David Park tries to maintain an active concert career outside of his position as the Utah Symphony’s assistant concertmaster. And he’s doing a good job with that. He frequently plays recitals and guests with orchestras around the country, as well as internationally.

David Park

This year he has three big concerts coming up.

On Feb. 15 Park will play the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with an orchestra consisting of graduates from New York’s three major schools of music: Juilliard, the Manhattan School of Music and Mannes College. The concert will take place in Merkin Hall.

Park considers the Mendelssohn one of the three greatest violin concertos ever written. “It’s right up there with the Beethoven and Brahms concertos,” he told Reichel Recommends. It’s also one of the most famous and most frequently performed and recorded concertos. And that brings with it its own set of challenges. “It’s so familiar, you have to pay more attention to details.” And the performer has to make the work his own. “You don’t want to sound generic. You have to try and be original.”

For more information on this concert, visit www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org.

Saturday’s concert will be Park’s second time playing with the orchestra. “I made my debut with them two years ago. At that time I played Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.” Park is thrilled to have been asked to return. “It’ a nice feeling being invited back. And playing a masterpiece like the Mendelssohn makes it even more special.”

In May, Park will be doing a recital in Las Vegas’ new Smith Center for the Performing Arts. “This recital is still in the planning stages,” he said, but he hopes to invite a couple of colleagues to join him. “It’s not going to be your typical violin recital. There will be solo and different ensemble combinations. It will be sort of a ‘David Park and Friends’ type of concert.” And he promises that the program won’t be too serious or heavy. “There is going to be a lot of virtuosic pieces.”

The recital is slated to take place over the Memorial Day weekend. To find out more log on to www.thesmithcenter.com.

Finally, in November, Park will travel to southern California to play with the Crown City Symphony, which has its home in Pasadena.

This concert has special meaning for him since his mother, who was a cellist with the Seoul Philharmonic before emigrating to the United States, is principal cellist with the Crown City Symphony. And Park, who grew up in southern California, also has a connection with South Korea’s premiere orchestra. “I made my Korean debut with the Seoul Philharmonic a couple of years back,” he said. “I also played with them on their recording of Mahler’s Second Symphony.”

With the Pasadena-based orchestra, Park will solo in Vieuxtemps’ Concerto No. 5. For further details log on to www.crowncitysymphony.org.