2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the Moab Music Festival, an annual festival dedicated to bringing talented classical musicians to play within Moab’s landscape—venues include a whitewater rafting trip and secret grottos accessible only by jet boat.
The festival itself runs for two weeks every September, but as an organization, MMF is also dedicated to giving back to Moab’s community. Every February, MMF presents an abbreviated winter season, called “Winterlude,” in partnership with local schools and KZMU radio.
This year’s Winterlude starts on January 31. The program includes a workshop for adult string and piano players, after-school workshops for students, a KZMU “tiny station” concert, a workshop showcase and a concert, performed by the Fry Street Quartet.
“The festival has been providing educational opportunities and workshops, and fun events for community members of all ages, since it was founded in 1992,” said Erin Groves, the community engagement director of the Moab Music Festival. “A lot of long-time Moabites will probably remember attending workshops or concerts from various artists and residents throughout the year.”
This year’s Winterlude will showcase Fry Street Quartet, a string quartet currently in residence at the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University. The members of the quartet—Robert Waters, Rebecca McFaul, Bradley Ottesen and Anne Francis Bayless—will coach the adult workshop alongside violinist Leslie Thompkins, the festival’s artistic director, and pianist festival music director Michael Barrett. The Fry Street Quartet will also coach the after-school workshops for students at the Grand County School District.
The adult workshop, for non-professional string and piano players, is a week-long program for 90 minutes per day. Registrants are assigned to a group depending on what time they’re available during the day and what instrument they play—groups can range from one person to five people. Registration for the week is $50 and includes the option to play in the Winterlude Showcase at Star Hall alongside student-workshop attendees, and includes a ticket to the Fry Street Quartet performance at Star Hall.
The afterschool workshops for local string students are free, and run from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Star Hall (159 E. Center St.). Students must attend every day (Jan. 31 to Feb. 4) and play in the Winterlude Showcase at the end of the week.
On Saturday, Feb. 5, Winterlude will culminate with a concert performed by Fry Street Quartet at Star Hall. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for ages 6-18 and are available at www.moabmusicfest.org. If you can’t make the concert, don’t worry—you can tune in to the live Fry Street Quartet “tiny station” concert at KZMU (90.1 and 106.7 FM) on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m.
Workshop registration closes on Tuesday, Jan. 4. To register for the workshops, email Erin Groves at erin@moabmusicfest.org. Partial and full scholarships are available.
