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Orem violinist Aubree Oliverson performs with the Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra.

Courtesy of Stephen Oliverson

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Orem native Aubree Oliverson is an accomplished violinist and a member of the family musical group Moon Light.

Courtesy of Stephen Oliverson

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Orem violinist Aubree Oliverson receives a standing ovation.

Courtesy of Stephen Oliverson

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Orem violinist Aubree Oliverson plays with downtown Los Angeles in the background.

Courtesy of Stephen Oliverson

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Aubree Oliverson will perform with her father Stephen Oliverson as part of Moon Light on April 5-6, 2012, at the Salt Lake City Recital Hall. Ph: Moon Light

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For anyone that might have some difficulty getting up to Salt Lake City to see the Utah Symphony, don’t fret too much because the Music Elevated State Tour is set to start Tuesday June 30 and will run through Friday July 10 traversing the state from Wellsville, Utah in Cache County to Bryce Canyon National Park.

This year the Music Elevated State Tour will feature world renowned violin soloist Aubree Oliverson who grew up right here in the Beehive State in Orem, Utah. Oliverson, now age 27, is definitely eager to once again share her talents with Utah audiences working with the Utah Symphony and conductor Conner Gray Covington.

“He (Covington) is wonderful. I’ve worked with him a couple of times before and it’s been great every time,” Oliverson said.

Oliverson plans on doing three violin concertos including “Praeludium and Allegro” by Fritz Kreisler, “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso” by Camille Saint-Saens and an encore performance which she wants to keep as a secret surprise.

What is amazing about this tour is actually the little time Oliverson and the symphony had to prepare but this is where her incredible skill and talent merges with high caliber players of the Utah Symphony and a conductor Oliverson is comfortable working with.

“He’s very flexible and he leads very clearly and anything I can do, he can be right there with me,” said Oliverson of Covington.

Though Oliverson plans to do the same three pieces in all seven concerts, she does plan on doing some spontaneous improvisations.

Oliverson has been playing the violin since the age of five and showed a lot of promise right from the start. Her father Steve is an extremely talented piano player and the two of them started the duo Moon Light when she was about 10 years-old. Later, the duo added younger brother Andrew on viola and younger sister Lily as an additional violinist. Meanwhile, Mom Jill helped with event organization making it a total family affair.

As Aubree Oliverson’s talent developed, so did the following for both Moon Light and for her as a soloist. Her talent was so prodigious that instead of attending traditional high school, Aubree left Utah to train at the prestigious Colburn Academy in Los Angeles. Though Mom and Dad might have had some misgivings, they were still supportive about sending their 15 year-old away for months at a time. As for Aubree herself, there was absolutely no angst or looking back.

“I felt I was ready. I was like an engine revved and ready to go.”

Oliverson is appreciative of all of her teachers. Debbie Moench and Eugene Watanabe were big influences in her early years in Utah while Robert Lipsett was her teacher at Colburn Academy for over nine years.

Though Aubree and father Steve have composed many original pieces, right now Aubree has chosen to focus on being a soloist which has led to opportunities to perform all over the world.

She has a hard time narrowing down her favorite places where she has performed.

“I loved going to Japan and Italy and Jerusalem was cool,” Oliverson said. “I love Europe in general and I’ve gotten to play in Mexico and Costa Rica a few times and those were really, really fun. So it’s hard to choose.”

Oliverson has also played in some incredible venues but one really stood out because of the sheer age of the building.

“I played in a church in a little town called Guarcino, Italy outside of Rome that was built in the 1300s. It was stunning.”

Oliverson is definitely cognizant of the opportunities her gift has availed her.

“I would have never gotten to see any of these places. It’s special to go as a musician because you actually get to know the people that live there and get a little bit of their real life and that makes it extra special to participate in the project with them.”

She started performing with her father at the age of nine and she is grateful for those experiences to play in front of an audience. Still, there was definitely a pivotal experience that developed her current life path.

“When I was 10, I was playing in a studio recital for my teacher Debbie Moench in Salt Lake City. I was playing a piece by Kreisler actually. I just remember how I was pouring all of my soul into this piece and how wonderful it felt to just express so much through the violin and I just loved it. I could just tell the audience was affected by me and that was the first time that it really clicked for me.”

For those who have seen Oliverson play live or just on her youtube channel, it is easy to see that she really feels the music and feeds off the energy of the audience.

Already in her young career Oliverson has played with the Chamber Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and recently at the Aspen Musical Festival. She has a CD coming out simply called, “Aubree Oliverson: Live from the Aspen Music Festival”.

The places Oliverson has performed are numerous as well as the composers she has worked with. And recently she has signed with the Cliburn Music Agency which will help navigate her prodigious solo career even more.

Historically speaking, Oliverson does have some favorite composers that include Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Barber, Korngold and of course Beethoven, particularly preferring their violin concertos.

As far as what she enjoys listening to, it’s not just classical and includes soft rock artists like Bread to progressive rock bands like Boston and Pink Floyd. And Oliverson joked about even going through a K-Pop phase. But she recently has gravitated to alternative rock artists Jacob Collier, Jackie Evans and Ethan French. And much like Oliverson, French has gained international fame at a young age.

As for the top pop artist of current in Taylor Swift, Oliverson stated, “I was a fan when I was 13, not so much now. But I do respect her greatly.”

Oliverson’s music can be found on her Youtube channel, and music platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify. She also has her own website at aubreeoliverson.com. And for those that would like to investigate her early career working with her father Steve and her siblings Andrew and Lily, visit moonlightperformers.bandcamp.com.

As far as the cost of attending any concert in the Music Elevated Tour, it’s not going to cost you thousands of dollars like it might at a Taylor Swift performance. Admission is actually free. Just consider bringing your own lounge chair, blankets, and snacks and enjoy the Utah Symphony featuring one of the greatest violin soloists in the world that was born and raised right here in Utah County.

Music Elevated State Tour Schedule

Tuesday, June 30 at 8:30 p.m.; Wellsville at the American Heritage Center

Thursday, July 2 at 8:00 p.m,; Springville at Jolley’s Ranch in Hobble Creek Canyon

Friday, July 3 at 8:30 p.m.; Salt Lake City at the Utah State Capitol

Saturday, July 4 at 8 p.m.; Midway at the Midway Town Square

Tuesday, July 7 at 8 p.m.; Fillmore at the Territorial State House Park

Wednesday, July 8 at 8:30 p.m.; Cedar City at the Main Street Park

Friday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m.; Bryce Canyon at the Ruby’s Inn at Bryce Canyon

Learn more details about the Music Elevated Tour and other Utah Symphony concerts at utahsymphony.org.