‘Once Upon a Time’ Deer Valley Amphitheater Lights Up with the Magic and Music of Disney

Disney lovers in Northern Utah flocked to the Deer Valley Resort amphitheater for the Utah Symphony’s annual “Disney in Concert: Once Upon a Time.”

The event was the closest you could get to Disneyland Utah — complete with long lines, Mickey Mouse-shaped snacks for sale, and of course, a wide variety of Disney apparel. Especially for families, kids skipped along side their parents dressed as their favorite characters: Elsas and Annas, a handful of Stitch onsies, the pinks, purples, golds, greens, and reds of Rapunzel, Belle, Tinkerbell, Snow White, Tiana, and Minnie Mouse, and even a Jack Sparrow.

But this event wasn’t just for kids. The average music-loving concertgoer, drinking beer from plastic Deer Valley cups, rubbed shoulders with the ever-present Disney adults, who showed up en masse with their collectible leather backpacks and Mickey ears.

A shocking turnout spread across the Snow Park hill and by the time the concert started at 7:30pm more people arrived in covered wagons. Guest singer Andrew Johnson then gave a brief introduction to the music.

“’Once upon a time’ is the best beginning of any story,” he told the audience, who were already looking forward to an evening full of well-known classics.

Mallorie Infante and her family had driven an hour and a half from Pleasant View to see that evening’s show.

“We come every year,” she said.

Her two young nieces, Laila and Isla Interiano, spent most of the event dancing and singing along to every song, while nibbling on a bag of Hi-Chew candy. Isla dressed as Stitch, but changed into a Belle costume during intermission.

“They’re excited about ‘Encanto,'” Infante said, pointing to the two dancing on a blanket. “I like all the classics, like ‘Cinderella.'”

The orchestra did not disappoint their family that night, performing the beloved “Encanto” number “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and a “Cinderella” medley. Screens on either side of the stage showed scenes from each film represented in song.

Johnson, Lisa Livesay and Whitney Kaufman also provided vocals, each wearing sequined outfits that glittered in the stage lights, and they sang seamlessly from solo numbers to playful trios.

Jerry Hu, conductor of the Utah Symphony, spoke to the audience several times during the evening, explaining how music plays an important role in movies, especially Disney movies.

“The music is there to support the events of the story, to establish the character and the mood,” he said.

To demonstrate this effect, they played a series of songs from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” soundtrack.

“We’re going to show how important the music is, so we’re going to take away the lyrics, we’re going to take away the images and see what you can imagine with just the music,” Hu said.

Other crowd favorites included a villain medley and songs from “The Lion King” and “The Little Mermaid.”

The full July moon rose over the crowd as the concert drew to a close. The encore, “Into the Unknown” from “Frozen 2,” was a partial audience sing-along, its sweet voices echoing all the way to the last parking lot in Snow Park. Then came a mass exodus and a subsequent traffic jam, with some still singing along to the music they had heard.

Learn more about the Deer Valley Music Festival and purchase tickets for upcoming shows at deervalleymusicfestival.org.