The History of the Orchestra of Southern Utah

The History of the Orchestra of Southern Utah

As of August 2007

&nbs= p; Frontier days of poverty and privation in southern Utah were made more bearable by traditions of music, dance, and drama brought by early pioneers from New York, Ohio, and Illinois, as well as England, I= reland, Scotland, and Wales.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Music was an essential social and religious force both in church services and recreational activities, and lightened the burdens of many immigrants who settled the area. Holidays, weddings, and other spec= ial occasions included a variety of musical presentations and dancing. From the time Mormon pioneers first arrived in November 1851, fiddlers provided dance music to keep the settlers warm enough to survive winter evenings on the banks of Coal Creek.

&nbs= p; In 1870, Joseph and Gomer Cosslett, two brothers from Wales, came to the area as brick makers from Salt Lake City. Joseph formed an orchestra and band which played for dances and serenaded in the streets on holidays. He also opened the first music store in Cedar City where he sold sheet music and instruments.= In the 1880s John Chatterley organized a fine brass band in Cedar City with fourteen to eighteen members. These musical organizations provided friendship and camaraderie as w= ell as social opportunities for the members and their families.

&nbs= p; The year 1919 saw a rejuvenation of the Cedar City Band, complete with uniforms= and a new bandstand in the Ci= ty Park. Sunday evening concerts in the par= k, or in the tabernacle during the winter months, brought the community together.= Highlights in local musical histor= y of the 1920s included the establishment of the Cedar City Band as an official military unit of the United States Army.

&nbs= p; An orchestra has existed as a part of Southern Utah University (SUU) since its founding in 1897 (then known as the Branch Normal School). Orien Dalley conducted that orches= tra during the 1920s, then left to pursue a distinguished career in Michigan where he assisted in founding the now internationally famous In= terlochen Performing Arts School. Upon retirement, he donated ninety string instruments to SUU which are still being used today by southern Utah string stud= ents.

&nbs= p; The tradition of having a community musical organization has continued through = the twentieth century and evolved more fully during the time of Roy L. Halversen’s tenure as orchestra conductor for SUU. Under his direction, students from middle and high schools, the college, and community came together to provide music for symphony concerts, opera productions, and the annual “Me= ssiah.” Mr. Halversen studied violin at Ju= lliard and in Berlin before coming to Cedar City, where he had planned to stay for only a few years, but remained a lifetime. The Orchestra of So= uthern Utah's annual spring concert, featuring the winners of youth soloist auditi= ons, has recently been named the “Roy L. Halversen Young Artist Concert= 221; as a tribute to his inspiring influence.

&nbs= p; The current Orchestra of Southern Utah (OSU) is a semi-professional ensemble of dedicated professional and amateur musicians drawing its membership from throughout the Iron County area. Providing classical and popular mu= sical performances, OSU sponsors a Fall Recital Series and accompanies the annual “Messiah” production, in addition to a Children’s Carnival, and Fall, Winter, and Spring concerts each season. OSU conductors have included Hal K. Campbell, David Nyman, James Harrison, Gerard Yun, and Xun Sun, with guest conductors Perry Arnett, Benjamin Winkler, Kory Katseanes, and Joel Neves.<= /p>

&nbs= p; The Orchestra of Southern Utah incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1988, governed by a Board of Directors. Founding Board members were Fred C. Adams, LuAnne J. Brown, Hal K. Campbell, Evelyn K. Jones, York Jones, Anne O. Leavitt, Mary MacDonald, Sara Penny, Luree S. Schmutz, Virginia Stitt, and June Thorley. Co-sponsored by SUU for many years= , OSU became an independent community organization in 1996, and used Cedar City’s original auditorium, “Orchestra Hall,” formerly located at 300 = West and Harding Avenue, for its rehearsal and performance venue.

&nbs= p; “Orchestra Hall” was eventually determined to be unsafe and was demolished in 2001. The orchestra then util= ized auditoriums at Cedar Middle School, Cedar= High School, and SUU until the r= ecent completion of Cedar City’s new downtown concert hall, the Heritage Center. OSU played for its grand opening o= n June 29, 2002, where it now has a permanent home.

&nbs= p; Past OSU presidents Sara Penny and Inez Urie worked with other local arts leader= s to encourage the funding and building of a local performing arts center, contributing ideas regarding the building’s design and features. In the = Heritage Center, <= st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Cedar City now has a stage large enough to accommodate a sizeable orchestra and chorus= for annual “Messiah” productions, as well as touring Broadwa= y shows, business conventions, and other performing groups. OSU is one of the constituent organizations which perform regularly in this beautiful facility, and holds= a legal agreement with the city providing for storage of its extensive music library, percussion instruments, music stands, and B= aldwin grand piano.

&nbs= p; Holiday performances of Handel’s “Messiah” have continued = as a long-standing tradition in Cedar City. In 1924 William H. Manning was app= ointed head of the Branch Agricultural College (BAC) Music Department and conducto= r of the Cedar City Tabernacle Choir. He chose to perform the first “Messiah” on New Year’s= Day 1925 with the choir accompanied by an orchestra drawn from the community and the BAC. Beginning in December 1940, this inspiring oratorio has been presented nearly every year to the present as a “Christmas gift to the community.” The year 2007 marks the 67^{th<=
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production of this timeless classic in Cedar City.}

&nbs= p; Current OSU leadership includes Music Director and Conductor Xun Sun, board preside= nt Harold Shirley, vice-president = June Thorley, secretary Laura Lee, treasurer Kathleen Cloward, historian and grants officer Sara Penny, executive director Pete Akins, music librarians Hal and Joan Campbell= , media specialist Ken Hedgecock, = and board members, Jolene Heit, Blai= ne Hofeling, Marlo Ihler, Bryan Jackson, Brooke MacNaughtan, and Grace St. Pierre. Laurel Dodgion serves= as publicity director with Ann Duggan as Administrative Assistant. Joel Neves assists with Management Services.&n= bsp;
&= nbsp; Ken Hedgecock records concerts and maintains an award winning website. Podcasts of concerts and recitals = on the website reach thousands of music lovers throughout the world, www.orchestraofsouthernutah.org.