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Creative Aging: For the Future
Live performances by the University of Utah Student Opera Guild.
RSVP Encouraged
Treat yourself to incredible sights and sounds at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.
Incredible composers from the University Composer’s Collective have found inspiration in the art on view in the special exhibition, For the Future: Collecting at the UMFA 2001–2026. These never-before-heard compositions will be performed live by the Student Opera Guild in the UMFA Great Hall.
For the Future explores not only the variety of important art acquisitions the UMFA has made, but also the varied stories of opportunity and generosity that have made such an extraordinary expansion of the collection possible. With support of many generous donors and community partners, the UMFA has been able to expand its arts programs across the state of Utah, launch exhibitions that engage with the most pressing issues of our time, and deepen the collection—all while ensuring the highest standard of care for the artworks and for the people who love them. As we look towards the next 25 years, For the Future offers a moment to celebrate the UMFA and dream about what’s next.
Experience human creativity in a way you never have before with this free performance at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts!
Read Behind-the-scenes Interviews
Sight and Sound: Composer Interviews
Two composers, Sadie Olsen and Caleb Martin, agreed to give At the Heart of it All readers a behind-the-scenes peek at their artistic process and give some insights into what you will experience at the Sight and Sound performance at the Museum! Learn More
The Evening’s Program:
Composition Inspired by Louise Howland King Cox’s Blue and White
Composed and Performed by Dawn Marie Wells
Blue and White
Louise Howland King Cox, American, 1865–1945, Blue and White, 1904, Oil on canvas, Purchased with funds from the Helene Druke Shaw Endowment, UMFA2024.13.1
Composition Inspired by Zhu Angzhi’s Enjoying One’s Will
Composed by Donna GibbonsPerformed by Emelia Hartford
Enjoying one’s Will
(Detail) Zhu Angzhi 朱昂之, Chinese, 1764–after 1841, Enjoying One’s Will (論幸福), early 19th century, handscroll; ink on paper, Purchased with funds from the Willam H. and Wilma T. Gibson Endowment, UMFA2022.20.1
Composition Inspired by Elias Sime’s Tightrope: Noiseless 1
Composed by Monica MendozaPerformed by Mandi Barrus
Tightrope: Noiseless 1
Elias Sime, Ethiopian, born 1968, Tightrope: Noiseless 1, 2019, Reclaimed electrical wires and components on panel, Purchased with funds from the Phyllis Cannon Wattis Endowment Fund, UMFA2020.4.1
Composition inspired by WHite-Ground Oil Flask (Lekythos)
Composed by Sadie OlsenPerformed by Nahal Falahatimarvast
Lekythos
Attributed to the Quadrate Painter, Athens, present-day Greece, White-ground oil flask (lekythos), 450–420 BCE, Terracotta with glaze, Purchased with funds from the Hayden H. Huston Fund and the John Preston Creer and Mary Elizabeth Brockbank Creer Memorial Fund, UMFA2019.6.1
Composition Inspired by Chiura Obata’s Outside Topaz
Composed by Scott BiglerPerformed by Sarah Mair
Outside Topaz
Chiura Obata 小圃 千浦, Japanese American, 1885–1975, Outside Topaz, 1943, Watercolor on paper, Purchased with funds from the John and Helen Jarman Family Fund, UMFA2024.9.1
Compositions Inspired by Tacita Dean’s JG (Offset)
Composed by Caleb Martin“At Rest.” performed by Kaylee Smith“At Last!” performed by Dorian Dillon
JG (offset)
Tacita Dean, British, born 1965, JG (offset), 2013, Set of 14 offset lithographs on paper, Purchased with funds from the Phyllis Cannon Wattis Endowment Fund and the Paul L. and Phyllis C. Wattis Fund, UMFA2014.7.1A–N
Composition Inspired by Ruth D. Coleman’s Untitled (Smiling Women)
Composed by Nelson LeducPerformed by Aeryn Cousineau and Anneli Abbott
(Untitled) Smiling WOmen
Ruth D. Coleman, American, 1904/05–1989, Untitled (Smiling Women), circa 1950s–1960s, Gelatin silver print on paper, Purchased with funds from Dr. James E. and Debra Pearl, UMFA2001.1.14
Meet the Composers:
The University Composer’s Collective (UCC) is a student-run organization that is dedicated to creating more opportunities for performances and professional development for composers starting out their careers at the University of Utah. Advised by Dr. Jessica Rudman and Dr. Miguel Chuaqui, the UCC has collaborated with other student organizations as well as professional performers. Recent collaborations include a Pierrot (+Percussion) Ensemble concert with new works, and an evening of new opera scenes performed by Opera Contempo. The UCC has collaborated with the Student Opera Guild, the University of Utah Crimson Harps, and various student string quartets. In addition to these performance opportunities, the UCC also hosts workshops on how to write for various instruments, most recently the harp and the organ.
