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30th year may mark Twilight of popular Salt Lake City concert series

Posted at 9:55 PM, Jul 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-21 09:25:48-04

SALT LAKE CITY -- Thursday night, the annual Twilight Concert Series kicked off in Salt Lake City for the summer season.

This is the 30th year for the series, which the Salt Lake City Arts Council said is a huge milestone for this type of program.

"I think it just shows the love that this community has for arts in general," said Karen Krieger, Executive Director of the Arts Council.

They plan the concerts each year, and she said this year the budget came in at just under $2 million. They collect funds from a variety of areas, that Krieger said includes revenue from ticket sales, funding from the state, the county, private sponsors--and, of course, Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City Council Member Derek Kitchen said at this point, funding for next year's Twilight Concert Series isn't included in the city's 2018 budget.

He said over the past few years, the series has gone over budget and they plan to meet with the Arts Council this fall to have a conversation about the future of the series.

Twilight certainly faces some challenges, and Krieger said they've experienced lower attendance, with rising artist fees. She said they've also dealt with rising costs for other aspects of the concert, including security, restrooms and fencing.

This year, the Arts Council is putting together a strategic plan that Krieger said will involve looking at what programs best serve the community, and what might need to change.

Could this year be Twilight's last? She said they don't know yet.

"We want to assess the data and information, look at funding opportunities, look at what people really want and try to meet those needs in the best way we can and still be responsible with public dollars," she said.

For now, people will enjoy the music this season, just like they have for three decades.

Visit the Twilight Concert Series website for details on shows and tickets.