Sixteen-year-old Ian Will Receive His Make-A-Wish for a Tuba at Utah Symphony Dress Rehearsal

PRESS RELEASE


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Krachel Greenwood,
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah
(801) 884-9024
Hilarie Ashton,
Utah Symphony | Utah Opera
(801) 335-9387

Sixteen-year-old Ian Will Receive His Wish for a Tuba
at Utah Symphony Dress Rehearsal

WHAT: Ian, 16, will be granted his wish to have a tuba

WHERE: Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

WHEN: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 9:50 am

WHO: Make-A-Wish® kid Ian

On Tuesday, May 24th, 2011 at 9:50 am, 16-year-old wish kid Ian, of Orem, will receive his wish for a brand new tuba. Ian, who has Hodgkin’s lymphoma, has been playing the tuba since 7th grade. His mom says he plays the tuba every day, and that it identifies him. On Tuesday, May 24th, Ian and his family will arrive at Abravanel Hall under the assumption that they have been invited to watch a dress rehearsal for the Symphony’s upcoming performance. Utah Symphony Associate Conductor David Cho will take a break from rehearsal at approximately 9:50 a.m. to let Ian come on stage, where he will be presented with his tuba and tickets to the Utah Symphony performance that night. The orchestra members will all remain on stage for the presentation. Ian’s friends/family will be watching from the first tier audience seats of the hall. During the presentation Ian will also be given ten tickets for free admission to the Symphony’s performance on Tuesday night. Once the presentation is complete, Ian will be invited backstage to personally meet and talk with Utah Symphony’s principal tuba player, Gary Ofenloch.

For planning purposes, the actual presentation should not run more than about five minutes. Members of the media are asked to meet at the glass doors at the mouth of the alley west of Abravanel hall, just behind the ticket office, and will then be directed to the auditorium.

ABOUT THE MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF UTAH

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. With the help of generous donors and volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah granted 137 wishes last year. Located in its facility in Murray, A Wishing Place, the Foundation offers a quality wish experience that includes a magical wish-making ceremony in the Wishing Tower, special wish tokens to throw in a wish fountain, and plenty of room for wish-granting celebrations. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit www.utah.wish.org.



ABOUT UTAH SYMPHONY | UTAH OPERA

Utah Symphony | Utah Opera is dedicated to providing Utah residents and visitors with great performances which engage, educate and enrich lives. The Utah Symphony, which performs at Abravanel Hall, and Utah Opera, which performs at the Capitol Theatre, reach 450,000 citizens in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving more than 200,000 students annually. The organization employs 60 staff and 83 full-time musicians, presenting four full operas and more than 70 symphony performances in each regular season as well as a summer season at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. For more information please visit www.usuo.org.

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