Founded in 1982, Park City's Beethoven Festival is Utah's oldest classical music festival, having presented over 635 concerts over the first 29 years. Founded by violist Leslie Harlow and co-Directed by acclaimed clarinetist Russell Harlow, the Festival brings together outstanding classical soloists to perform chamber music for intimate audiences. The Festival presents four seasonal concert series - the most extensive occurs for five to six weeks each summer with an average of three to four performances each week.
Artists from around the world perform for concerts in beautiful homes, free chamber music concerts in City Park, and "Artist Showcase" concerts at Temple Har Shalom and the Park City Community Church. Park City, Utah, makes for a stunning backdrop for these acclaimed performances. Each concert is designed to appeal to first time concertgoers as well as chamber music afficionados, with a variety of instrumental combinations and contrasting styles within the classical vein.
The Beethoven Festival is presented by the Park City Chamber Music Society, a 501-c-3 non profit organization. The concerts are sponsored by grants from the George S. and Dolores Dore´Eccles Foundation, the Summit County Restaurant Tax Fund, the Summit County RAP Tax Fund, the Utah Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts, the Park City Chamber of Commerce, and, for the concerts presented in Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake County ZAP Fund.
