Arts and Culture

Laugh a lot at Spamalot

Theatre Arts brought laughter to audiences in November with its production of Monty Python’s Spamalot, a musical comedy based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

‘Inside the poem’

Joaquin Zihuatanejo, a poet, spoken word artist, and teacher, performed at an event sponsored by Campus Diversity and Inclusion on Oct. 11, 2017. “My grandfather said, ‘Mijo, little one, este barrio, this neighborhood, is surrounded on all sides by gangs, poverty, crime, and violence,” Zihuatanejo said. “When you’re inside the poem, when you are inside the book, you are safe, and none of that can hurt you.’”

A gritty salon

The U of R Opera came together with The Vile Players, conducted by School of Music Assistant Dean Joseph Modica, on Jan. 26 to perform the Mahagonny Songspiel—a work by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht set in a fictional Sodom and Gomorrah of the Old American West. A literary salon followed featuring writers responding to the Songspiel with stories, essays, poems, and commentary.

Ushering in the holiday season

Feast of Lights, a longstanding tradition at the U of R, celebrated its 70th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, School of Music alumni reunited with students and faculty to perform, reminisce, and usher in the holiday season.

Mural stimulates discussion about mental health

San Bernardino artist Ivan Preciado’s mural Refine was created during the 2017 Alliance for Community Transformation and Wellness’ Vibe Festival. This January, the mural left its post in the Armacost Library to begin an installation tour to local high schools, in the hope of sparking conversations on campuses about mental health and wellness.

Jazz pianist dazzles audience

Vijay Iyer, acclaimed jazz pianist, MacArthur fellow, and Harvard University professor of music, demonstrated how he is changing the face and sound of jazz in a performance at the Memorial Chapel in January.

Art show captures issues of the times

The show Divisive Landscapes, created by Salt Lake City-native Sandy Brunvand, opened in January at the University Gallery featuring monotone landscapes with typewritten political headlines from The Salt Lake Tribune.

Theatrical collage confronts hate crime

In mid-February, U of R student Noah Sylvester ’18 directed The Laramie Project, a theatrical collage of more than 200 interviews conducted after a hate crime shook the town of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.

Paying homage to Beethoven’s much-loved classic

Conducted by Associate Professor of Orchestral Studies Co Nguyen, a concert on Feb. 14 featured an array of U of R musicians, including the University Orchestra, University Choir, Bel Canto, and Chapel Singers performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Inland Master Chorale.