Summer classical music offerings have been steadily increasing in and around Salt Lake City giving audiences a wide variety of choices. Now there is a new series set to make its debut this Sunday.

heArt Music cofounders Lisa Chaufty and Haruhito Miyagi (Photo: Reichel Recommends)

heArt Music, the brainchild of Haruhito Miyagi and Lisa Chaufty, is an early music series that will explore a broad range of repertoire, from Gregorian Chant to the late baroque. “We’re trying to expose people to this music,” Miyagi said.

Although early music has had a presence in the Salt Lake Valley since the 1980s, there haven’t been many ensembles devoted to playing music written within the timeframe represented by the term “early music.” There are a couple of notable ones, though. The University of Utah has had an early music group for several years, and Utopia Early Music has established itself firmly in the local classical music scene. “Utopia has done a great job bringing people in to their concerts,” said Chaufty, who will assume directorship of the U.’s early music ensemble this fall. And because of Utopia’s presence, Chaufty and Miyagi decided to present their series during the summer so as not to conflict with Utopia’s concert schedule, which runs from October to May.

Chaufty admitted that the Salt Lake City area has a lot of music events, but she insisted there is always room for more, especially for young performers and early music. “There are not enough performing opportunities for students, especially for this music,” Chaufty said, adding that she and Miyagi envision heArt Music as a venue for a rotating group of players. Chaufty, who plays recorder and baroque flute, and Miyagi, whose instruments are the organ and harpsichord, will make up the core of the group. And for each concert, they will invite other musicians to join them.

For their first concert on Sunday, they’ve invited Nicolas Chuaqui, tenor, and Cheryl Hart, soprano; David Fox, organ; Eleanor Christman Cox, baroque cello; and Leslie J. Richards, viola da gamba. Chuaqui is Chaufty’s son; he is also a member of the Cathedral of the Madeleine choir. Richards is a member of the Utah Symphony’s viola section. “She is a wonderful player on the viola da gamba,” Chaufty said.

The program, titled Flores del Verano: Concierto de Música Antigua (Flowers of Summer: A Concert of Early Music), will include music by Ockeghem, Telemann, Handel and Rameau, as well as Gregorian Chant.

The concert will take place in Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown Salt Lake City, where Miyagi is the music director. The name of the church is also the reason why the series is called heArt Music. “The church has lots of hearts, of course,” Miyagi said, “everywhere from the door to the stained glass windows.” Chaufty said she likes hearts. “And music has to come from the heart,” she added.

Since the church’s congregation is mostly Hispanic, the concerts will have a bilingual approach. “Our program notes will be in both Spanish and English,” Chaufty said, adding that the series will address itself in part to a segment of the community that has been underserved in the classical music scene here. “There is a need for music in the Latino community,” Miyagi said. “We want to have audiences made up of diverse backgrounds.”

There will only be one concert this season, but both Miyagi and Chaufty said their goal is to have a multi-concert season. “We’re planning on having four to five concerts per season, starting next summer,” Chaufty said. All concerts will be free of charge.

• CONCERT DETAILS
• What: heArt Music
• Venue: Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 946 S. 200 East
• Time and Date: 3 p.m. Aug. 17
• Tickets: Free