Utah Classical Music of the Past
Gallery of new recordings of old music - for the curious or the studious
Utah Classical Music of the Past
Gallery of new recordings of old music - for the curious or the studious
This site is focused on composers active from the 1850s to the 1950s for the very big reason that music composed after that time period is probably or certainly still under copyright protection, making it problematic to share their music – depending on a few factors. You may – and probably should – still look into some of the newer knights of notes, even though we generally can’t post their music here. But we can and are happy to post links to their own sites, or to other sites where there is often some music to be heard. Of course, calling them the “NEW” crew is all relative. Quite a few who were at the top of their careers from the years 1950 to 2025 are gone now, but new talent is always joining the field.
One way to delve into the newer composers is by their associations with colleges. There are many other independent composers too, but music is often collaborative, so colleges are rich ground to start looking. As a podium full of potential standouts, here are a few of the newer composers who just might be new to you too, or could even your next favorites. No ranking here except in a very general chronological order for each school. The following lists are not meant to be comprehensive. Just some links to creative modern composers who were not generally included in the other pages of lists on this site.
Kurt Bestor — Shines in many styles from classical to jazz/pop, film and dance scores, and his crossover appeal is strong. He is also a big advocate of music education and collaborations.
Kelly Joe Richardson — Fiddler, and composer of scores and more(s.) Genki.
Rock Oakeson (1953 – 2022) — Utah native who also had a music career in other states, known for his tuneful light classical works.
Lisa DeSpain — This Utah native frequently collaborates and/or teaches masterclasses in her home state, but now is headquartered in NYC. I was at the premiere of her mini-opera written for Utah Opera for a major anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad at the train station in Ogden, and loved it!
Robert Allen Elliott — Composer of scores of scores for TV and film, currently working out of Kaysville, Utah?
Devin Maxwell — Park City based composer of acoustic & electronic music.
Jeff Manookian (1953 – 2021) — Sheet music for dozens of his works are available free online. (See more in his listing on the “Vocals” page of this site.)
A.W. “Mickey” Hart (1905 – 2007) — (See more in his listing on the “Vocals” page of this site.)
Marie Barker Nelson (1926 – 2018)
Vladimir Ussachevsky (1911 – 1990)
Ned Rorem (1923 – 2022) (visiting professor for a few years)
Henry Wolking (this link might give a security warning, but it was safe to visit for me)
Phillip Bimstein (check out his glorious “Garland Hirschi’s Cows”)
Merrill Bradshaw (1929 – 2000)
Leroy J. Robertson (1896 – 1971)
Clair W. Johnson (1902 – 1985)
Roy Harris (1898 – 1979) — Once considered the most important composer of symphonies in America, he was a guest at USU around 1948-1949.
