Eclectic Lineup for Utah Presents
By Dwayne A Vance
Utah Presents has assembled a veritable cornucopia of cultural and artistic events covering a broad range of genres, views, and styles at very affordable prices. Based in Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah, it utilizes a variety of venues both on and off campus, allowing performances to be matched with an appropriate venue.
Executive Director Brooke Ellen Horejsi explains, “Our mission is focused on bringing in a unique roster of artists that are here to not only entertain us with their shows, but to also engage with the community while they are here.” These community engagements take many forms, including direct interactions with university students on campus, reaching out to local elementary students, workshops, dinners, and more.
“One thing that’s really important to us is that our season represents a diversity of artists, not just in genre, but in a diversity of voices,” explains Horejsi. “It is important to us that we are offering a season of artists that represents the diversity of our own audience base that is shifting dramatically.” Mission accomplished! The upcoming season includes a show about a lawsuit, history lessons from a drag queen, world music and dance, and even children’s performances.
“Unfortunately, I think as a society we have gotten less and less curious, and we are more and more risk adverse, especially when it comes to what we are willing to experience culturally or artistically,” continues Horejsi. “So we have no problem paying $100 to go see a concert of an artist we hear on the radio all the time because we know what we are going to get. I encourage people to be curious and go beyond their comfort zone; come check out something unfamiliar and maybe you will find that you like it.”
Please visit utahpresents.org for the full calendar and ticket information.
