For Winterlude, world-class jazz artists jam with Moab’s young musicians
Meaning goes beyond just captivating melodies and entertainment at the Moab Music Festival’s Winterlude events, which demonstrate the festival’s core commitment to community enrichment.
Jazz musician Alison Shearer, one of the performers and educators returning this year, articulated the essence of Winterlude in a conversation with the Moab Sun News – that music festivals should be a conduit for giving back to the community, fostering a profound sense of involvement and connection.
This philosophy sets the stage for a week of collaborative endeavors, particularly with the students at Grand County High School.
Shearer said that returning for a second year meant that she could deepen her engagement with students, sharing the familiarity formed over the years.
“I know the students and teachers now,” she said. “I was able to just text them and ask ‘What are you guys working on?”
The casual exchange of texts paints a picture of the close-knit relationship that has evolved, transcending the boundaries of mentorship.
Shearer and her quartet of musicians, as well as the W4RP group, are distinctive: most of the members are not just musicians but educators. Shearer herself is on the faculty of Jazz House Kids, a program in New York City. This dual identity of being both performers and teachers adds a layer of depth to their interactions with students, creating a dynamic educational experience.
“When you have students for a couple of years, it just opens up the possibilities of where you can take them,” Shearer said.
Shearer, now 35, reflected on her own high school experience, recalling the impact of a visiting musician who played with the students. The memory of playing with a professional left an indelible mark, and she is excited to bring that experience to Moab’s local youth.
“That sort of experience is easier to come by in a larger city,” she said. “To bring that into Moab and to show local kids what it’s like to be a New York jazz musician, that feels special.”
Amidst the whirlwind of being a touring musician, Shearer also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to spend time in Moab. The exhaustion of constant travel is replaced by the joy and specialness of being with her band for nine uninterrupted days.
“The landscape, it’s just something that we don’t have on the East Coast in the same way,” Shearer said, noting that the Moab Music Festival’s tagline, “music in concert with the landscape,” is as meaningful to the performing artists as it is to its audience.
“My group ended up writing new music while we were here last year,” Shearer said. Two of the tunes composed while playing after-hours inside Star Hall will be performed this week.
Shearer said that, in contrast to many festivals that focus on musical spectacle, she enjoys the attention to jazz education, the interplay of music and nature, and the clear feedback from the Moab community.
“We sold out our shows last year, and people turned out,” she said, “People were stoked, I think, to have some jazz to go to in a small rural town.”
See the full schedule of events for Winterlude at www.moabmusicfest.org.
