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SITTING PRETTY: CELEBRATING 15 YEARS AT THE MOAB MUSIC FESTIVAL
Moab, Utah. August 30 -
September, 15 2007
Perched atop a redrock ledge overlooking
"nature’s perfect concert hall" (The
New York Times) or settled in a comfy chair with your feet
planted firmly in the red soil of the stunning grotto, you and all the
patrons of this much-anticipated Moab Music Festival Grotto Concert are
treated to the "....zest, imagination and brilliant technique..." (San Francisco Examiner) of the
Grammy Award-winning Turtle Island Quartet, making its Festival debut.
Guests will be enthralled by Festival Artistic Director and violist
Leslie Tomkins, who takes "center sand" in Turina’s smoldering Spanish
Andalusian Scene along with Edward Arron cellist, violinists Jennifer
Frautschi and Karen Gomyo, and pianist and Festival Music Director and
pianist Michael Barrett, cellist Tanya Tomkins and violist LP How.
Rounding out the program with power and panache, hornist Eric Ruske is
featured in Brahms’s awe-inspiring Horn Trio which is followed by an
artists' reception in the grotto, after which guests are whisked back
to Moab by jet boat.Opening night of the 15th season, Friday, August 31, will celebrate Moab’s newly-renovated 100 year old Star Hall—intimate and charming—with a program including two outstanding masterpieces. The seldom-heard Andante and Variations by Robert Schumann features the unusual instrumentation of two cellos (Edward Arron and Tanya Tomkins), French horn (Eric Ruske) and two pianos (Michael Barrett and Eric Zivian). The newly refurbished hall will sparkle with Brahms' towering Sextet for strings in G major with compelling violinists Jennifer Fratuschi and Karen Gomyo, violist LP How, and cellists Tanya Tomkins and Edward Arron. The post-concert reception with the performers will include an exhibition by the Moab Artist Studio Tour and is sponsored by Zion‘s Bank.
The Turtle Island Quartet raises the roof, or tent, at the Red Cliffs Lodge on Saturday, September 1 with its own unique contemporary flair, fusing the classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles. "With its distinctive brand of tight, impressive bow-ery in motions" (Billboard Magazine) sounds, the group will perform tracks from its upcoming CD of works by John Coltrane and others, showcasing the members' upbeat and jazz-infused originality. The Quartet will be joined by cellists Edward Arron and Tanya Tomkins, and violinists Jennifer Frautschi and LP How.
Another sensational program developed by New York Festival of Song truly puts "music in concert with the landscape" on Sunday night, September 2, when audiences are treated to an evening under the stars at Red Cliffs Lodge. Patrons will hear in song how Dvorák influenced and was influenced by great African American Composers. Sopranos Dina Kuznetsova and Jonita Lattimore along with baritone James Martin will reveal the astounding and musically entrancing interaction between Bohemia and Black America.
Spend Labor Day, Monday, September 3, shaded by old cottonwood trees in Old City Park at a free concert—quickly becoming a Festival favorite, this is the first of three free concerts at this year’s Festival. Bring a picnic and settle in for an afternoon of American songs performed by James Martin and Jonita Lattimore, the sounds of fabulous French horn virtuoso Eric Ruske, and dynamic pianist Eric Zivian in an offering of the poetry of Bach. Festival favorite Artist-in-Residence Christopher Layer will also join the festivities as he leads The Moab Community Dance Band. The afternoon is made possible through the generosity of Rocky Mountain Power.
Tickets are available for all the concerts through the Moab Music Festival's web site www.moabmusicfest.org or by phone 435-259-7003 or mail at 58 East 300 South, Moab, Utah 84532.