The Moab Music Festival brings Utah's summer classical music season to a close with two weeks of performances in scenic venues in and around Moab starting Thursday, Sept. 3.
Musicians include returning favorites such as woodwind whiz Christopher Layer, violinist Paul Woodiel, violist Leslie Tomkins, cellist Tanya Tomkins and pianist Michael Barrett, as well as pianists Chick Corea and Pamela Frank, banjoist Béla Fleck, soprano Julia Bullock, pianist/vocalist/composer Clarice Assad with her quartet, and the Time for Three string trio.
Grotto concerts • The festival will present three of these signature events at a secluded grotto on the Colorado River, accessible only by jet boat. Selections include Ravel's Introduction and Allegro, Schubert's "Trout" Quintet and the Chaconne from Bach's D Minor Partita for solo violin. All three concerts are sold out, as is a four-day, three-night river trip that will follow the final grotto concert, but you can get on the waiting list by calling 435-259-7003.
From Words to Music • Selections inspired by literature and poetry, or incorporating storytelling, tie together this concert in Moab's Star Hall at 7 p.m. Friday. Works include Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun," Schoenberg's "Verklärte Nacht" and Stravinsky's Suite from "L'Histoire du Soldat," as well as composer-in-residence Harold Meltzer's "Kreisleriana," inspired by the great violinist Fritz Kreisler. Tickets: $25; $5 for children 6-18.
Music hikes • The festival includes three 9 a.m. concerts in settings accessible only by foot; even the meet-up place to catch the shuttle to the trailhead is available only upon registration. The first two hikes, featuring music of Bach, Milhaud, Villa-Lobos, Carter and more, are sold out; some tickets to the Sept. 13 program, with repertoire to be announced, remain; admission is $60.
Chick Corea and Béla Fleck • Jazz great Corea and banjo virtuoso Fleck team up at the Red Cliffs Lodge Saturday at 6 p.m. The duo will combine each artist's most recognizable tunes with the music from their Latin Grammy-winning album, "The Enchantment," described as a mix of jazz and pop standards crossing myriad genres, from jazz and bluegrass to rock, flamenco and gospel. Tickets are $40; $10 for those under 18.
What the Heck is That? (Cruel and Unusual Instruments) • The Sept. 6 concert at the Red Cliffs Lodge spotlights odd instruments such as the theremin, continuum, hurdy-gurdy, waterphone, phono-fiddle and nose flute. Works include Bohuslav Martinu's Fantasy for theremin and Miklós Rózsa's "Spellbound" Concerto. Tickets are $30; $5 for those under 18.
Rocky Mountain Power Free Family Picnic Concert • The Moab Music Festival always has included a free, family-oriented concert in Moab's Old City Park on Labor Day. This year's edition features the genre-busting Time for Three. The music starts at 2 p.m.
House concerts • Two benefit concerts are set on a private ranch and at a private home. The Sept. 8 program, "River Songs" — featuring selections such as "Old Man River," "On the Beautiful Blue Danube," "Deep River" and "Moon River," is sold out; some spots remain at the Sept. 9 house concert, which includes dinner and wine in addition to music of Carter, Mozart and Honegger. Admission is $250; call 435-259-7003 for information.
MMF Virtuosi • Festival musicians will perform works of Stravinsky, Vivaldi, Gerald Elias and more at the Sorrel River Ranch and Spa on Sept. 11. Tickets are $30; $5 for those under 18.
Clarice Assad Quartet • The Brazilian pianist, singer and composer plays the Pavilion at Sorrel Ranch River and Spa on Sept. 12; tickets are $30; $5 for those under 18.
Harlem Renaissance• This Sept. 13 concert in Star Hall features artists from the New York Festival of Song in a musical and poetry celebration of the Harlem Renaissance, exploring the explosion of extraordinary African-American music and literature between the two World Wars. It includes works of Eubie Blake, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Billy Strayhorn and W.C. Handy, J. Rosamond Johnson, William Grant Still and Florence Price, plus readings from Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar and other iconic writers. Tickets are $25; $5 for those under 18. Admission to a Sept. 12 rehearsal/conversation is free, but tickets are required.
Visit moabmusicfest.org for more information on festival events.
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