Fine Art, Classical Music, And More at Kanab’s 19th Annual Amazing Earthfest
May 10, 2025
Picture this: Spectacularly colored Navajo sandstone cliffs framed in afternoon light by enormous picture windows while soul-stirring melodies of Bach, Mozart, and Lowe grace the air. Original paintings by contemporary western artists adorn the walls of the gallery, silently adding depth and beauty to the occasion. From 4 to 6 PM on a Saturday afternoon, lose yourself in a live performance of chamber music inside the great room at Bingham Gallery of Fine Art in Mt. Carmel, Utah. https://thunderbirdfoundation.com/fine-art/
Talented violinists, Alex and Aubrey Woods, join distinguished performing artists and music educators, Rex Woods and Laurence Lowe, to create an occasion of uncommon redolence. On the program are works by Bach and Mozart plus the world premier of three original compositions for two violins and piano from Composer Laurence Lowe’s new album, “On Contemplating Loss”. Exquisitely delicate refreshments provide the finishing touch on an afternoon of reverie! Get tickets online at: https://www.amazingearthfest.org/events/earthfest-chamber-music-concert.
When you register to attend the concert, be sure to explore all 27 of the exciting activities of the 19th Amazing Earthfest in Kanab by visiting: https://www.amazingearthfest.org/events/upcoming.
Earthfest provides opportunities for people who value their connection to nature to meet each other through hiking, yoga, conversation, and the arts, wholesome food, night skies, garden design, wild land issues, films, birdwatching, stunning scenery, and more!
Who will perform this concert of splendid chamber music?
The New York Times called Alexander Woods a “showstopping” violinist with a “deft, sensitive and beautiful tone.” He has performed with the New York Baroque Incorporated (NYBI), the Helicon Foundation, the Sebastians, the Talea Ensemble, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s (New York), and the Utah Symphony, and frequently collaborates with his wife, Ballet West Orchestra concertmaster Aubrey Smith Woods as Woodsmith, and with his father, Rex Woods, Professor of Piano Emeritus at the University of Arizona. Alex is the founder and director of the BYU Baroque Ensemble, an early music chamber orchestra performing on original instruments created by the Violin Making School of America. Alex studied at Yale University, Manhattan School of Music, and the University of Arizona.
Aubrey Woods’ artistic leadership and excellence as concertmaster for Ballet West are consistently on display at the Capitol, Rose Wagner, and Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City. She frequently performs with the Utah Symphony Orchestra. Aubrey is equally in demand as studio recording artist for movies, television, and in backing tracks for many popular artists. In her free time, Aubrey loves making sourdough bread and spending time with her husband and their five kids.
Since presenting his first public solo recital over 50 years ago, Rex Woods has performed as a soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, France, China and Australia, with the Tucson Symphony, Arizona Symphony, Mesa Symphony, the Catalina Chamber Orchestra, the Southern Arizona Symphony, and the Chamber Orchestra of the University of Michoacán. Recent university recitals include Drew, Humboldt State, BYU and the University of Utah. Mr. Woods received his musical education at BYU, the universities of Arizona, Southern California, and the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau. He was awarded the Otto Guth Memorial Award from the San Francisco Opera Center for excellence in vocal coaching and was the recipient of the Premier Prix de Fontainebleau in chamber music. He holds the degree of Juris Doctor from Arizona State University. Professor Woods has served on the faculties of the University of Texas at Austin and the Interlochen Center for the Arts. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona where he began teaching in 1988, including 15 years as an administrator in the Fred Fox School of Music.
Laurence Lowe has an international reputation as a horn soloist, composer, chamber musician, orchestral player, and teacher. He holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and from the San Francisco Conservatory, where he studied horn with David Krehbiel and composition with Elinor Armer. Solo, orchestral, and chamber music engagements have taken him to Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Spain, Japan, China, Brazil, Mexico, Carnegie Hall, and the Blossom Festival. His new album of music for violins and piano entitled “On Contemplating Loss” is available on all music streaming services worldwide. Mr. Lowe is principal horn with the Mendocino (CA) Music Festival Orchestra and Opera, principal horn with Ballet West in Salt Lake City, and performs frequently with the Utah Symphony. He was professor of horn at Missouri University for ten years in the 1980s, a member of the Utah Symphony horn section for the 1990-91 season, and taught at Brigham Young University for 28 years, retiring from BYU in 2021. He maintains an active performance and recording schedule.
