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Twenty-five years ago, violinist Leslie Tomkins and her pianist\/conductor husband Michael Barrett\u00a0took a rare vacation to Moab.\u00a0Like so many before them, they fell in love with the red rock and the magical landscape of southeastern Utah, and decided to pay homage to the breath taking surrounding by adding to it the joys of music-making. And so in 1992, they created the Moab Music Festival. \u201cStarting a music festival seemed like the perfect way to make sure we would return again and again,\u201d Tomkins says. This year, from\u00a0August 31 and September 11, the award-winning festival celebrates its 25th anniversary with a stellar program, featuring the world-class artistry and extraordinary outdoor backdrops\u00a0you don\u2019t want to miss out on.<\/p>\n
Why has the Moab Music Festival stood the test of time? Simply put: it\u2019s a fantastic event that stirs something in people. Recall the magic of\u00a0Disney\u2019s Fantasia, where animated stories came to life with the grandiose music of composers you may not have been able to identify, but it didn\u2019t dampen the experience. That\u2019s what the Moab Music Festival is all about, except that instead of just watching it on a screen, you\u2019re actually there in this spectacular, almost otherworldly setting. It doesn\u2019t matter if you are or aren\u2019t able to identify who wrote the orchestration. What does matter is how it makes you feel in the moment and the memory you take away with you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This year\u2019s line-up will give audiences a taste of a variety of genres, from chamber music (including works of living composers) and jazz to Latin music. Events will take place at indoor and outdoor venues around Moab,\u00a0with the Festival\u2019s signature Grotto Concerts, taking place in a pristine wilderness grotto 30 miles down the Colorado River, accessible only by jet boat. A four-day \/ three-night Musical Raft Trip through Cataract Canyon immediately follows the Festival, and includes Music Hikes where patrons are taken to a secret location for a concert, at area ranches, private homes, and at Moab\u2019s historic Star Hall.\u00a0\u201cOur 25th Anniversary will be a rich celebration of \u2018Music in Concert with the Landscape,\u2019 with guest artists Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, the Manhattan Transfer\u2019s Janis Siegal with her Brazillian Trio, my favorite jazz pianist Marcus Roberts, Cuban Pedrito Martinez, plus my classical favorites Bach, Brahms, and Bernstein will all be singing their music,\u201d says Michael Barrettt, pianist and music director of the festival. \u00a0\u201cAnd all in our amazing Red Rock country. This is the only MUSN\u2019T MISS of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Old City Park, Moab Music Festival\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Image: Richard Bowditch, Moab Music Festival<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dworkincompany.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Moab_20150910_3150.jpg\")
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