The Arts at USU: April 2025 Events Preview

April at Utah State University brings an array of performances and exhibitions across music, theater and the arts. Experience the talent and creativity of students and faculty in a variety of engaging events throughout the month. Read below for more details about these coming events, and subscribe to the weekly events reminder email.

Jazz Kicks

April 1, 7:30 p.m.

Morgan Theatre

Jazz Kicks Band is a 17-piece band playing exciting jazz music, featuring accomplished musicians from Northern Utah.

Free for USU students, faculty and staff.

Organ Area Student Recital

April 3, 6 & 7:30 p.m.

Daines Concert Hall

Come experience the majesty and power of the organ in the beautiful Daines Concert Hall! Dedicated and talented student performers will showcase pieces from their semester-long studies with our incredible organ faculty.

BFA Capstone Exhibition

April 7–16, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Tippetts & Eccles Galleries

Seniors in the Art + Design Bachelor of Fine Arts program at Utah State University will present their works during a capstone exhibition. The show includes drawing & painting, photography, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, and art education. The work in the exhibition represents a culmination of refined skills, ideas, and perspectives that took students several years to develop and master.

This exhibition is free and open to the public and runs April 7–16 in the Tippetts & Eccles Galleries, located in the Chase Fine Arts Center, open Monday–Friday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Guitar Ensembles

April 7, 7:30 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

A long-standing tradition in the CCA, the Guitar Ensembles Concert will feature pieces played on both electric and acoustic guitars. USU guitar students will explore genres that range from classical to jazz, from folk music to straight up rock n’ roll, bringing a unique and varied sound to the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall.

Free for USU students, faculty and staff.

Caine Ensembles

April 8, 7:30 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

The Caine Ensembles concert, presented twice a year, showcases some of USU's finest musicians. Come enjoy top-tier chamber music performed by the Caine Brass Quintet, Caine Percussion Ensemble, Caine Saxophone Quartet, Caine String Quartet, and Caine Woodwind Quintet.

Jazz Bands

April 9, 7:30 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

Join us for an unforgettable night of jazz with Chuck Owen, a multiple GRAMMY-nominated composer and conductor. Chuck will lead the performance, featuring his original music and directing several pieces. USU guitar professor Corey Christiansen will perform as the guest soloist.

Chuck Owen, a leader in jazz education, has composed for the WDR Big Band and Metropole Orkest, and is the founding President of the International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers. Don’t miss this incredible performance!

Free for USU students, faculty and staff.

Cache Wind Symphony

April 10, 7:30 p.m.

Daines Concert Hall

Concerts are part of the band’s large ensemble curriculum. As capstone events, they typically occur twice per semester. Participation in these events is a significant component of students’ grades, and the concerts are the culmination of several weeks of classroom rehearsals. All concerts are associated with one or more of the following band ensembles: MUSC 4700 Wind Orchestra, MUSC 3795 Wind Symphony, MUSC 3790 Symphonic Band, and MUSC 3785 Marching Band.

Opera Double-bill: "L’Enfant et les sortilèges & Rusalka" (Act 3)

April 10 & 12, 7:30 p.m.

Morgan Theatre

USU Opera Theatre will close their 2024-2025 season with a fun multi-part program of opera and musical theatre favorites highlighting all our students with two full programs produced over three nights April 10-12, at 7:30 in the Morgan Theatre.

On April 10 & 12 we will present what we could best be described as an “Opera Creature Feature double-bill”. On this program we will perform all of Ravel’s comedic one-act opera L’Enfant et les sortilèges followed by the final act of Dvorák's tragic retelling of the classic Little Mermaid story in his opera Rusalka.

L’Enfant et les sortilèges (“The Child and the Spells”), with music by Maurice Ravel and libretto by Colette, tells the story of a bad child that has a bad day when everything around him comes alive to teach him a lesson about respect and responsibility. Rusalka (“The Water Nymph”), with music by Antonín Dvorák and libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil, narrates the original version of the Little Mermaid fairytale, albeit one that doesn’t quite end happily-ever-after. Both selections will be sung in their original languages of French and Czech with piano accompaniment in a semi-produced format.

Or,

Apr. 11–12, Apr. 15–18: 7:30 p.m.

Apr. 12, Apr. 19: 1 p.m.

Black Box Theatre

Aphra Behn: poet, spy, hoping to become the first woman ever to earn her living as a playwright. Charles II: Newly appointed king of England after nine years of exile during the Commonwealth. Nell Gwynne: English stage actress and celebrity. What do these three have in common? Find out when they gather on the most important night of Behn’s career.

Movie Equivalent Rating: R

Symphonic Band

April 11, 7:30 p.m.

Daines Concert Hall

Concerts are part of the band’s large ensemble curriculum. As capstone events, they typically occur twice per semester. Participation in these events is a significant component of students’ grades, and the concerts are the culmination of several weeks of classroom rehearsals. All concerts are associated with one or more of the following band ensembles: MUSC 4700 Wind Orchestra, MUSC 3795 Wind Symphony, MUSC 3790 Symphonic Band, and MUSC 3785 Marching Band.

Utah State University Sapphire Singers presents A Treble Chorus Festival with Special Guests

April 11, 7:30 p.m.

Logan Tabernacle

A Spring Semester choral festival featuring treble ensembles from Utah State University, Utah Valley University, Green Canyon High School and Cache Valley.

Selections will be performed by the individual choirs as well as the combined ensemble.

Music Theatre Cabaret: Sondheim and more!

April 11, 7:30 p.m.