Dawn Marie Wells is a soprano studying vocal performance and music theory at the University of Utah with Professor Julie Wright-Costa. She has played the Mother in Hansel and Gretel, and looks forward to playing Madam Flora in The Medium. She loves composing and hopes to eventually write an opera.
Donna Gibbons is an accomplished Utah-based composer, keyboardist, and vocalist with a multi-decade career spanning progressive rock, pop, and New Age/Epic music. She has backed KANSAS, toured with Frank Zappa alumnus Ike Willis, and directed at the School of Rock for 14 years. Under Resonance Artistry, she continues to compose boundary-pushing music and is excited to showcase one of her latest pieces at the Sight and Sound Exhibition.
Monica Mendoza is a composer and flutist from Salinas CA. Monica is working on her PhD in Composition at the University of Utah and is the winner of the 2025-26 Steve Roens Prize for composition. Her work has been featured at Electronic Music Midwest and SEAMUS.
Sadie Olsen is a composer who writes for classical voice with a focus on opera. Sadie is currently getting her undergraduate degree in music composition from the University of Utah. Her work focuses on themes of gender, sexuality, and love. Sadie often arranges her own text from older literary works.
Scott Bigler is a composer and pianist who has studied at the University of Utah. Always of a more sensitive temperament, Scott finds refuge in music as a space where he can express his innermost feelings to the world. He aspires to be a film and media composer.
Utah-based composer Caleb Martin is best known for his vocal writing, from barbershop to art song to pop. A devoted student of the styles he adores, he writes music dense with delicious detail. He is currently writing a series on Utah’s myths, from pioneer seagull miracles to Uinta Basin UFOs.
Nelson LeDuc earned his Bachelor of Music in Composition in May of this year and is grateful to be included in this program. He was deeply moved by the joy expressed by the women in this photograph, particularly in light of the dangers they must have faced during this time.
Meet the Performers:
The Student Opera Guild at the University of Utah is a student-led organization that provides learning and performing opportunities for aspiring opera singers at the School of Music. The guild is advised by Professor James Bobick and operates independently from the School of Music’s robust Opera Program. Recent projects include a concert performance in collaboration with the University Composers Collective and a FAF Grant-sponsored masterclass series with world-renowned opera singers, conductors, and directors.
The pianist for the evening will be Dr. Carol Anderson.
Emelia Hartford is a Senior BA in Music. She originally hails from Seattle. Most recently, she was in The Tenderland and covered the Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel at the University of Utah. This year she is covering Frasquita in Carmen and singing Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium.
Mezzo-soprano and DMA student Mandi Barrus focuses on partnering with composers and artists of all disciplines to make new works come to life. She has premiered the roles of Artemis in Jessica Rudman’s Protectress and Nature in Anthony Buck’s Le Roman de Silence, and looks forward to premiering the role of Nana in Lisa Neher’s The Velveteen Rabbit this Christmas.
Nahal Falahatimarvast is a lyric coloratura soprano, studying under renowned mezzo-soprano Kirstin Chávez. She has appeared in several productions with UOpera, including Amahl and the Night Visitors, Die Fledermaus, and La Bohème. Her recent role with Uopera was “Sandman” in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and her future role will be “Frasquita” in Bizet’s Carmen in December 2026.
Sarah Mair is known for her emotional depth and her love of new music. Sarah is currently pursuing her Master of Music in Voice Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Utah, where she continues to pursue her passion for new music and performance.
Kaylee Smith is a soprano from North Salt Lake who lives for drama and connection when it comes to performing. She is pursuing her master’s in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Utah. She received her Bachelor of Music from Snow College. She previously performed the role of Madame Herz in Mozart’s “Der Schauspieldirektor” and Papagena in “Die Zauberflöte.”
Dorian Dillon is a 4th-year Vocal Performance and Trombone Performance major at the University of Utah. She has a deep love for the world of Art, performing Opera, Musical Theater, and symphonic works, and has a background in ballet and ballroom dancing. This year, she looks forward to performing as Morales in Bizet’s Carmen with the University of Utah.
Aeryn Cousineau is a junior in the vocal performance program at the University of Utah. This year, she will cover the role of Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte and the soprano in the jazz trio in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti. She is excited for the opportunity to debut this piece by Nelson LeDuc.
Anneli Abbott is a freshman mezzo from Houston, who participated in the All-State competitions through her sophomore year. She then moved to Utah where she won 1st place in several competitions, including UVO Future of Opera, NATS, Sterling Scholar, and Schmidt. She was accepted and offered scholarships into New England Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music, but ultimately decided to study with Kirstin Chàvez at the U.
Header Image: A sight and sound performance at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 2021.
Recorded location: UMFA, 410 Campus Center Dr, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112 · Salt Lake City · UT
Listed price: Not yet listed
When: Oct 28, 2026, 06:00 PM MDT – Oct 28, 2026, 07:00 PM MDT
Listed dates & links
- Oct 28, 2026, 06:00 PM MDT – Oct 28, 2026, 07:00 PM MDTEvent details ↗
Still gathering: address, price.