was The Nutcracker, followed not long after by Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute). Each Christmas, my parents took us to the ballet or to Hale Center Theatre for their production of A Christmas Carol.

My earliest memories of Abravanel Hall are of hearing the Utah Symphony play Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, watching P.D.Q. Bach zipline onto the stage, playing my flute with Salute to Youth, and singing with the Salt Lake Children’s Choir. I anxiously awaited turning 10, because my mom would finally let me attend the Messiah Sing-In with the Utah Symphony, something I had long watched my older siblings enjoy. My oldest brother, Dave, shared his score with me as we sat mid-orchestra level and I desperately tried to keep pace with the other amateur vocalists.

Now I love returning to Utah to make music and connect with the incredible people who shaped my path. Returning to perform in Utah means seeing my choir teachers; connecting with Susan Goodfellow (flutist and teacher extraordinaire!), who patiently spent a decade teaching me breath control; and being supported by family and friends who have known me longer than anyone.