There are music festivals and there are music festivals. Then there is the Moab Music Festival – a mélange of musical programming set in one of the most splendid landscapes on earth. Old and new music – chamber music, vocal music, jazz, traditional music – performed by outstanding musicians in a setting of form, color, and light that creates an unmatched artistic experience... Music in Concert with the Landscape.

Founded in 1992 by Michael Barrett and Leslie Tomkins, prominent musicians based in New York, the Festival gathers world-class instrumentalists and vocalists annually to celebrate vibrant music in an awe-inspiring landscape. An ever-expanding audience comes from all parts of the United States and from Europe to enjoy this unique combination of sight and sound.

Composers range from Bach to Bernstein, from Ravel to Rorem, from Dvorák to Danielpour.  One performance may feature a vocalist celebrating a French chanteuse; the next a chamber ensemble performing Brahms; then a jazz ensemble playing with a Latin flair; then an exploration of contemporary music by the season’s Composer-in-Residence, who will be present to discuss his or her work.  For patrons, the three weekend fall festival – which in 2003 won ASCAP’s coveted award for “Adventurous Programming” in the music festival category – is a potpourri of musical offerings performed by dynamic, highly accomplished musicians.  In June, the Festival also offers a four day “Musical Adventure” benefit raft trip on the Colorado River.

Many concerts take advantage of the remarkable environment and are set outdoors in unique settings – under a pavilion along the Colorado River, in a tent under towering rock monoliths, in a park sheltered by the shade of an ancient cottonwood.  Benefit concerts are held each year in local private homes and in a red-rock wilderness grotto: a natural stone amphitheater with perfect acoustics.  Patrons are taken by jet boat downriver to this special site carved by centuries of spring floods of the river.  The New York Times called the concert “an event that combines human and natural grandeur.” 

Whether held outdoors or indoors (in the local historic concert hall or the excellent auditorium at the county high school), concerts thrill audiences with the quality of the performances and intimacy of the experience.  And when the music is not playing, patrons enjoy the scenic wonders of the area – Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park, the snow-capped La Sal Mountains, the red-rock cliffs along the Colorado River.  Or they can browse the diverse craft and art shops of Moab and enjoy dining in diverse restaurants.