Phoenix Symphony Says ‘I Love You Arizona’

The Phoenix Symphony has found a new way to express its admiration and pride for the great state of Arizona.

Dierks Bentley

The Symphony’s 66 musicians have created a virtual performance of the Rex Allen Jr. song “I Love You Arizona”—often referred to as “Arizona” and one of the state’s official songs. The production is in partnership with Arizona Highways magazine, accompanied by the voice of singer/songwriter and Phoenix native Dierks Bentley.

The multimedia project highlights the world-class talent of The Phoenix Symphony, the rich vocals sung by Bentley—a three-time Country Music Association award-winner—and the dramatic images provided by Arizona Highways contributors that shine a light on the beauty of the state.“We are all so proud of this uplifting project that showcases the exquisite beauty of our state and the talented artists that enrich our community,” says Suzanne Wilson, president and CEO of The Phoenix Symphony. “Our meaningful collaboration with Arizona Highways and Dierks Bentley exemplifies the unity, passion and fondness we all have for Arizona. The Phoenix Symphony is grateful to our partners for their invaluable contributions to this special presentation.”

Robert Stieve, editor-in-chief of Arizona Highways, says the publication was excited to collaborate with The Phoenix Symphony to make this video a reality.

Arizona Highways has a long history of showcasing the natural beauty of our state,” Stieve says. “Usually, we do that with words and photographs. This collaboration, however, adds an incredible soundtrack to the mix. We’re proud to work with The Phoenix Symphony on this exciting project. And we’re grateful to our photographers, who, in the spirit of solidarity, donated so many beautiful images. I can’t think of better way to tell the ‘Arizona Story’ than a video like this. It’ll be a point of pride for Arizonans around the world.”

The montage honors the state we love and all call home. As such, The Phoenix Symphony invites people from all over to submit and share what they appreciate and treasure most about Arizona. Please post photos and videos via social media using the hashtag #iloveaz and tag The Phoenix Symphony (@thephoenixsymphony).

The team that produced the video was Shandor Garrison and Sarah-Rose (SR) Meredith, and the audio engineer was Eric Romani.

The Symphony has been collaborating with Rex Allen Jr. since 2013 on a number of different projects. Allen Jr. wrote the song in 1981. According to the Secretary of State’s Office, the Arizona Legislature named the song an official state song in 1982. Rex Allen Jr. and his father, Rex Allen, are natives of Willcox and are known for their famous renditions of cowboy songs. Rex Allen Jr. sang the song at Centennial events in 2012.

Enjoy “I Love You Arizona” HERE.

PHOTOS COURTESY PHOENIX SYMPHONY

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