Maestro Markus Poschner is ready to make his debut as Utah Symphony Music Director Designate during the 2026 Deer Valley Music Festival that runs July 17 through Aug. 15.
“The Deer Valley Music Festival gives us a perfect opportunity to get in touch with new audiences, with young audiences, with every part of our society,” he said in a press release. “This aligns with my personal philosophy of what a symphony orchestra should be.”
Poschner, who was named the symphony’s music director in 2024, is slated to conduct two performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 — known as “Ode to Joy” — on July 17 and 18 at the Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater.
He will also conduct a program that features Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” and welcomes back Grammy Award-winning string trio, Time for Three, who will perform a concerto written specifically for the group by Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer Kevin Puts on July 25.
“It’s the perfect environment to perform the great masterworks — there’s so much inspiration,” Poschner said of Deer Valley Resort.
In addition, Poschner will direct the first of four Deer Valley Music Festival chamber orchestra concerts on July 22 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. That performance will be an all-Mozart program including the “Jupiter” Symphony. The concert will also feature Utah Symphony Concertmaster Madeline Adkins for Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 2.
This year’s festival, which has become the Utah Symphony’s summer home over the decades, is composed of orchestral masterpieces, Broadway hits and headliner artists, according to the press release.
Those performances include Broadway singers performing the complete musical, “Chicago,” conducted by Rob Fisher. And speaking of Broadway, Tony Award-winning singer, Idina Menzel, known for originating the role of Elphaba in “Wicked,” returns for a night of works on Aug. 8 that includes works from that production as well as her other roles in “Rent” and Disney’s “Frozen.”
Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Chris Botti will also return to the festival on Aug. 1.
Another Grammy Award winner, Lyle Lovett, who has four, will perform his blend of singing and storytelling with the symphony, conducted by Jason Seber on July 31.
The Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater concerts will conclude with The Music of Celine Dion, featuring vocalist Olivia Valli and conducted by Brent Havens, on Aug. 15.
The chamber concerts at St. Mary’s Catholic Church will include a program titled “Mozart, Prokofiev & More,” conducted by Micah Gleason, on July 29, “Haydn, Mendelssohn & A Viola Concerto,” featuring Utah Symphony Principal Violist Brant Bayless, conducted by Maurice Cohn, on Aug. 5. That concert will also include Bayless performing Dai Fujikura’s imaginative concerto Wayfinder, inspired by Polynesian navigation traditions.
The chamber concerts will conclude Aug. 12, with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, conducted by Louis Lohraseb and performed by soprano Erica Petrocelli, an Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award winner.
In addition, the Deer Valley Music Festival will feature free pop-up performances throughout the summer. Those events will be announced as scheduled at deervalleymusicfestival.org.
Individual tickets for the Deer Valley Music Festival will go on sale April 29. Subscription packages and groups tickets are on sale now and may be purchased four ways — online at utahsymphony.org or deervalleymusicfestival.org; through the USUO mobile app, by phone by calling 801-533-NOTE or in person at the Abravanel Hall box office, 123 W South Temple in Salt Lake City.
VIP packages for the Deer Valley Music Festival are also available. These packages help support Utah Symphony | Utah Opera’s mission to connect the community through great live music, and benefits include premier seating, parking passes and invitations to special events, including a summer gala with Music Director Designate Markus Poschner on July 17.
For information, call 801-869-9015, email [email protected], or visit deervalleymusicfestival.org/tickets/vip-packages/.
The Utah Symphony’s 2026 Deer Valley Music Festival Main State Schedule
All performances held at the Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater, 2250 Deer Valley Drive S.
Beethoven’s Ninth
Friday, July 17, 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 18, 7:30 p.m.
- Markus Poschner, conductor
- Jacquelyn Wagner, soprano
- Camille Sherman, mezzo-soprano
- Robert Stahley, tenor
- Zachary Nelson, baritone
- Utah Symphony Chorus, directed by Austin Mcwilliams
- Utah Symphony
Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite & String Trio Time for Three
Saturday, July 25, 7:30 p.m.
- Markus Poschner, conductor
- Time for Three, string trio
- Utah Symphony
Lyle Lovett
Friday, July 31, 7:30 p.m.
- Jason Seber, conductor
- Lyle Lovett, vocalist
- Utah Symphony
Chris Botti
Saturday, Aug. 1, 7:30 p.m.
- Chris Botti, trumpet
- Utah Symphony
‘Chicago the Musical’ in Concert
Friday, Aug. 7, 7:30 p.m.
- Rob Fisher, conductor
- Utah Symphony
Idina Menzel
Saturday, Aug. 8, 7:30 p.m.
- Idina Menzel, vocalist
- Utah Symphony
The Music of Celine Dion
Saturday, Aug. 15, 7:30 p.m.
- Brent Havens, conductor
- Olivia Valli, vocalist
- Utah Symphony
The Utah Symphony’s 2026 Deer Valley Music Festival Chamber Orchestra Series
All performances held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 1505 White Pine Canyon Rd.
Mozart’s ‘Jupiter’ & Violin Concerto No. 2
Wednesday, July 22, 8 p.m.
- Markus Poschner, conductor
- Madeline Adkins, violin
- Utah Symphony
Mozart, Prokofiev, & More
Wednesday, July 29, 8 p.m.
- Micah Gleason, conductor
- Utah Symphony
Haydn, Mendelssohn, & A Viola Concerto
Wednesday, Aug. 5, 8 p.m.
- Maurice Cohn, conductor
- Brant Bayless, viola
- Utah Symphony
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7
Wednesday, Aug. 12, 8 p.m.
- Louis Lohraseb, conductor
- Erica Petrocelli, soprano
- Utah Symphony