About Us
The Uintah Basin Orchestra and Chorus was created to meet the needs of both the musicians in our community and the community as a whole. Performers receive the benefit of being able to participate in something they love, and patrons enjoy the magnificent sights and sounds of high quality music and dance at our annual Christmas and Springtime concerts. Our community is enriched by the cultural development that occurs when the arts have a place in our lives.
Our Story
In 2012, Dr. Boyd Edwards had just moved to Vernal, Utah as the Dean and Director of Utah State University Uintah Basin. He saw a great deal of musical potential in his new rural home, and he wanted to create something extraordinary here–he wanted to organize a full orchestra and chorus that could perform the music he loved and missed. He was a musician without a stage, just like so many other musicians who work and live in rural areas, but he was not without the means to build a forum for exceptional music. In addition to being an inspiration to Dr. Edwards, Dr. Craig Jessop, the Dean of the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University and former musical director of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, was both a childhood friend and a colleague. He encouraged Dr. Edwards to pursue his dream, and promised him that if he could pull it off, Dr. Jessop would be a guest conductor for his new organization. He put him in contact with then Head of the Music Department at USU, Dr. Michael Bankhead, and, with time and effort, the two of them put together a plan to turn one musician’s dream into the passion of a talented team of musicians and prominent community leaders. In December 2013, after a whirlwind of planning, organizing, auditioning, and rehearsing, The Uintah Basin Orchestra and Chorus performed its first concert in front of a completely filled auditorium. Dr. Edwards became UBOC’s first Board Chair, and Dr. Bankhead became its first Artistic Director.
Our Story Since 2013
With the help of countless volunteers, talented musicians, community leaders, and world-renowned conductors, UBOC has created outstanding music for our patrons. We’ve added a youth orchestra, a children’s choir, and Christmas dancers to our line-up. Most of our Christmas concerts have been performed before sold-out audiences. Many members of our community have discovered a love and passion they didn’t know they could have for music and the arts. Dr. Edwards’ dream has become a beautiful and elevating reality for the people of the Uintah Basin. There have been many spectacular happenings for our organization, but one of the most memorable occurred in the Spring of 2015, when Dr. Craig Jessop not only kept his promise to be a guest conductor for UBOC, but also brought along his friend, world renowned composer and conductor of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Mack Wilberg.
Our Enduring Gratitude
UBOC will be forever grateful to Dr. Boyd Edwards, Dr. Michael Bankhead, and Lyn Bankhead. Though they no longer fill the roles they once did, their passion for music, along with their love, work, and sacrifice for our benefit, has left behind a beautiful musical legacy.
Our Mission
The Uintah Basin Orchestra and Chorus fosters growth of the arts in the community through high-quality musical performances.
Our Vision
The Uintah Basin Orchestra and Chorus is a premier musical organization in the Uintah Basin. The professional concerts are directed by nationally and internationally acclaimed directors with the purpose of enhancing the lives of the members of our community.
Get Involved
The Uintah Basin Orchestra and Chorus is an organization built by a community that has a passion for beautiful music. The music we create could not exist without the musicians who live and work in the Uintah Basin, nor could it exist without the generous people who support our endeavor with donations of money and time. Whether you would like to perform alongside our musicians, or support us in some other way, please join with us in creating something extraordinary for the Uintah Basin.