Promoting community building through music appreciation, education, and environmental stewardship.

HISTORY
The Moab Folk Festival was founded by Melissa Schmaedick in 2003. In 2005, the Festival was established as a nonprofit organization, Friends of the Moab Folk Festival (Friends), under the Folk Alliance International group exemption program. Friends applied for and received a standalone nonprofit designation in 2024. Our programming is constantly expanding and diversifying as we aim to extend our reach into the Moab community. In 2008, the Moab Folk Camp was founded to offer adult music education. In 2014, artist residencies were added to our existing outreach programs to extend and deepen engagement in local schools. In 2017 the Moab Free Concert Series was added to offer live music experiences at no cost to our community. Friends is governed by a five-member board and is supported by two staff members and 150+ volunteers.

MISSION
Our mission is to promote community building through music appreciation, education, and environmental stewardship. Based in the small, rural community of Moab, Utah, Friends strives to bring diverse music talents and educational opportunities from around the country to the area for the entertainment and enjoyment of the local community and visitors. We encourage environmental stewardship by engaging in and advocating for sustainable and low-impact practices in all of our activities. We strive to keep our programs and concerts economically accessible to many and offer several free to the public.

PROGRAMMING
Friends promotes traditional, contemporary and multi-cultural folk music in Moab, Utah. Our programming is rooted in the belief that access to music education and live performance should not be determined by where one lives or economic status, and that music/art bridges social barriers and promotes compassion.
MFF/Friends Programs include:

• The Moab Folk Festival

• The Moab Folk Camp

• Moab Free Concert Series

• Beacon Summer youth strings camp with Moab Music Festival

• Workshops with visiting artists

• School Assemblies

• Intensive School Education Outreach Series