Excellence in the Community grew out of Jeff Whiteley’s experiences as a street musician in Paris. Founded in 2005, Excellence in the Community is 501 C3 nonprofit organization based on the premise that Utah’s best musicians and dancers represent a powerful resource for bringing people together and enhancing communities. We work to create more and better performance opportunities for Utah artists. Since our first event in 2005, we have presented over 750 concerts. Since moving to the Gallivan Center in December 2011, all of our concerts have been offered free to the public.
With a focus on quality musicianship and a great diversity of musical styles, our concerts appeal to a broad range of age groups. We are pleased to see many families with young children in our audiences.
William Hagen: Violin
William Hagen has performed as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across the United States, Europe, and Asia...As recitalist and chamber musician, William has performed at venues such as Wigmore Hall and the Louvre, and collaborated with artists such as Steven Isserlis, Gidon Kremer, Edgar Meyer, and Tabea Zimmerman, among others. He maintains an active schedule on both sides of the Atlantic, making frequent trips to Europe and cities around the US to play a wide range of repertoire.
William performs on the 1732 “Arkwright Lady Rebecca Sylvan” Antonio Stradivari, on generous loan from the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation.
Vedrana Subotic: Piano
Dr. Vedrana Subotic, professor, lecturer, pianist, is an active soloist and chamber musician. Subotic, a Steinway Artist, maintains a busy concert and masterclass schedule with over 60 engagements in North and South America, Europe, and Asia every year. She has performed more than 500 works in the solo, chamber, and concerto genres, including Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, and his complete chamber works with piano. Recent 2021 performance highlights include concerts in Paris and Serbia.