A Utah mother and grandmother who grew up in Kaysville – but has called Taylorsville home for some 44 years – is one of this year’s Utah Best of State award recipients.

“Winning the Best of State award is such an honor, because I feel like it’s a wonderful summary of my life’s musical and professional accomplishments,” Kristeen Polhamus said. “It also inspires me to want to do even more.”

A 1970 graduate of Davis High School, Polhamus began playing the piano a decade before that – and actually started GIVING piano lessons herself, at age 16.

“I taught piano to hundreds of students, from 1965 to 2020,” she said. “Many of my students stayed with me for five years or more. I have found people really value music in our community. Parents always seemed so pleased to get their children involved. In all those years teaching piano, I never had to advertise. Word of mouth always kept me busy.”

Polhamus received a Best of State medallion during a large gala event this spring held at the Salt Palace. Within the organization’s Arts and Performing category, her honor was for music composition.

“I have had 25 piano solos published nationally, by several different music publishing companies,” Polhamus said. “I am now one of two staff composers here in Utah for the FJH Music Company. My most recent work for them is a collection of eight Halloween-themed pieces. I write the music and lyrics. It’s called ‘Trick or Treat Gems.’ It will be available through FJH this fall.”

Polhamus earned her Davis High School Sterling Scholar honor in music in 1970 – before moving on to Weber State University, where she graduated in 1974.

After marrying her husband Gene in 1977, the couple lived for a time in Pueblo, Colorado. They moved from there to Taylorsville in 1980 – and have remained in the same home since then, now nearly 45 years.

“It was difficult for me to make the move back to Utah because I was playing professionally for the Pueblo Symphony,” Polhamus said. “One year we went on a performing tour to Germany and Austria. I played piano, organ and violin for them. It wasn’t ‘great’ money; but we were paid and it was so rewarding.”

The oldest of four siblings, Polhamus first began taking piano lessons in Kaysville at age seven. She was very comfortable with it, from the beginning.

“I’ve honestly never really had to work all that hard to play the piano,” she confesses. “I have a very good ear for music. I can hear a piece of music, and picture how it appears written (as sheet music). I’m so grateful my parents valued music. We come from a long line of pioneers who cherished music. I enjoyed it from the beginning.”

Polhamus is a former pianist for University of Utah Tanner Dance, Utah Jazz Basketball 100 Club and several area restaurants. She continues to perform regularly at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake, where she has been performing there regularly for 30 years.

At Thanksgiving and Christmas time, you can also find the Taylorsville performer playing at the Salt Lake City International Airport.

“I perform in the ‘Grand Canyon’ area at the airport,” she explained. “My husband brings my electronic keyboard up in the back of our SUV. It’s wonderful to see all the people coming and going – very uplifting. But, in the new terminal, it is also a lot of walking to get set up.”

Each Sunday she also performs professionally for two different Methodist Church congregations in the Salt Lake Valley.

“I love teaching music and sharing music with people because it enriches their lives,” Polhamus said. “Music is quite spiritual. It penetrates your soul; you feel it. Music takes you out of the world, for just a moment, connecting you to others. It provides one of the most wonderful feelings of life.” 

Polhamus has coined a word she believes best describes her deep-seeded connection to melody and lyric.

“Music is a power force which calms and soothes the soul,” she said. “I call it ‘commusication.’ A composer’s pure, true goal is to enjoy ‘commusication’ with others. That’s what I try to do.”

Since she created her own word, there’s another one Polhamus is willing to never use, as a tradeoff: “retirement.”

“As long as I keep writing and submitting quality music, my publishers will keep accepting it until I am 100 or older,” Kristeen concluded. “I will do this until I die, because I love it so much. I believe composing and playing is a way of glorifying God. Someday they’ll have to pry my fingers off the piano keys.”

Hopefully with her prestigious Best of State medallion not far away. λ