LOGAN – The American Festival Chorus & Orchestra will open its 19th season on Saturday, Oct. 17 with a concert celebrating music for choir, organ and brass.
That event, with special guests Dr. Richard Elliot and the Utah Symphony Brass, will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Daines Concert Hall on the campus of Utah State University.
The organizers of the concert say that local music lovers won’t want to miss a single AFCO performance this season, as those events will mark renowned conductor Craig Jessop’s final year prior to his retirement.
Dr. Elliot is primarily known as the principal organist for the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
Hailing from a Protestant background, Elliot grew up playing the piano and singing in choirs, getting his first opportunity to play the organ at age 15 in his local church. His formal musical training included studies at Johns Hopkins University, the Curtis Institute of Music — where he converted the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — and the Eastman School of Music.
Also on the AFCO playbill for Oct. 17 will be the musicians of the brass section of the Utah Symphony.
Among the works of other composers, the AFCO concert will feature Norman Dello Joio’s stirring “To Saint Cecilia” and John Rutter’s jubilant “Gloria” for choir, brass, percussion and organ.
Its organizers promise that the concert will be a thrilling showcase of musical power and beauty as it opens another exciting season for the AFCO.
Tickets for the AFCO concert event can be obtained by going online to https://utahstateaggies.evenue.net/event/AF26/AF1
The Daines Concert Hall is located in the Chase Fine Arts Center on the USU campus.