Summit County Public Art Board & Utah Symphony’s Deer Valley Music Festival Unite to Present Art Piano Pop-Up Community Concerts with the Utah Symphony Youth Guild
The Summit County Public Art Advisory Board (“SCPAAB”) and Utah Symphony’s Deer Valley Music Festival are excited to present Art Pianos for All Pop-Up Community Concerts featuring an artist from Utah Symphony Youth Guild. These concerts will be held in multiple locations throughout Eastern Summit County on the afternoon of September 18th and will be free and open to the public! Masks must be worn and social distancing rules must be followed. These concerts will also be available to view on the Arts Council’s Facebook Live and recorded by a professional videographer. The goal of this concert series is to bring accessible, high caliber music to our community in a safe way using the Art Pianos for All program as the vehicle.
When the Utah Symphony Deer Valley Music Festival was canceled this summer due to the impacts of COVID-19, the SCPAAB decided the annual pop-up performance was especially needed to create vibrancy and lift people’s spirits in a time where we have been longing for live music and performance. They held pop-up performances in surprise locations around Summit County with adult performers from the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera this past July, but they wanted to invite members of the youth guild to perform as well.
The Summit County Public Art Advisory Board is so excited to have 14 year-old Megan Tandar from the Utah Symphony Youth Program performing this September. Megan will be performing at two locations on September 18th. First on the calendar is the Pop-Up Community Concert on the grass in front of Coalville City Hall from 12pm noon to 12:30pm with the "Love A-Fair" Art Piano painted by Camille Vernon and housed at Coalville City Hall. Then, at 1:30pm, Megan will head over to the Kamas Valley Library Branch and perform outside in the back parking lot area on the new Summit County art piano, painted by Michael Calles and housed in the Kamas Valley Branch library. At both locations there will be chairs set up six feet apart for audience members to come enjoy the show. Please remember to wear your mask and follow social distancing guidelines.
Both performances will feature Utah Symphony Youth Guild member, Megan Tandar. Megan has received many accolades, including first place in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Piano Concerto Competition in 2017, first place in the Steinway Competition in 2018, and first place in the Paderewski Competition in 2017 and 2018. In 2016, 2017 and 2019, Megan was selected to perform in the Utah Symphony Youth Guild recital and at Symphony Guild LobbyFest in consecutive years from 2016-2019. Recently, she was selected as one of ten participants in the 2019 Gina Bachauer International Piano Festival. At age 10, Megan was chosen to perform as a soloist with the Utah Symphony in their annual Salute to Youth concert. This year Megan performed again with the Utah Symphony playing the Mendelssohn Double Violin and Piano Concerto, third movement with Ellen Hayashi, violinist.
As a collaborative pianist, Megan has been playing chamber music for the past three years. Megan regularly performs in recitals, recently as soloist with Gina Bachauer International Music Foundation with their Music In Schools program in 2018-2019, the German-American Society of Utah, the University of Utah Hospital, and private concerts in homes in the community.
Megan will be performing on two of the seven Summit County Art Pianos For All. Art Pianos for All is a program managed by the Summit County Public Art Board, which seeks to bring back the piano as a centerpiece of music, community, art and fun in Summit County, UT. Artist decorated pianos are placed in public areas to be played and enjoyed by all.
Mark your calendars for the afternoon of September 18th for these free, public performances and hear guest artist Megan Tandar from Utah Symphony Youth Guild share her talents on Summit County Art Pianos for All.