About Us

Corbin Johnston, Utah Symphony Associate Principal Bassist, was named Artistic Director in 2004. His tenure was distinguished by a broad range of projects further connecting NOVA to the local community and to audiences farther afield. In 2007, NOVA took a leading role in organizing Music for the End of Time: Olivier Messiaen in Utah, a collaboration with numerous arts organizations of Salt Lake City commemorating Messiaen’s historic 1972 visit to Utah. 2007 also marked the establishment of a string quartet residency featuring the Fry Street Quartet, resident artists at the Caine College of Arts at Utah State University. NOVA’s 30th anniversary season began with a commission from University of Utah’s Morris Rosenzweig and the series’ first commercial recording. In addition, the season expanded from five to six concerts, with occasional repeat performances at BYU and Snow College. The NOVA Music Project, an educational concert series for children, was introduced in 2005.

In 2009, Utah Symphony Pianist Jason Hardink was appointed Artistic Director. Under his leadership, the series deepened relationships with Utah composers while broadening NOVA’s profile nationally through commissions and recordings of works by composers Curtis Curtis-Smith, Jason Eckardt, and Michael Ellison. Over the following decade, NOVA would feature collaborations with Utah Symphony Music Director Thierry Fischer, soprano Celena Shafer, and the PLAN-B Theatre Company. The NOVA Gallery Series, performed in the intimacy of local art galleries and expanding NOVA’s presence to new neighborhoods in Salt Lake City and Park City, was added to NOVA’s schedule in 2013.

In 2017, NOVA celebrated its 40th anniversary with a subscription series featuring a world premiere on each concert— six newly-commissioned works in all. The Fry Street String Quartet returned to the NOVA Gallery Series performing the full cycle of Bartók’s string quartets. Most ambitiously, NOVA presented American Visionary: The Music of Michael Hersch, a three-day festival devoted to evening-length works by the American composer, including a fully-staged production of his opera, On the Threshold of Winter.

In response to continued growth and audience support, NOVA restructured its management model in 2017 to achieve three goals: further increase the diversity of its programming, expand audience outreach initiatives to reach marginalized and underrepresented communities within the region, and maintain NOVA’s identity as an artist-run organization. As part of this restructuring, NOVA leadership and artists will select a new Music Director each year to curate the season programming. On November 15, 2017, Utah Symphony Concertmaster Madeline Adkins was selected as the first Guest Music Director under this new model. The eight concerts of NOVA’s 41st Season, curated by Adkins, featured classical chamber music from a diverse range of composers— including nine women— representing 10 countries on three continents.

On May 19, 2019, NOVA announced its 2019/20 Chamber Music Series, curated by the Fry Street String Quartet. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the final concerts of the season were canceled, and NOVA announced that it would continue to bring classical music to the community through a series of virtual performances. At the first of these online concerts, on April 19, 2020, Board President Hillary Hahn announced that the Fry Street Quartet would continue to curate the NOVA Chamber Music Series through the 2021/22 Season.

On October 25, 2020, NOVA hosted the world premiere of Rising Tide, a feature-length multimedia concert film from The Crossroads Project. Rising Tide uses art, photography, and classical music—including a newly-composed string quartet by Laura Kaminsky—to explore humanity’s impact on the planet and ask what we as individuals can do to mitigate the effects of climate change and pollution.

The Fry Street Quartet remained Music Directors through the 2023-2024 season, and championed the programming of American Music. Commissions and premieres during this time include works by composers Gabriela Lena Frank (2023), Nicholas Benavides (2023), Laura Kaminsky (2024), Miguel Chuaqui (2023), Akshaya Tucker (2024) , and Aida Shirazi (2024).

In 2024, Dr. Kimi Kawashima became the Artistic Director, working in collaboration with the Fry Street Quartet who are NOVA's Artistic Partners and Quartet-in-Residence. Both the Libby Gardner Series and Gallery Series celebrate the rich canon of chamber repertoire as well as promoting the works of living composers. Looking ahead, NOVA will continue to enrich Salt Lake City audiences and community with innovative and diverse classical chamber music.