Among all the projects that promise to bring listeners closer to music, Music Masters Collective actually delivers. No doubt. There are people who love music. There are those who live it. And then there’s Henry Stout — someone who decided that music should be a place of meeting.

A real place, physical, with full presence. Where the artist is not separated by a stage barrier, but sitting at the next table on the porch. Where you’re not just listening — you’re part of the process, sitting in an improvised studio in the middle of the woods, catching how a song comes together piece by piece. Behind all of this stands Henry Stout — a man who has spent decades building spaces for real musical life.

It all started in 1990s New York, where he opened Full Moon Studio on 27th Street. A place where young artists came to work without industry pressure, but with full commitment. Then came Full Moon Resort — one hundred acres of nature where music fits perfectly, where it sounds honest. A place to rest, to play, to listen, to ask questions of the very artists who lived in your headphones for years — and here, that’s all part of the experience.

Music Masters Collective grew out of the idea that music is something shared. Here, you can hear how a song is written, try playing it yourself, talk with musicians who are usually hidden behind tour schedules and dressing rooms. It’s an experience where the usual roles — audience, artist, organizer — start to blur. Everyone becomes a participant.

We spoke with Henry about how this format first came to life, why building a living music community matters, and what he sees ahead for these one-of-a-kind gatherings.

“My passion has always been to create places where music doesn’t have to hide behind a stage” – Henry Stout

Hi Henry, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Back at Full Moon Studio on 27th Street, you could kick off a jam session in minutes — a mixer, a couple of chairs, and pure experimentation on the fly. But now… you’ve got a hundred acres in the Catskills, multiple stages, dozens of cottages, jam rooms, and workshop spaces — the scale of this thing is mind-blowing. You turned a dream of intimate artist connection into a full-on musical oasis. I have to ask: how did you manage to translate the raw, close-up energy of Full Moon Studio into a resort of this size and still keep attendees at the heart of everything, not just watching from the sidelines?

Full Moon Studio on the corner of 27^th and 7^th was the incubator for all of this. My passion has always been to provide a safe and inspiring atmosphere for musicians to gather and dive into their most creative spaces. A parallel dream was to create a larger platform where aspiring musicians and passionate fans could immerse on the same level and with the same intensity with the artists themselves. Over the course of the last 25 years we have built out both the physical infrastructure to accommodate this vision; and relationships with artists, management and agencies rooted in mutual trust and respect.

Every MMC event is built around close interaction — workshops, fireside jams, spontaneous moments with artists. What elements do you consider essential when you’re creating that kind of fully immersive musical atmosphere?

The most essential elements, at the core of our work, is our partnership with the master artists and their desire to share their music and legacy in an interactive and creative environment. We work diligently to build relationships with artists who share our passion for connecting directly with passionate music lovers; and who hold a deep desire to dive into their musical roots and share their knowledge. It’s interesting you bring up my history in the NYC Music Rehearsal Studio scene in the 1990’s in mid-town Manhattan. It was an incredibly vibrant environment at the time with multiple studios and musicians of all levels rocking out and meeting and connecting. Bands were formed and touring careers launched.  This experience is at the core of Music Masters Collective interactive sessions and open jam sessions to this day. It’s about community building, networking and lifting people up in a safe and collaborative atmosphere.

At Full Moon Resort, you can wake up to the sound of a creek and end the day in a jam session with a musician you’ve looked up to for years. Everything — from where the tents are placed to how the pavilions are laid out — reflects this idea of full immersion. I’m curious: how much does the natural environment — the streams, the open space, the forest — shape the way you design the format of the workshops and performances? Do you build from the setting or from the artists?

Simple Answer: Both. Everything is entirely intentional and developed over decades. Our home base for these events is Full Moon Resort, “A Magical Blend of Lodging and Music in Nature”. My partner Michael Densmore and I set out to create a sanctuary for music in the most perfect natural environment we could find. We believe that the nurturing cradle of Mother Nature provides unsurpassed peace and distance from the extreme pace of modern life. We intentionally chose an isolated property surrounded by over 80,000 acres of “forever wild” wilderness preserve. We offer folks the opportunity to literally “unplug” and connect with both their inner personal nature and also the extraordinary outside natural world. The pristine natural environment opens creative doors that might otherwise remain out of reach.

You don’t often come across a nonprofit doing cultural work that actually pulls people out of their daily grind and into a full-on musical experience. What kind of scholarship programs, grants, or donation options have you developed (or are developing) to make MMC events more accessible — not just to those who can afford it, but to anyone with the drive to be part of it?

