Jason Hardink

Jason Hardink served as NOVA’s artistic director from 2009-2018.

My earliest experience witnessing the power of chamber music was as a teenager at summer camp (Boston University Tanglewood Institute). I heard two fellow students perform the Brahms D Minor Sonata for Violin and Piano. The rest of the universe fell away as I watched these two perform from memory in a fiery dialogue of soulful interconnectedness. I had never seen anything like it. It was breathtaking.

I learned two things that day: The classical canon of music is still studied and performed because we can still connect so deeply to sonorites and emotions conjured by composers. But those notes on the page are meaningless unless brought to life by committed and charismatic musicians.

Utah has no shortage of committed and charismatic musicians — too many, in fact, to fit onto every season of NOVA. But while I might be best remembered for my eclectic tastes in programming, any vision I brought to the table was driven by the musicians — their passion, their devotion, their attentiveness, their electrifying presence on stage.

Any artistic director worth their salt is always responding to feedback from a myriad of sources. No organization of this size thrives without endless hours of work by the Board of Directors, Executive Director, and Marketing Staff. I can’t even begin to estimate the time spent poring over budget spreadsheets with Executive Directors over the years: Noriko Kishi, Stephanie Larsen, Kimi Kawashima, and Kristin Rector.

And while some audiences might be passive recipients of music coming from the stage, this does not describe a NOVA audience one bit. Ardent devotees of chamber music unafraid to express their opinion, NOVA subscribers actively engaged with the music on many levels. Many post-concert conversations helped me to mold a vision for the series and to push at the conventions that were assumed appropriate for a chamber music series devoted to local musicians

I am filled with immense gratitude for my time with NOVA. But I can’t bring myself to thank each individual to whom I am indebted; the list would be 10 pages long! So:

• to the musicians who played on the series during my years, thank you for the unbelievable concerts, for all of the stellar and sublime music making.

• to the Board and Staff of NOVA, thank you for your tireless commitment and contributions to this wonderful organization.

• to those who have helped fund this series then and now, your fierce generosity makes a huge impact on the musical culture of Salt Lake City and Utah.

• to the audience, subscribers, and single ticket buyers, this series doesn’t exist without you.

• to my family, thanks for putting up with me and all those Sundays we did not get to spend together.

• and to the Artistic Directors who came before me and to those that follow, I salute you: cheers!