About BYU Performing Arts Management

Our Mission

Our mission is to bring the BYU experience to the world through high-quality performing arts and create meaningful educational opportunities for BYU students.

Our Vision

Our vision is to develop BYU students as global citizens by providing experiences that are intellectually enlarging, spiritually strengthening, and character building – cultivating a habit of lifelong service (BYU Aims).

About Us

Performing Arts Management is the managing agency for BYU's performing companies and functions in professional as well as educational circles. The touring program typically reaches 140 cities in 20 countries annually. With more than 400 performances each year, these professional-level ensembles delight and uplift hundreds of thousands worldwide and appear before millions on foreign and domestic television.

Studying with faculty from the Departments of Dance, Music, and Theatre and Film, the members of these performing ensembles are selected through rigorous auditions and are professionally trained to provide quality programs in the performing arts.

For booking information contact:

Performing Arts Management
306 Hinckley Center
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602-8500

Telephone: (801) 422-3576

Fax: (801) 422-0546

Email: perform@byu.edu

BYU Performing Arts Management Staff

Stacey Darais, Office Manager

Stacey Darais joined BYU’s Performing Arts Management in the Fall of 2021. After taking a 35-year hiatus from her studies at BYU, she is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts in Music with an emphasis in Voice. She will receive her degree in December 2021.

Stacey most recently worked in the airline industry for 12 years, focusing her efforts on customer service. She has been passionate about music from a young age, playing the piano, clarinet, and alto sax as well as singing in choirs throughout her public school years. She continued her choral singing career as a member of Concert Choir at BYU in the 1980s. Stacey is currently a member of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square where she also serves as an Alto I section leader and on the social committee. She is thrilled to be a part of the BYU Performing Arts family.

Stacey enjoys reading, travel, and spending time with her family. Stacey and her husband, Damon, have four children and nine grandchildren.

stacey_darais@byu.edu 801-422-3576

Publicity Writer

Camilla Urrea

pampublicity@byu.edu

Olivia Johnson

pampublicity@byu.edu

Office Assistant

Xander Smith

pamassistant@byu.edu

Emma Reardon

pamassistant@byu.edu

Stacey Christensen, Artist Manager

Stacey Christensen joined BYU’s Performing Arts Management Team in 2021. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music with an emphasis in Voice from BYU.

Stacey has worked in the performing arts industry for 25 years, most significantly, managing projects for a large national non-profit organization, Millennial® Choirs & Orchestras (MCO®). During her tenure with MCO®, Stacey served as the Managing Director for the Utah locale, with a performing force of over 900 musicians. Working with the Founders and Music Directors, she assisted with the launch of MCO’s Dallas, Texas and Davis County, Utah locales, and managed projects across 5 states. Stacey’s expertise lies in organizing and directing large scale “spectacular style” tours with a performance force of well over 1500 people. She has managed and toured with MCO’s large casts at some of the finest venues in the United States including Carnegie Hall, Meyerson Symphony Center, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, The Music Center at Strathmore, Abravanel Hall, Salt Lake Tabernacle, and BYU’s LaVell Edwards Stadium. Stacey’s broad experience includes the different facets of concert production, organizational management, event planning, and VIP/donor and community outreach.

Stacey has a passion for spreading the message of hope, faith, and goodness through the performing arts. She is excited to continue her work to uplift audiences worldwide with BYU’s performing groups. She currently manages BYU Singers, International Folk Dance Ensemble, and Mountain Strings and is the Performing Arts Management liaison with BYU’s School of Music.

Stacey and her husband, Chad, have 6 children.

stacey_christensen@byu.edu 801-422-3574

Julie Rivers, Accountant

Julie Rivers joined BYU’s Performing Arts Management team in the Fall of 2020. Julie has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Utah and is currently working towards receiving her Masters in Accountancy.

Julie worked in public education for 10 years managing the finances for Elementary and High Schools. She loves working with students and administration and feels that a collaborative atmosphere works to create greater understanding by all participants and an increased likelihood of success in achieving stated goals. For years, Julie has enjoyed attending a wide variety of BYU Performances and is excited to be able to work with the performing groups in a behind the scenes capacity.

