Kayenta Arts To Present John Luther Adams’ CROSSING OPEN GROUND At Snow Canyon State Park
The outdoor music experience will feature 36 local musicians performing alongside acclaimed visiting artists on October 25.
By: A.A. Cristi Oct. 16, 2025
Kayenta Arts will present Crossing Open Ground, a one-day-only outdoor music event by composer John Luther Adams, on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in Snow Canyon State Park. Produced by Liquid Music, the performance will unite acclaimed visiting artists and 36 local musicians from Utah Tech University in a celebration of community, landscape, and live sound.
Set against the sweeping cliffs of Snow Canyon, Crossing Open Ground invites audiences to experience music as part of nature itself. The acoustic score—composed for winds, brass, and percussion—creates an immersive soundscape in which musicians surround the audience in the park’s natural amphitheater.
The piece has only been performed twice before: at Lincoln Center in New York City and as a commission of the Aspen Music Festival and School. Adams, whom The New Yorker’s Alex Ross has described as “one of the most original musical thinkers of the new century,” says his music is “an invitation to slow down, pay attention, and remember our place within the larger community of life on earth.”
“This project has been two years in the making and is the most ambitious performance Kayenta Arts has ever produced,” said Miranda Wright, Executive Director of Kayenta Arts. “Crossing Open Ground is a powerful example of how artistic vision can meet the extraordinary landscape that surrounds us.”
ABOUT JOHN LUTHER ADAMS
Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning composer John Luther Adams is internationally recognized for his music rooted in nature and environmental awareness. A former environmental activist who spent nearly four decades in Alaska, Adams is the creator of landmark works such as Become Ocean, In the White Silence, and Inuksuit. His compositions bridge the natural and human worlds, inviting listeners to reconnect with place and planet through sound.
ABOUT KAYENTA ARTS FOUNDATION
The Kayenta Arts Foundation fosters artistic endeavors for education and cultural enrichment through its Center for the Arts at Kayenta, which presents more than 50 events annually spanning theatre, music, dance, storytelling, and humanities programs.
ABOUT LIQUID MUSIC
Founded at the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and now led independently by Kate Nordstrum, Liquid Music is a leading producer of interdisciplinary music projects. The organization is known for its bold, collaborative programming and has been praised for its “storied matchmaking” (Minneapolis Star Tribune). Learn more at liquidmusic.org.
ABOUT SNOW CANYON STATE PARK
Located near St. George, Utah, Snow Canyon State Park encompasses over 7,400 acres of striking desert terrain. The park’s sandstone cliffs, volcanic flows, and sand dunes make it a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and artists alike.
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THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (West Valley Arts)
17.3% of votes
2.
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8.3% of votes
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7.5% of votes
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