Every September, the award-winning Moab Music Festival brings world-class musicians to stunning red rock venues around Moab, Utah for a feast of chamber music, jazz, and traditional music concerts. We call it "music in concert with the landscape," celebrating old and new chamber music, jazz  and traditional music from around the globe.

For the Festival’s unique Grotto concerts, audience members travel down the Colorado River in jet boats to an acoustically perfect red rock concert site. After the performance, the audience has a chance to share food and drink with the musicians before boating back to Moab.  Other Festival concerts revel in the breathtaking red rock landscapes of southeastern Utah at venues along the Colorado River, on Music Hikes and in Moab's beautifully restored Star Hall. 

The Festival will celebrate its 20th Anniversary in 2012 with a string of innovative programs performed by Bela Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio, The EarRegulars, Maria Bachmann, Michael Barrett, Derek Bermel, Robert Black, Dan Block, Nicholas Canellakis, Tulley Cathey, Gerald Elias, Jennifer Frautschi, Paul Hersh, LP How, Jon-Erik Kellso, Christopher Layer, Lance LeVar, Lee Livengood, Matt Munisteri, Pedja Muzijevic, Nicholas Recuber, John Rojak, Eric Ruske, Axel Strauss, Arnaud Sussmann, Mazz Swift, Leslie Tomkins, Tanya Tomkins, Paul Woodiel, Charles Yang, and Eric Zivian. 

The Festival will close with a performance of Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti, featuring Garth Sunderland's version for chamber orchestra.  The Metropolitan Opera's Sasha Cooke, a recent Grammy winner for her performance in the world premiere recording of John Adams' Dr. Atomic, sings Dinah, with Kelly Markgraff as Sam and singers from the University of Utah Lyric Theatre as the Trio.  Jamie Bernstein directs.

After the Festival, lucky patrons will join Music Director Michael Barrett, Nicholas Canellakis, Christopher Layer, Arnaud Sussmann and Mazz Swift on the SOLD OUT Musical Raft Trip from Moab through Cataract Canyon. The 2012 Musical Raft Trip will take place between September 10 and 13, 2012. 

Tickets to the 2012, 20th Anniversary Festival, which will take place August 30 - September 10, 2012, including the recently added Pre-Festival event, Piano Talk with Paul Hersh in Star Hall on Wednesday, August 29, will be go on sale on May 7, 2012. 

Click here to join our email list to get the latest updates about 2012 concert dates, artists and programs.

If you come to Moab next September, you'll find plenty of comfortable lodging, fine dining, wineries and breweries and diverse shopping in and around Moab. Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park are minutes away by car. You can hike through wilderness areas or explore the stunning landscape on mountain bikes, in cars or jeeps, floating on a Colorado River raft, or on horseback. Or just sitting on your balcony in town and taking in the views.