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Local Looks: Ramin Karimloo brings Broadway and more to BYU

By Molly McCoy - Special to the Daily Herald | Jan 29, 2025
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Ramin Karimloo performs during the BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts Series at Brigham Young University on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
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Ramin Karimloo and The Broadgrass Band perform during the BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts Series at Brigham Young University on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
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Ramin Karimloo performs during the BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts Series at Brigham Young University on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.

The BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts Series at Brigham Young University is one of Utah County’s best-kept secrets. That’s not exactly an accurate statement, as I attended a sold-out show. However, I consider it somewhat of a secret because I had not heard of the program until the start of this year, and after attending one show, I left completely in awe of the quality of the production these shows contain.

Held in the newly built Music Building on BYU’s campus, the audience was welcomed into an intimate but large theater. The stage, which is in the center, is lower to the ground, allowing for the seats to surround it and giving everyone in attendance a good view of the show. Attendees are asked to stay off their phones during the performance, allowing them to unplug for a few hours and take in the performance and the atmosphere completely.

This past weekend, Provo had the pleasure of welcoming Ramin Karimloo and The Broadgrass Band to BYU. If you don’t know, Karimloo is widely popular for his roles on Broadway. In 2011, he played the Phantom in the 25th anniversary of “The Phantom of the Opera.” He has also played in “Les Miserables,” “Anastasia,” “The Addams Family” and many other shows, bringing a beautiful voice and skill to each role he performs. I also feel it’s important to add that not only is he extremely talented, but so funny as well. Throughout the night, he would regularly make jokes, ask the crowd questions and engage with their answers — dedicating songs to the Ute fans in the crowd, those going to school from far away lands and asking how we felt about the weather. All in all, between his talent, his personableness and his humor, he is a class act.

Friday evening was one of those that will stick around for a while in the memory of the audience. The setlist was a mix of covers, originals and Broadway hits — something for everyone in attendance. Karimloo and his band talked about the sense of community they felt in Provo and the sense of community that music can bring. There were more than a few standout moments of the night, and one of my favorites included the banjo player in the band singing a beautiful song she wrote after the hurricane that hit North Carolina, her home state. The lyrics were haunting and her voice melodic, truly telling a story and sharing the emotions of that disaster with her song. Karimloo sang a cover of “A Little Fall of Rain” with her and the crowd gasped in excitement as the song started. I loved that he performed with a band to add dimension and the opportunity for duets.

After their final song, they took a bow and left the stage. The crowd, however, was not going to let that be the end and gave a standing ovation, chanting for an encore. Karimloo came back out to sing a solo acoustic song, and as he finished that song, his piano player came back out. I wish I could accurately share the tangible energy in the room as the excitement built. The pianist slowly started playing the opening notes to “Music of the Night” and the crowd erupted but quickly quieted down so they could take in and savor every moment of the final song — or so we thought. The rest of the band came out and proceeded to sing along to Hamilton’s “You’ll be Back” — a fitting choice, as I know that everyone there is anxiously anticipating Karimloo’s return to the great state of Utah.

BRAVO! is just getting started in the new year, with events running monthly until April. Next up is “My Cantus Valentine” on Feb. 14 and 15, the Utah Symphony performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 with Music Director Emeritus Thierry Fischer on Feb. 20, “Bee Story” on March 1, Naghash Ensemble on March 14, Les Arts Florissants performing Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons at 300” on March 25 and Joyce Lang finishing off the season April 3.