The 18th annual Moab Music Festival gets under way this week. It starts Sept. 2 with one of the festival's signature grotto concerts and ends with a four-day raft trip down the Colorado River, Sept. 13-16.
There will be a total of 11 concerts that will focus on chamber music but will also include an evening devoted to the American Songbook and performances by Paquito D'Rivera and ETHEL, a young American string quartet that only plays works written since 1995.
Among the other artists coming to Moab for the festival are violinist Axel Strauss, violist and composer Kenji Bunch, cellist Matt Haimovitz and fiddler Paul Woodiel. And of course founders Michael Barrett and Leslie Tomkins will also perform on several of the programs.
For complete concert, artist, venue and ticket information, log on to moabmusicfest.org or call 435-259-7003.
Here is a roundup of concerts. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for children.
Sept. 2, noon, $300: Grotto concert; music by Paquito D'Rivera, Schubert and Schumann
Sept. 3, 7 p.m., Star Hall: Opening night; music by Schumann, Musto, Harrison and Bach
Sept. 4, 11 a.m., free but ticket required, Star Hall: Open rehearsal conversation
Sept. 4, 6 p.m., Red Cliffs Lodge: Music by D'Rivera, Bernstein and Stravinsky
Sept. 5, 9 a.m., $50: Musical walk
Sept. 5, 6 p.m., Red Cliffs Lodge: ETHEL
Sept. 6, 2 p.m., free, Old City Park: Family picnic concert; music by Bernstein, Sellars and Deak
Sept. 8, 5:30 p.m., $85, venue TBA: Traditional Appalachian music
Sept. 9, 12 p.m., $300: Grotto concert; music by Chopin, Schumann, Bolcom and Mozart
Sept. 10, 6 p.m., Sorrel River Ranch: Music by Foss, Bunch and Schumann
Sept. 11, 11 a.m., free but ticket required, Star Hall: Open rehearsal conversation
Sept. 11, 6 p.m., Sorrel River Ranch: "Music at Jefferson's Monticello"
Sept. 12, 9 a.m., $50: Musical walk
Sept. 12, 7 p.m., Star Hall: Music by Arlen, Gershwin and Porter
Sept. 13, noon, $300: Grotto concert; music by Dvorak, Lieberman and Tchaikovsky
Sept. 13-16, $1,950: Musical raft trip on Colorado River
e-mail: ereichel@desnews.com