Julie loves to be outdoors and enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, and cycling. Julie and her husband, Rod, have 5 children and live in Lindon, Utah.

julie_rivers@byu.edu 801-422-3578

Karson Denney, Assistant Director

Karson B. Denney joined BYU’s Performing Arts Management in January 2017. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Communications with an emphasis in Mass Communications and a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography with an emphasis in Global Studies from BYU.

Karson has been involved in the performing arts since he started ballroom dancing at the age of 10. As an amateur competitor, Karson held 6 United States National titles. He had the opportunity to dance with BYU’s Ballroom Dance Touring Company for 4 years where he traveled and competed internationally. Karson competed professionally throughout the United States. He is dual-licentiate certified with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) and a certified dance teacher, adjudicator and emcee for the National Dance Council of America (NDCA). Karson has been an artistic director in the BYU Youth Dancesport program since 2003, and taught ballroom dance classes for BYU’s department of dance for 9 years. He is the owner and operator of the retail store, Star Dance Provo. Karson is also a volunteer for Families Supporting Adoption and the Miss America Organization.

For years, Karson has enjoyed his association with BYU. He is excited to be a part of the team at Performing Arts Management and looks forward to working with the performing groups. Karson is currently the Artist Manager for the Ballroom Dance Company and the Wind Symphony.

Karson and his wife, Betsy, have 4 children and live in Provo, UT.

karson_denney@byu.edu 801-422-3575

Administrative Assistant

Sabrina Bezzant

pamassistant4@byu.edu

Justin Smith, Artist Manager

Justin Smith joined BYU’s Performing Arts Management team in the Fall of 2015. Justin has a bachelor’s in communications/public relations from Brigham Young University and a minor in music. He also holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Virginia.

He has worked in higher education for nine years within the areas of advancement, communications, and student life. He has more than 10 years of experience managing international and domestic student programs throughout North American, Europe, Asia, South America, and the Pacific Islands.

Justin also has a unique background as both a recording artist and group manager. His experience began at BYU (Men’s Chorus, Young Ambassadors, Showtime Company) then moved into the music industry as both a business manager and singer for the popular, Christian singing group Jericho Road. Working in this field has given him a strong knowledge in marketing strategies, branding, booking venues, auditions, contract negotiations, cross-cultural issues, and problem solving. He has booked groups into Carnegie Hall, Yankee Stadium, Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, the Beijing Arts Festival, and more. Whether on stage as a musician or leading a university program overseas, Justin brings a fresh and unique perspective to a team that is committed to using the performing arts to promote the values and standards of Brigham Young University.

Justin and his wife, Kristie, have three children. They are thrilled to be a part of BYU after living in Virginia and Hawaii for several years.

justin_smith@byu.edu 801-422-3573

Shane W. Wright, Director

Shane W. Wright has been with Brigham Young University (BYU) Performing Arts Management since 2001. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with an emphasis in Broadcast. He also has a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in Management from the Marriott School of Management at BYU.

Shane’s appreciation for the arts started in his childhood with training in piano, voice, acting and dance. Shane has performed and been involved in the arts extensively throughout his life. While at BYU, Shane was a performer in the Young Ambassadors and the International Folk Dance Ensemble. Shane is currently the Artist Manager for Young Ambassadors along with Contemporary Dance Theatre, Vocal Point, and Noteworthy. He also manages BYU’s Winterfest in the small theater at the LDS Conference Center.

While at Performing Arts Management Shane has trained, managed, marketed, created marketing materials, worked with high level VIP’s, throughout the U.S., and internationally. He has also worked with all of the performing group directors in the School of Music and Department of Dance, and has thoroughly enjoyed every minute. For the past 20 years, Shane has booked thousands of concerts in the U.S. and around the world.

Shane and his wife Emilee are the proud parents of 4 children.

shane_wright@byu.edu 801-422-3579

Administrative Assistant

Isaac Geslison

pamassistant1@byu.edu