Free Untamed POPS! concert at Ogden Amphitheater supports artists, community
Untamed POPS! is an outgrowth of the 2019 UnCon POPS (pictured), created to broaden programming at the Ogden Amphitheater and support Chamber Orchestra Ogden — and now other artists hit hard by COVID-19.
"Ligeia" by Ogden resident and sculptor artist Heath Satow, pictured at the LA Art Show in 2016, will be displayed in the Ogden Amphitheater during the Untamed POPS! concert.
Chamber Orchestra Ogden presents Untamed POPS! at Ogden Amphitheater on Saturday, July 17, 2021.
New music, dance and visual art is back, live and in person, at the Ogden Amphitheater this Saturday night with the Untamed POPS! concert.
Presented by 501(c)(3) arts organization AmpedARTS, the concert will feature Chamber Orchestra Ogden’s uplifting marches and multi-genre pop songs, with a new upbeat fusion composition by Ogden’s own Alfonso Tenreiro who will be a guest conductor.
The audience will have an opportunity to participate in the dancing and singing along with the orchestra in the final piece, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” said COO Director Michael Palumbo.
There will also be a dance performance of a new piece, choreographed by Deja Mitchell, who was commissioned by AmpedARTS under its New Works Amplification/Commission project “designed to reinvigorate the local arts economy, which was hit so hard by COVID-19,” AmpedARTS said in a statement.
The music was collaboratively selected by Palumbo, Mitchell and D. Scott Patria of AmpedARTS with the aim of appealing to the various demographics of Ogden.
“Deja and I talked about dance music, and after a few times writing back and forth we settled on ‘Let’s Get Loud,’ ‘Happy’ and ‘Children of Sanchez,'” Palumbo said.
The concert, performed by the orchestra’s 64 players on strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion, will include other recognizable tunes for everyone to enjoy like Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” John Williams’ “Summon the Heroes,” written for the 1996 Summer Olympics, “Star Wars Through the Years” and more.
Chamber Orchestra Ogden and AmpedARTS would like to see Untamed POPS!, which is an outgrowth of the 2019 UnCon POPS concert, becomes an annual event, but they will need to greatly increase their donor base for that to happen.
AmpedARTS, with its mission to amplify local arts, artists, performers and community, first suggested the concept as a way to get the larger community involved with UnCon, and with Untamed POPS! continues to offer broader programming at the amphitheater while helping the Chamber Orchestra Ogden build capacity and sustainability, Patria said.
In an effort to contribute even more this year to local artists and performers who were hit hard by COVID-19, the concert also includes dance, new music and visual art — a sculpture by Ogden resident Heath Satow will be installed for the evening.
The sculpture, “Ligeia,” is based on a quote from the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same title: “There’s no exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the proportions.” It was a commission piece, made in mirror-polished stainless that characterizes many of Satow’s sculptures, that was completed within two weeks for the LA Art Show in 2016 and has since been displayed at other special exhibitions around Ogden, including Argo House for a period of time.
Satow, who relocated to Ogden from Los Angeles in 2017, is a sculptor with over three decades of work installed throughout the U.S. and as far as South Korea and Dubai. “Ligeia” will be placed inside the amphitheater for the duration of the concert on Saturday night.
AmpedARTS also wanted to help give back to those who have supported Chamber Orchestra Ogden, Patria said, specifically Rovali’s, City Club, Maria’s and Hearth on 25th, all of whom, like COO, also suffered due to COVID. Their strategic marketing plan included offering physical tickets at these restaurants to drive people to dine and help the restaurants recover and thrive.
Although free, tickets must be obtained in advance for entry. Physical tickets will be available at The Corner (as long as they are in stock) until the gates open at 6:30 p.m. for the show, and also online until 4 p.m. the day of the show.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. (concert at 7:30 p.m.) where the community is encouraged to bring blankets and grab a “picnic” dinner from one of the food vendors before the concert starts: Wimpy and Fritz, Ivorian Way, Dakine Grindz Restaurant and Los Churros del Norte will be inside the amphitheater (no outside food or drinks allowed), and adult beverages will be available.
Each ticket is also a raffle entry. For details about raffle prizes, visit the Facebook event page.
“The end result, we hope, will be a more immersive and complete experience for the public than a concert alone might have provided,” Patria said.
Attendees who enjoyed this year’s event are encouraged to support the effort by signing up for COO season tickets or making a donation for the future.
Untamed POPS! is made possible through the generous support of Weber County RAMP, Ogden City Arts, Culture & Events, Utah Division of Arts & Museums, the Val A. and Edith D. Green Foundation, Aspire Realty and New World Distillery.
For digital tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/untamed-pops-tickets-156780020261.
For updates and physical ticket locations visit ampedarts.org or facebook.com/AmpedARTS.