Deer Valley® Music Festival
Artists’ Profiles
Artists’ Profiles
Conner Gray Convington
Conductor
Described as “a musician who lives the music” by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Conner Gray Covington is one of the most versatile conductors of his generation.
Covington recently completed a four-year tenure with the Utah Symphony as Associate Conductor and as Principal Conductor of the Deer Valley® Music Festival. During his tenure in Utah, Covington conducted nearly 300 performances of classical subscription, education, film, pops, and family concerts as well as tours throughout the state. In the 2022–23 season, he returns to the North Carolina Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and Utah Symphony; and makes debuts with the Bellingham Festival of Music, Grand Teton Music Festival, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Sarasota Orchestra, while also serving as visiting faculty at the Longy School of Music.
A four-time recipient of a Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation U.S., Covington was featured in the 2016 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview with the Nashville Symphony.
Grace Kahl
Soprano
New York City native Grace Kahl is an artist hailed for her “poised, gleaming soprano” in a wide array of repertoire. Kahl recently finished her tenure as Resident Artist with Utah Opera from 2018 to 2020, where notable performances included The Rose (The Little Prince), Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), and Annina (La traviata).
A frequent interpreter of contemporary music, Kahl sang in three world premieres in 2022, including A Thousand Acres (Des Moines Metro Opera), Finding Wright (Dayton Opera), and Expressions (Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra).
In addition to opera, Kahl is often found performing musical theatre roles. Kahl has sung the roles of Johanna in Sweeney Todd (Des Moines Metro Opera), and both Mrs. Anderssen and Mrs. Nordstrom in A Little Night Music (Des Moines Metro Opera/Arizona Opera respectively). Kahl has won awards and distinctions from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, National Opera Association Competition, Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, and the International Czech and Slovak Competition.
