By Benedicte Dansie
Set on the soft slopes of Park City, the Deer Valley Music Festival always provides a delightful night out and Marie Osmond with the Utah Symphony is no exception. Osmond offered a wide range of genres and styles from country to classics with her own glamorous flair.
When Marie Osmond walks onto the stage, she instantly captures the attention of her audience. Even though she’s a rather small figure in stature, her huge personality and glittering ensembles make her a veritable beacon in the dimming twilight. She opens with her classic “Paper Roses” as she works the crowd, warming them up for what’s to come. This is followed by a stunning rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” sung in conjunction with a thank-you to her mother, who always believed in her. From here, Osmond launches into a country medley, ripping off the skirt of her full length, sequined ball gown to reveal a short, glittery dress, and tossing a rhinestone cowboy hat on top of the ensemble. Osmond is more than “a little bit country” as she croons out her classics to the backing of a music video montage of her over the years. She loses herself in the energy of the crowd, feeding off the happy, summer evening aesthetic.
Osmond does an incredible job of balancing the various genres she sings, working through them in sections, which offer both a review of her years of experience in the music and musical theater industry and a preview of her new album. She has a gorgeous voice and a sweeping range, with a lovely vibrato that hits the right notes in all of her performances. This is especially showcased in her absolutely astonishing operatic pieces. Her breathtaking aria from Giacomo Puccini‘s Madame Butterfly is simply stunning and showcases how strong and versatile her voice really is. During her more classical pieces, she is joined on the stage by her nephew David Osmond and later by America’s Got Talent finalist Daniel Emmet. Together, the three of them offer a powerhouse of vocals that knocks the audience off their feet.
Besides singing “The Prayer” alongside his aunt, David Osmond offered beautiful renditions of “Close Every Door” and “Danny Boy”. His voice is a lovely, light tenor that just soars up into the higher ranges. He has an openness about him when he shares stories of his struggle with Multiple Sclerois with the crowd and how he refuses to let it hold him back. The talent and genuineness emanating from him instantly endeared him to the crowd.
Daniel Emment, as he tells the audience, is known as “that guy who sang opera on America’s Got Talent.” With his powerful voice and impressive Italian, he makes an unforgettable first impression on the crowd. After Emment sang several of his own songs, including an operatic, Italian cover of Aerosmith, Daniel and David took the stage together. The two of them sing “Never Enough” from the movie The Greatest Showman. Their arrangement features beautiful harmonies, highlighting the distinctive style of their voices, making it an audience favorite. The show closes with a compilation of songs from Marie Osmond’s favorite musical theater roles, such as Anna in The King and I, Roxy in Chicago, and Maria from The Sound of Music.
Overall, the show is an absolute blast. It’s family-friendly and offers such a wide variety of music and talent that everyone in the audience will find something to enjoy. Marie’s glamorous gowns and many dramatic costume changes make it feel almost as though it were a Broadway production in and of itself. Although Marie Osmond’s final show at the Music Festival is sold out, this type of high-caliber performance will continue all summer, so I highly recommend looking into tickets for their future events.
Deer Valley Music Festival Presents Marie Osmond and the Utah Symphony 2250 Deer Valley Drive South, Park City, Utah
June 29-30 7:30 PM
Tickets: $15-97
Utah Symphony Facebook Page
Marie Osmond with the Utah Symphony Facebook event
I would love to see this concert but I live in calif. I can only imagine the beauty of this concert under the stars! The osmounds are awusome! Even though nobodys perfect! The one take osmounds! Work there tuckus off to give there fans more then what they played for! GOD BLESS U THREE ARTIST! and thank u for filling our hearts with joy! In these troubled times one day Marie maybe my dream will come true! I hope! I’m not getting any younger lol