Artist - Moab Music Festival

Praised by Strad magazine as having “lyricism that stood out…a silky tone and beautiful, supple lines,” Milena has established herself as one of the most sought-after violists of her generation. In addition to appearances as a soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Jacksonville Symphony, and the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, she has performed in recitals and chamber-music concerts throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Milena was the founding violist of the Dover Quartet and played in the group from 2008-2022. During her tenure, the Dover Quartet was the First Prize-winner and recipient of every special award at the Banff International String Quartet Competition 2013 and winner of the Gold Medal and Grand Prize in the 2010 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Her numerous awards also include First Prize of the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and top prizes at the the Sphinx Competition and the Tokyo International Viola Competition. While in the Dover Quartet, Milena was on the faculty at The Curtis Institute of Music and Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and a part of the Quartet in Residence of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the newly formed piano quartet “Espressivo!” along with acclaimed artists Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, and Anna Polonsky.

Chelsea is a Utah-based percussionist with a unique portfolio career as a freelance performer, arts administrator, and music educator.

She is the Artistic Administrator of the Moab Music Festival and Percussionist/Director of Operations of Khemia Ensemble, a chamber group dedicated to contemporary classical music. Khemia has performed at nationally recognized venues and festivals such as National Sawdust, New Music Gathering, and the Mizzou International Composers Festival, presented educational residencies at more than a dozen universities in North and South America, and commissioned and premiered over 60 works by professional and student composers. Chelsea plays regularly with Ballet West, Utah Symphony, and steelworks steelband. Notable freelance appearances include the White Christmas National Tour, Live at the Eccles with Johnny Mathis, Right on Cue (Broadway tracks), Video Game Awards, Paducah Symphony, AEPEX Contemporary Performance, Rochester Symphony, New Britain Symphony, Nutmeg Symphony, and Adrian Symphony.

Chelsea is an Instructor of Music at Utah Valley University and has maintained a private percussion studio since 2009. Her debut etude book, Level Up! 15 Sequential Duets for the Developing Snare Drummer, is published by Tapspace. She received her MM in Percussion Performance and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan, a BM in Percussion Performance and Music Education from the Hartt School, and a Certificate in Arts Management from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Tired Hearts, the new album from rising indie-pop power trio, BAILEN, delivers a dazzling set of songs that navigates the space between the heart’s expectation and the head’s sober reality. New York based siblings, Daniel, David, and Julia’s second full-length album for Fantasy beats with empathy, vulnerability, and resolve.

At times intricate and playful, measured and elaborate, the 12 original songs on Tired Hearts wrestle with an uncertain future where ethics and morality—both communal and personal—seem to be constantly shifting. Locating one’s compass amidst the chaos—a world-wide pandemic, toxic social media culture, economic insecurity and political turbulence—is at the LP’s core.

Raised and rooted in New York City by classically trained musician parents and their wide-ranging, eclectic record collection, BAILEN has emerged as a favorite in indie circles by cultivating a passionate following via word of mouth, robust playlisting and a stream of steady touring and collaborating with artists such as Amos Lee, The Lone Bellow, Joseph, and Hozier to name a few.

On Tired Hearts, their exquisite and thought-provoking new album, BAILEN learns how to dream in the face of life’s uncertainty and in the process, moves forward aware, resilient, and hopeful. “This album is a breakthrough for us,” Daniel says. “It’s been a rocky road, but we’re really grateful that it’s led us here.”

Upcoming Performances:

Sept 8 – Ranch Benefit Concert

Heralded for her “superb vocal and dramatic chops” by Opera News, Amanda is a mezzo-soprano whose 2023/2024 season includes performances with the Chautauqua Opera – Festival Artist, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Opera Grand Rapids, Opera Philadelphia, The Industry LA, Buffalo Philharmonic and the world premiere of Richard Danielpour’s song cycle The Unhealed Wound alongside Eric Owens. Recently she debuted as Fatima in LA Opera’s premiere of Omar, IMG’s Our Song, Our Story recital series with Damien Sneed, Charlie Tyler (Finding Wright/Dayton Opera), Leocasta (Giustino/Long Beach Opera) and covered the titular role of Carmen at the Santa Fe Opera. Praised by the New York Times as “commanding with captivating texture”, in previous seasons, Amanda was a featured artist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Lansing Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra of Tokyo, Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago and New York Festival of Song including the release of their studio recording of Paul Bowles’ A Picnic Cantata featuring Michael Barrett. Amanda is a recipient of awards from prestigious competitions including George London Foundation, Loren L. Zachary Society, Operalia, Gerda Lissner, Opera Index, and MONC Regionals. She is an alumna of the Cafritz Young Artist Program (WNO), Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School (MM, Kovner Fellow) and SUNY Fredonia (BM).

Upcoming Performances:

Sept 2 – 100 Years of Ragtime

Sept 3 – Water World: Rivers, Bridges, Droughts, and Floods

Sept 4 – Rocky Mountain Power Community Concert

Joe is a professional trombonist, composer and educator based out of Salt Lake City. He attained a bachelor’s degree in Trombone Performance and a Master’s Degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Utah. He has been involved historically with important musical projects such as the Salt Lake Alternative Jazz Orchestra (SLAJO) and John Henry. Joe’s current projects include Hot House West and a quartet he co-leads named “Subconscious 3”. He has shared the stage with a long list of masterful musicians throughout his career; most notably Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Marshall Gilkes, Andy Martin, Herlin Riley, Charlie Hunter and Robert Walter. Joe is an active husband and father to three and enjoys art, sports and the outdoors.

