The MOAB Music Festival is the perfect place to mix water and tunes.
MOAB MUSIC FESTIVAL
Concerts on the banks of the Colorado River, performances in red rock grottos that could only be reached by boat, and on river rafts during multi-day raft trips that include the musicians and their custom waterproof instruments have all been part of the Moab Music Festival’s 31-year mission to combine the natural desert landscape of Utah with live music.
The Moab Music Festival has decided to dedicate 2023 and 2024 to the topic of water.
In keeping with the theme, they have added two new concerts to their schedule: on August 25 at Star Hall, composer Timo Andres will perform his commissioned work “Tooth and Claw,” and on September 3 at the New World Stages, percussionist Pius Cheung will give the world premiere of his commissioned work “Samsara,” both of which will focus on water in some way. Documentary film “River” will be shown at some point during the festival as well.
WHEN IS THE MOAB MUSIC FESTIVAL?
The dates of the 2023 Moab Music Festival are August 21st through September 15th.
The event expanded this year to include additional concert days. In June, there is a “High Water” week of musical performances. The festival hosts a few indoor performances in January as part of its “Winterlude” series.
MUSICAL WHITE WATER RAFTING ADVENTURE
The two musical raft rides that bookend the annual Moab Music Festival are perhaps the festival’s most unique and memorable features. You can take one along the San Juan River, or travel through Westwater Canyon.
These trips, which last for three days and two nights, give you the chance to rethink your connection to music. You bond with the musicians on a deeper level as you share meals and relax in the outdoors.
In August of that year, I was fortunate enough to experience the enchantment of the Westwater Canyon Musical Raft Trip. I had been to the Red Cliffs Lodge concert on the Colorado River’s edge west of Moab, as well as the Grotto Concert and the Music Hike. The three days spent on the rafting trip offer a unique concert experience that blends elements of the others.
Meetings were held and checklists were filled out, just like any other whitewater rafting expedition. The trip from Moab to the area around Loma, Colorado, was a lengthy one. You’ll have a wonderful time getting to know your fellow rafters, as well as the guides and musicians.Boats and knowledgeable river guides are provided by Sheri Griffith River Expeditions, a Moab-based company that also works in conjunction with the festival.
The guides are in charge of the rafts, making sure they stop when necessary, preparing lunch, and setting up and breaking down the camp each night and morning on the riverbanks.
MUSICIANS BY LAND AND BY WATER
Award-winning cellist Jay Campbell of New York City’s JACK Quartet and other ensembles joined us on this tour, as did the award-winning Spanish violinist Francisco Fullana of California.
Performers at the Moab Music Festival frequently split their time between multiple shows. After a day of rafting, they go on a Music Hike the next day. In order to protect the delicate wood of their instruments from the harsh marine environment, the musicians bring carbon fiber substitutes with them when they set sail.
CONCERTS, SWIMMING, AND CAMPING
Francisco played the violin and Jay the cello for a little concert right after we launched from the river’s put-in site. After that, we all got to take turns going for a swim in the river.
Upon arriving at our first campground, flanked by towering sandstone cliffs, the boats unloaded us and we all dispersed to set up our separate tents. The guides prepared dinner like a well-oiled machine.
Those that were prepared first set up a formal dining area replete with a table, chairs, wine, and vases filled with greenery. After supper, some of the guests helped set up camp chairs on the beach for a concert.
Our proximity to the river made it feel like we were at two separate concerts at once. Water lapping at the shore was accompanied by the strains of the instruments. Standing tall in the river’s natural flow, the nearby rocks created their own unique melody.
MORNING SERENADES AND NATURE’S AMPHITHEATER
While our morning coffee was being prepared, we were serenaded by Jay and Francisco. In the early morning silence, we dismantled our tents, stuffed our sleeping bags into our packs, and pointed out the sun’s slow ascent above the rocks.
We soon made our way down the river in the rafts, landing on a muddy slope above some train tracks that we had to climb. The Rocky Mountaineer train, traveling from Glenwood Springs, Colorado, to Moab, Utah, had passed by here the night before.
We hurriedly hopped across the tracks and onto the short, rough footpath leading to the jaw-dropping natural amphitheater. The wind and weather have sculpted it magnificently throughout the ages. Since Jay and Francisco had arrived first, we all chose comfortable places in the shade to listen and watch them rehearse while the bright blue sky mingled with the curved patinaed boulders that formed our impromptu musical “hall.”
After being nearly overpowered by the sweltering desert heat and heavenly music, we practically dozed back down to the rafts for a relaxing day of gliding down the river to our next campground.
MUSIC, LAUGHTER, AND ADVENTURE AT THE MOAB MUSIC FESTIVAL CAMPSITES
Light rain had caught up with us by the time we reached our second and final campground, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying a lovely meal together around a big table by the river while we shared stories and wine as night fell.
Music was not the only topic of discussion; Jay and Francisco were also asked about their experiences as performers and their upbringings.
Even though it rained again in the morning, Francisco roused us up with more live music, and we quickly packed up. There is an element of surprise to each musical moment on these raft concerts because the schedules are not announced until the passengers board the boats.
Shortly after we left this location on the final day, we had a safety briefing regarding navigating the whitewater rapids by raft.
CLIMACTIC WHITEWATER RAPIDS EXPERIENCE
After we (and the instruments!) got it over the class IV rapids of Westwater Canyon, complete with humorous accounts of boating mishaps, we resumed our leisurely float to the take-out location, where Jay and Francisco gave us a farewell performance.
Nature is breathtaking, with the cliffs seemingly ebbing and flowing along the Colorado River. However, adding music to the scene adds an engulfing experience by softly stimulating all of the senses.
