With stunning red rocks, Moab is adventurous paradise, attracting bikers, hikers, river rafters to southeastern Utah. When the heat of summer tapers off around Labor Day, however, Moab becomes an extraordinary concert theatre for world-class musicians. The Moab music festival holds a chain of chamber music concerts, amidst the stunning red rock landscape and along the scenic Colorado River.
Moab Music Festival Background
The Music Festival was founded in 1992 by New York based pianist, Michael Barrett and violist, Leslie Tomkins. The two couples fall in love with the red rock of Moab and were inspired to combine the thrilling landscape with the joy of music making. According the two musicians, starting a music festival was one way of ensuring that they would return to these beautiful landscapes again and again. The festival is famed for its distinctive programming, outstanding performances, great concert experiences of chamber music, jazz, traditional, Latin, and music of living composers.
From its inception, Moab Music Festival has been committed to education provision through music and cultural enrichment in the Moab community. The festival has an annual goal of reaching all the children in the Grand County Schools and providing inspirational assemblies with the attending musicians for the students. There are educational experiences for music lovers of all age as well—through its artist-in-residence program.
The festival is managed by a board of trustees and a group of professional staff supported by enthusiastic community volunteers, donors and advertisers. It is recognized by the IRS as a non-profit organization and is funded by the ticket revenues and contributions from individual stakeholders, foundations, local businessmen, and grants from various local, state, and federal agencies.
2015 Festival
The 17 concerts of the Moab Music Festival 2015 will be held in a variety of indoor and outdoor venues in and around Moab. The Grotto concerts, the Moab Music Festival’s signature events will be taking place in the pristine wilderness of Grotto, 30 miles down the Colorado River, and can be reached by a jet boat.
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