Renowned composer John Williams pens letter to Salt Lake City in effort to save Abravanel Hall

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — Legendary composer John Williams has penned a letter in the effort to save Abravanel Hall from possible demolition amid a redesign of downtown Salt Lake City centered around sports and a new Utah NHL team.

Recently, tens of thousands of Utahns have risen in support of Abravanel Hall amid its uncertain future. A petition has even been created in the effort to save the hall, and it’s nearing its next goal of 50,000 signatures.

Williams, who has written some of the most recognizable and critically-acclaimed film scores in the history of cinema, has joined in on the cause.

“I knew Maurice Abravanel, whom I admired greatly both as a person and as an artist, and I’ve been privileged on many occasions to conduct in his namesake concert hall in Salt Lake City, where I recorded my musical theme for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games with the Utah Symphony and your magnificent Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and where I conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra on several visits to your great city,” Williams opened in the letter.

Williams went on to call Abravanel Hall a “crown jewel” in the cultural life of Salt Lake City, with “elegant design and splendid acoustics,” naming it an “iconic landmark” of which Utahns and fellow citizens should be proud.

“It is the home of the Utah Symphony,” Williams wrote, “unquestionably one of our country’s finest orchestras.”

In our fast-moving technological age, great music performed by world-class orchestras before live audiences is a vital thread that binds us to our cultural past and to our collective future. This simply wouldn’t be possible without temples of music like Abravanel Hall. I urge you to preserve and protect this artistic treasure.

With great appreciation,

John Williams

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson have also released a joint statement with SEG and leadership from the Utah Symphony, saying that while much public attention has focused on a new sports arena as part of the downtown revitalization proposal, “all parties are aligned in confirming that fine arts and culture will continue to have a strong and vital presence in the downtown core,” part of the statement said.

On July 9, Salt Lake City Council voted unanimously to endorse the plans to revamp downtown Salt Lake City. Upon final approval, the council has until the end of 2024 to adopt a sales tax adjustment — called a “Revitalization Tax” — for the project and authorize the mayor to sign the agreement.

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