Music Masters Collective was established and designed to create In Real Life, interactive musical experiences where musicians and passionate fans can connect directly with the artists at the core of the music they love. The intention is not financially based; but, of course, these events are costly to produce and world class artists need to be compensated for their time and the incredibly generous offering of their performance and insight.  Our scholarship program is a fundamental part of our mission with the objective to create a robust financial backbone that can be allocated to individuals based on need. A unique aspect of our donation program is 100% of funds go directly to scholarship recipients. Total scholarship availability for each event varies; it is an evolving program with more generous individuals coming on board every day. Our fundamental objective is to eliminate money as a barrier to entry.

“The entire concept of MMC is an experiment — and the result is measured in joy” – Henry Stout

You’ve got this Beyond Backstage concept — and from what I’ve seen, it’s not just a tagline. Most shows end after the soundcheck and the set, but at your events, that’s when things really kick off: late-night jams around the fire, someone playing a brand-new track at lunch just because they feel like it. There’s this sense that the distance between artist and participant just drops. Does that kind of connection happen organically, or do you have specific ways you build that into the experience so it never feels like “part of the schedule”?

This is core to our program. You are not an observer, you are an active participant and you have the opportunity to get to know the artists, hear first hand what it means to be a professional touring artist and… play music with the artists. There is no way to truly understand the reality of life as an artist without knowing the artists themselves. And, we believe that through developing real life relationships with master artists, individuals gain unique and invaluable insight. A Back Stage Pass at a festival or concert is an extraordinary privilege; but it is not a pass into the dressing rooms or the artist catering areas. MMC provides access to the artists on a level that is fundamentally unsurpassed; it is exactly this that “keeps it real”. There’s no pretense, our artists are excited to connect with the participants and to listen and share their life experiences and become friends and build community and help folks find their own unique and personal connection to the music.

Pulling this off in a remote resort setting definitely comes with a ton of logistical and technical challenges. What’s the most unexpected challenge you’ve had to deal with while building out Full Moon Resort — and how did it shape where MMC went next?

MMC is a labor of love; the challenges are never ending and we are constantly adapting and innovating with an unwavering focus on our mission and an eye on the future and preserving and growing the legacy of the music.

You’ve already announced summer sessions with The Fab Faux and Steven Page Summer Camp, and Camp Elsewhere is coming in September. What new ideas or experiments are you planning to introduce into MMC’s event format to give fans an even deeper, more engaging experienace?

Even after over two decades of producing these events; the underlying concepts are fluid and evolving. We are driven to to provide the most comprehensive, immersive and interactive format available.  I am super excited about our 2025 event formats which introduce an upgraded balance of the core elements offering both the opportunity for Master Artists to blow minds with intimate performances and interactive curriculum and for participants to jam together, perform for one another and make connections and celebrate the music. The entire concept of MMC is an experiment and we are entirely driven by results which are a measure of the joy our participants experience and express. We are constantly evolving and adjusting our format to best share the love, make people happy, open doors and lift people up. Follow the light.

After twenty years of building this, living it, watching people arrive, connect, create, and leave changed — how has working on MMC shifted your own understanding of what it means to be a listener or a musician?

MMC has schooled me in the knowledge that the single most important part of listening and musicianship is relationships and love and respect. I cherish the friendships with the artists, and I am astounded at their generosity, strength and courage. I have always had immense respect and appreciation for music and musicians; MMC has given me the opportunity to learn the mindset of the master artist and the depth of character that is required to “live the dream”.

Looking at your lineups, it’s clear you’re not chasing trends or booking flavor-of-the-month acts. You lean toward artists with a story, with depth, with legacy. What makes you feel like someone is the right fit for MMC?

I am often asked this question. We are highly selective regarding artists for our programming. The one fundamental criteria that is always the first consideration is whether the artist shares the desire to directly and personally connect with their fans. We love all music, and we appreciate all genres – What makes the right fit for MMC is the artist’s engagement and passion for stepping out of traditional boundaries and engaging with the folks who are passionate about the music.

Finally — you’re working with artists who’ve spent decades on stadium stages or recording in legendary studios. And now they’re leading workshops in a barn, sitting in a circle with a dozen people. What still surprises you the most about how these musicians open up in such a stripped-back, almost rural setting?

I am constantly blown away by the generosity and love the artists project and provide to the folks who gather to celebrate the music. MMC musicians give a gift that is beyond measure; the reality of this never grows old and always moves me on the deepest level; it drives me and motivates me forge ahead and offer myself in service of the music and the legacy of the artists.

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