SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Symphony is using classical music to complement the beauty of Utah’s soaring red rocks and canyons with free desert performances.

The 75-piece orchestra performed Friday at the edge of Bryce Canyon National Park. A performance is scheduled Saturday near Zion National Park.

For the performances, the symphony prepared movements from Dvorak’s “New World Symphony,” Bizet’s Orchestral Suite from Carmen, and Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”

“This is what art is about — not just being in the concert hall,” music director Thierry Fischer told the Salt Lake Tribune this week in Teasdale, near Capitol Reef, where the tour began.

Instead of concert hall seats, those attending were advised to bring their own chairs or blankets to sit on the grass or rocky ground, organizers said.

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