The Murray Symphony is celebrating a remarkable milestone: 50 years of uniting the community through the power of music. Originally started as the Holladay Pops Symphony Orchestra in 1975, the symphony has offered affordable, family-friendly concerts while allowing musicians to use their talents and perform in a supportive environment. 

Michelle Willis is the Murray Symphony’s music and artistic director. She started with the organization in 2018 as assistant director, playing strings, brass and percussion instruments. She took over as director in 2022 and loves the fellowship of musicians who show up to practice and perform together. 

“Even though not all of the members in the Murray Symphony live in Murray, we’re all from surrounding areas and we’re very invested in our community,” Willis said. “A lot of times, if we played in high school or college, if we don’t do it as a profession, it disappears. This allows everybody to get back into what they used to do and collaborate with their fellow musicians and enjoy that music-making experience again.”

As director, Willis finds creative ways to engage musicians and audiences in collaborations. The upcoming Murray Symphony performance “Masterworks” is scheduled for April 26 at Hillcrest Junior High (178 E. 5300 South). 

Working with visual art teachers in the Murray School District, Willis has arranged for students to listen to the music that will be performed in April and create art pieces based on what they hear. The pieces include Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 1” and “Rienzi” by Joseph Wagner.

“The students will create artwork that will not only be in the lobby, but when we’re playing the pieces, there’s going to be a slideshow of their work based on what they listen to,” Willis said. 

As a teacher at Early Light Academy in South Jordan, it’s important to Willis to incorporate some type of educational element with each performance. Whether it’s including dancers, soloists or artists, she wants students to interact with music in a way that’s meaningful to them. 

“These students that are doing music now will be our next generation of symphony members,” she said. “We want to keep that connection strong and to know we’re here for them. That’s why we exist.”

In another partnership, symphony member and composer Michael Packham was commissioned by the symphony to create a piece called “The Great Salt Lake: A Tone Poem for Orchestra.” The work covers the history of the Great Salt Lake from Lake Bonneville to its current plight. The six-section piece will be performed during the Murray Symphony’s concert in June. 

“I feel strongly about the demise of the Great Salt Lake and what we can do to rejuvenate it so I wanted to write something to motivate people to care more about the lake,” Packham said. “For listeners and performers, I treated their needs equally. I wanted a piece that would be fun for my colleagues to play and a piece that would be fun for the audience to listen to. It’s profound in some sections and just fun in others.”

As the Murray Symphony embarks on its next 50 years, Willis is excited to bring new music and experiences to members and audiences. She encourages musicians to come play with the non-auditioned group to continue their musical journey. 

“We have people that have been here for 30-plus years, and a lady that recently retired a few years ago who started from the very beginning,” Willis said. “We’ve gotten so much interest that we’ve had people drive hours to come and be with us and perform. It was something they loved so much that they were willing to make the drive.”

For information about upcoming concerts, tickets, volunteering, donations or playing with the Murray Symphony, visit MurraySymphony.org. λ