Upcoming Performances:

Sept 2 – 100 Years of Ragtime

Shane has studied and performed around the globe, including in Brazil, China, Mexico, Trinidad/Tobago, Puerto Rico, West Africa, and across the United States. He serves as Director of Percussion/Assistant Professor of Music at Utah Valley University and Associate Editor of World Percussion for the Percussive Arts Society. Shane has performed on Broadway as drummer/percussionist for the musical 1776 at 54 Below. He was the drummer for the off-Broadway premiere of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning rock musical Next to Normal and the 2013 regional tour of Cabaret. He has performed with artists and groups such as Boyz II Men, Guster, Patti Austin, Eurovision winner Tajči, and the Hot Sardines. As a popular musician, Shane is a regular drummer for the Diamond Empire Band and the Hot House West Swing Orchestra. As a classical/chamber musician, he serves as percussionist and Director of Production for internationally performing chamber group Khemia Ensemble and regularly performs with the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera as well as Ballet West. Shane is a proud Yamaha Performing Artist and endorser of Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets, REMO drumheads, and Zildjian cymbals.

Upcoming Performances:

Sept 2 – 100 Years of Ragtime

Leelanee is Third Horn of the New York Philharmonic and joined the orchestra in 2013. She was previously a fellow of Ensemble Connect, Carnegie Hall’s collective of young professionals and music advocates. In recent seasons, Leelanee has made solo appearances at Carnegie Hall, several International Horn Symposia, and has presented recitals and masterclasses around the country. She has performed as guest principal horn with the London Symphony Orchestra, appears frequently at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and was a member of the 2022 National Brass Ensemble. An advocate for works by women composers, she can be heard on the world-premiere recording of Fernande Breihl-Decruck’s Poëme Héroïque for trumpet, horn, and orchestra.

Leelanee grew up in a musically enthusiastic and supportive family in northern Michigan and attended Interlochen Arts Academy. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music. Her primary teachers include William Purvis, Douglas Hill, and Julie Schleif. Leelanee has spent summers at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Pacific and Sarasota music festivals, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Banff Centre for the Arts. She is a past prizewinner in the International Horn Competition of America and the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Program. She now serves on the horn faculties of New York University and Rutgers University. Among her proudest accomplishments is completing the New York City Marathon twice.

Upcoming Performances:

Sept 2 – Music Hike I: Winds in the Canyon

Sept 2 – 100 Years of Ragtime

Sept 4 – Rocky Mountain Power Community Concert

Sept 7 – Grotto II: Winds on the River

Hot House West is an exciting ensemble whose mission is to celebrate the timeless allure of swing rhythm. Founded in Salt Lake City in 2011, the band cultivates a one-of-a-kind personality blending the virtuosic yet soulful music of Django Reinhardt with their western roots and American swing influence.

The band has become a tight-knit community of some of the country’s top-tier jazz musicians, and the friendship and community spirit they share is immediately palpable. Group vocals, audience interaction, masterful improvisation, and a ceaseless swinging pocket keep audiences smiling, laughing, and tapping their feet from the first note to the last.

The Hot House West Swing Orchestra combines stellar vocals, a big band of horns, and a Django-inspired rhythm section sound consisting of two guitars, bass, and drums. Their guitar-driven interplay, acrobatic horn lines, punchy hits, and collective improvisation alluding to the streets of New Orleans captures a holistic definition of swing unmatched by any other group.

Upcoming Performances:

Sept 4 – Rocky Mountain Power Community Concert

Sept 9 – Hot House West Swing Orchestra at Sorrel River Ranch

Alex is an in-demand freelance bassist and educator, finding passion within all styles of music and celebrating the more diverse elements when they are offered. Alex performs frequently on upright bass, all electric basses, synth and sousaphone. Throughout his career he has backed a broad spectrum of some of the world’s greatest talents. He is a Utah native, graduating from The University of Utah with his Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance and his Master’s degree in Arts of Teaching. He has taught music to all age groups and finds the most educational joy in helping to hone every human’s fingerprint within the field. Alex has received many competitive accolades over the years and endorses Aguilar Amplification and Mattisson Basses. Over the past several years, Alex has lead many groups and created a Jazz Vespers Concert Series at Life In Christ Church, trying to bring unique groups and voices to the stage together, for the community. He performs, arranges and composes regularly in studio and live settings. Alex is ecstatic to be joining his alma mater as their adjunct professor of jazz bass.

Upcoming Performances:

Jun 9 – Floating Concert: Water, Rocks, and Jazz

Jun 10 – Family Music Hike

Jun 10 – Garden Benefit Concert

Jun 11 – Community Concert

Kale is a Los Angeles based multi-instrumentalist specializing in clarinet, steel guitar, ukulele and old-school jazz vocals. In addition to being a niche gig and session player, Kale tours internationally with the critically-acclaimed Black Market Trust. From Sinatra to Sleepwalk, his fresh take on classic melodies is sure to create a vintage vibe.

Upcoming Performances:

June 9 – Floating Concert: Water, Rocks & Jazz

June 10 – Family Music Hike

June 10 – Garden Benefit Concert

Jun 11 – Community Concert

Jun 13-17 – Cataract Canyon Raft Trip

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