The tags of “outdoor venue” and “natural acoustics” can’t adequately prepare you for what happens at the Moab Music Festival. A love letter as much to the terrain around the Colorado River as to classical music, the Moab Music Festival is a series of 20 events — mostly concerts, but with a few film screenings — across two weeks that take artist and audience into the rocky Utah landscapes. A grotto, a canyon and the Colorado River itself are a few of the places that become amphitheaters. While many of the concerts showcase classical music of varying eras, you can expect jazz standards and even the classically trained indie-pop group Bailen.
Ranging from free to ticketed, you might hop on a jet boat shuttle to listen to Schumann and Brahms echoing off a natural grotto, or take a short guided hike to a secret spot in the canyons that surround the city to hear non-traditional string quartet arrangements playing everything from Bach to Queen. Not every event is out in the wild — spaces are akin to what you might stumble on during a hike on the red rock cliffs — but even so, most other venues remain in proximity to nature, sometimes the only structure in a large valley with nothing around it but rock and sky, like the Red House Venue where you can listen to 20th-century American compositions.
An evening with Hopi Nation Artists will be one of the few events taking place in the downtown area of Moab, at the back of an inn. As the first caretakers of the Colorado River from Hopitutskwa — land that is called northeastern Arizona today — performers from the Hopi Tribe join the Moab Music Festival to celebrate and show respect for water through dances, music, prayers and stories in a free event for the community. The Hopi performers will convene once more during the festival for the Rocky Mountain Power Community Concert that will take place in Moab’s Old City Park. If you can’t attend any of the other events, you can catch more artists at the Community Concert than at any other time during the festival. Its lineup includes a performance by the Hopi Nation, as well as the performances of works by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, New Zealand composer Gareth Farr, and Navajo composer Connor Chee.
The Specs
- approximately 1500-2000 people attend
- Each event is priced individually, ranging from free to $3600
- Just a 4 hours drive away—or more, for the particularly scenic route—check out Fifty Grande’s guide to Salt Lake City here.
FAQs
What is the closest airport to the festival?
You can take connecting flights from Salt Lake City, UT or Phoenix, AZ to Canyonlands Regional Airport in Utah. Alternatively, Salt Lake City International Airport is about 4 hours away from the city.
Is the festival ADA-accessible?
Events take place at different venues. If you have concerns with mobility, locations involving a hike may be difficult. On the other hand, there are many more accessible venues that capture the spirit of the festival and shuttles are available at several locations
Which artists are on the Moab Music Festival 2024 lineup?
Alice Yoo, Andrew Garland, Ariadne Greif, Aubree Oliverson, BAILEN, Catherine Gregory, Connor Chee, Cynthia Phelps, David Jaggard, Derek Wang, Eve Beglarian, Geneva Lewis, Howard Dennis and Hopi Nation Artists, Ian Rosenbaum, Jamie Bernstein, Jay Campbell, Jessica Bodner, Julia Hamos, Kristin Lee, Leslie Tomkins, LP How, Mark Stewart, Mary Rice, Matthew Zalkind, Maya Miro Johnson, Michael Barrett, Michael Stephen Brown, Miclen LaiPeng, Nathan Farrington, Roydon Tse, Serafim Smigelskiy, Simone Porter, Tessa Lark, Yoonah Kim, Yoshiko Chuma and Zach Rowden.