Morgan Theatre

USU Opera Theatre will close their 2024-2025 season with a fun multi-part program of opera and musical theatre favorites highlighting all our students with two full programs produced over three nights April 10-12, at 7:30 in the Morgan Theatre.

On April 11 our students have assembled a range of contemporary musical theatre scenes and selections into a “Sondheim, etc.” cabaret featuring them as not only the performers but also as directors and choreographers! The cabaret will be an enjoyable evening of musical theatre favorites from Sondheim’s various works, "Shrek," "West Side Story," "Hairspray," "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Newsies," and more!

Cache Symphony Orchestra

April 12, 7:30 p.m.

Daines Concert Hall

The Cache Symphony Orchestra was founded over 35 years ago to bring together community members in the Cache Valley region to create music, connect with fellow musicians, and provide the community with another source of fine classical music.

Comprised entirely of dedicated volunteer musicians, the orchestra began with just a handful of members and has since grown into a grand symphony of over 90 performers. Each season, the orchestra presents two concerts—one in winter and one in spring—on the Utah State University campus.

USU Percussion Ensembles

April 14, 7:30 p.m.

Daines Concert Hall

The USU Percussion Ensembles concert is a unique and fun addition to the lineup of concerts presented by the Caine College of the Arts. Each semester, we play a wide-array of literature from contemporary percussion ensemble to pieces for world percussion. This semester’s concert will feature works from composers Adam Silverman, David Gillingham, Blake Tyson, Amadeo Roldan, Dave Hall, Daniel Levitan, and Michael Burritt.

Spring Choral Concert

April 15, 7:30 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

The Spring Choral Concert will feature the USU Chamber Singers, Chorale and Sapphire Singers performing a variety of great choral music in the lush acoustics of the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall, highlighting two of composer Eric Whitacre's most beloved works, CLOUDBURST and LEONARDO DREAMS OF HIS FLYING MACHINE. Don't miss this last choral concert of the year.

Free for USU students, faculty and staff.

High School Band Festival

April 18, 8 a.m.–2 p.m.

Daines Concert Hall

The USU Bands host three events each Spring for school-age ensembles: Junior High/Middle School Festival, Junior High/Middle School Clinic, and the High School Festival. These events annually host over 30 school bands from Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, totaling over 1500 students that come to the USU campus. This day-long event includes professional adjudication of each band's performance, a recording of the performance, and a live rehearsal clinic with the USU Director of Bands, band faculty and/or guest clinicians from around the country. Additionally, bands are invited to an open rehearsal of the USU Wind Orchestra and a live performance of the Orchestra.

USU Bass Festival Closing Concert

April 19, 4 p.m.

Daines Concert Hall

The USU Bass Festival is an annual event that provides bassists a chance to work with performers and educators from around the world and is open to bassists of any age and experience level. Festival activities include masterclasses, technique workshops, guest artist performances, and the opportunity to perform in a bass choir. Pre-registration is required to participate in the all-day event.

This year’s festival will feature bassist Jacob Warren (https://www.jacobvwarren.com/). More information and the registration form can be found at music.usu.edu/bassfest. The closing concert is free and open to all and will feature the USU Bass Ensemble, the festival bass choir, and guest artist Jacob Warren.

MFA Thesis Exhibition

April 21–25, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Tippetts & Eccles Galleries

Throughout their program, fine arts and design students work with their committee and other artists to develop advanced techniques, expand concepts, discuss critical issues, and emerge with a vision and direction for their work. This exhibition showcases years of dedicated refinement and mastery of skills, ideas, and perspectives.

The exhibition runs April 21–25 in the Tippetts & Eccles Galleries, open Monday–Friday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Small Ensembles

April 21, 7:30 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

Presented by USU's studio ensembles—Flute Ensemble, Clarinet Choir, Cache Horn Choir, and Low Brass Choir. This concert provides the audience an opportunity to experience the unique sonorities of homogenous small ensembles across a diverse and entertaining program.

USU Symphony Orchestra

April 23, 7:30 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

Join the USU Symphony Orchestra, University Choirs & Soloists for the biggest concert of the year featuring Beethoven’s epic “Choral Fantasy.”

American Festival Orchestra & Chorus Look at the World! The Choral Music of John Rutter

April 26, 7:30 p.m.

Daines Concert Hall

AFCO celebrates one of the most prolific and popular composers of choral music in the world today, Sir John Rutter, who was recently Knighted by King Charles III for services to music. Rutter’s music has touched millions of listeners around the globe and is sure to leave audiences deeply moved as we perform some of his most popular and beloved works, including his touching Mass for the Children, featuring the Cache Children’s Choir.

Logan Canyon Winds

April 27, 5 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

Join the Logan Canyon Winds for a unique and dynamic program showcasing a blend of classic and unexpected chamber repertoire.

The centerpiece of the evening features Beethoven’s Quintet for Piano and Winds, a lively and elegant work that highlights the rich interplay between instruments. The program also includes Carl Nielsen’s Serenata in vano, a whimsical quintet for clarinet, bassoon, horn, cello, and bass. As Nielsen himself described, the piece playfully portrays a group of musicians attempting (and failing) to serenade a lady, ultimately shrugging off their efforts and marching home with a tune of their own amusement.

With a mix of humor, virtuosity, and uncommon instrumental combinations, this concert offers a rare departure from the ensemble’s usual repertoire. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear a special performance by the Logan Canyon Winds and their faculty guests.

Other Events with Information to Come

Wind Orchestra

April 18, 7:30 p.m.

Daines Concert Hall

Highlights Exhibition

April 28–May 2, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Tippetts & Eccles Galleries

Watch for coming events and updated descriptions by checking the online CCA events calendar.