Chapter 4: Utah

“Lots of Mormons. Beautiful place.”

That was the summary I got about the state from everyone before my trip, Utah locals included. Surely, there’s more to the state than that? I would ask non-LDS Utah friends questions: “Where do Mormons hang out besides church? What’s it like on the Ute Tribe reservation land (which takes up a big chunk of the state)?” “Dunno.”

It was a tough trip in more ways than one. I decided to travel totally alone for this one, and also spend as much time as possible running through these wild, exotic, wondrous landscapes. The brutal, dry desert heat drained me, and I had to act smart to conserve energy for concerts. The van reached temperatures of 130+ while in southwest Utah, and some of my gear started malfunctioning. A lot of concerts were poorly attended; I found that because the church and nuclear family are so important to LDS, there is not a culture of nurturing secular public community gathering spaces - which is where Gather Hear thrives.

Almost by chance, I realized there is a large Japanese American internment camp site in Topaz, Utah. As a Japanese immigrant, I felt I had to go. In a barren landscape in the middle of nowhere, with the sun beating down and relentless mosquitos attacking me, I felt in my skin and bones what it means to be a first generation Japanese-American. Later, I spent a day visiting and performing for the students on the Ute Tribe reservation’s high school, and was struck by the generational trauma these young adults so clearly carried.

All in all, it was a lonely trip. But because of music, I was given access to so many spaces around Utah. Host families welcomed me, and kindly, patiently answered my questions about the LDS faith and lifestyle without judgment or pressure on my own beliefs. A recently widowed woman stumbled upon my concert by chance, and wept through the entire performance in the front row of a mostly empty theater, emailing me afterwards how much she needed this music. The land was as majestic and inspiring as promised. In the end, I came to realize the complexity of the cultures and history that inhabit this land. The bloody taking of indigenous lands by LDS settlers, the often derided LDS people holding this state as their oasis, the increasing population of non-LDS people moving to Utah for its access to outdoor recreation, and how those different layers all interact…or most often, don’t interact, and the tension between it all. I am grateful, once again, for the chance to intimately get to know people and places through music.

Special thanks to Gather Hear Utah’s partner organization, Mundi Project and their incredibly hardworking, generous, kind staff.

With additional funding from WESTAF, Utah Division of Arts & Museums, and many individual contributions from people like you. “Piano Hot Springs,” a composition for Utah tour was written by Elisabet Curbelo with funding from New Music USA.

8/29 Salt Lake Oasis at Sugar Space Arts Warehouse [SLC] · 8/30 Kearns Library · 9/2 WhySound [Logan] · 9/3 Van Sessions [Ogden] · 9/3 NEXT Ensemble at PLATFORMS [Ogden] · 9/6 Electric Theater [St. George] · 9/7 Beryl Community Center · 9/8 Main Street Books [Cedar City] · 9/10 Sweetwater Kitchen [Boulder] · 9/11 Hearthspace Plaza [Moab] · 9/13 Blanding Library · 9/15 Uintah River High School [Fort Duchesne] · 9/15 Uintah County Library [Vernal] · 9/16 Price City Peace Garden · 9/18 Alliance Theater [SLC]