Further Information

Enriching Your Listening Experience

 

In addition to first-rate concert performances, the Aspen Music Festival and School offers free or inexpensive events that provide other venues for better understanding and enjoying music.

Preludes | Harris Concert Hall | Sundays, 3 pm | Free: Guest speakers provide insight (historical context, themes, and musical styles) into the day’s concert repertoire. Prelude presenters for 2025 include Jonathan Bellman, Graeme Boone, Katie Brill, Paul-Boris Kertsman, Joseph Pfender, Erin Pratt, and Harlow Robinson.

Open Rehearsals | Klein Music Tent | Aspen Chamber Symphony | Fridays, 9 am | Aspen Festival Orchestra | Sundays, 9:30 am | $23: Observe the interplay between conductor and instrumentalists as they refine the performance for that day’s concert.

High Notes | Bad Harriet, The Hotel Jerome | Wednesdays, 12 pm | Free: Participate in informal lunch-hour discussions on various music-related topics with Alan Fletcher and an elite selection of the Festival’s top musical guests, including Stéphane Denève, Jeremy Denk, Ana María Martínez, Enrique Mazzola, Steven Osborne, Matthias Pintscher, Melissa Studdard, and Christopher Theofanidis.

The Art of Listening | Crossroads Church | Fridays, July 11–August 15, 12:30 pm | Free: A series of talks in which humanities and music instructor Tom Buesch and guest presenters guide you through the major classical music periods, making the concert listening experience more palpable. These talks, enriched with live and recorded performances, will provide key listening strategies and enhance the experience for new and seasoned concertgoers alike. The residencies of Jonathan Bellman, Graeme Boone, and Harlow Robinson are generously supported by the Richard and Deborah Felder Fund for Guest Lecturers.

Center for Orchestral Leadership Student Mentoring Program

 

In 2001 the Aspen Music Festival and School launched a unique mentoring program designed to expand the School’s guidance of its students, specifically focusing upon the encouragement and support not only of their performance talents but also of career options beyond the concert environment.

Ten advanced fellowship students were selected by our artist-faculty to play assistant principal alongside them in our Aspen Festival Orchestra and Aspen Chamber Symphony ensembles. The fellowship students receive mentorship from orchestral leaders of major U.S. orchestras in the form of on-the-job training and intimate seminar classes. Funding for the Mentoring Program was established through a $1.5 million challenge grant under the Talented Students in the Arts Initiative, a collaboration of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Surdna Foundation that supports performing arts programs and endowments of leading national arts training institutions.

The Maestro's Circle

Created in 2004, the Maestro’s Circle raised more than $1 million to be used exclusively to enhance the Aspen Music Festival and School’s scholarship fund. The Festival and School thanks all Maestro’s Circle members for their foresight in making this fund possible.

Executive Committee

Elaine LeBuhn, chair

William Broeder*

Matthew Bucksbaum*

Edward A. Hansen*

Lowell H. Lebermann*

Founding Members

Mary and James Berglund

Giancarla and Luciano Berti*

Sandie and Archer Bishop

Barbara and William* Broeder

Jackie and John Bucksbaum

Kay and Matthew Bucksbaum*

Melva Bucksbaum* and Raymond J. Learsy

Carolyn Walton Cole

Brenda and J. Lester Crain, Jr.

Lorraine* and Alexander Dell

Marcia and John Donnell

Holly and David Dreman

Robert Echele* and Robert Gease

Marcy and Leo Edelstein

Nanette and Jerry Finger*

Merrill Ford*, honorary founder

Barbara and John* Gold

Julia and Edward A.* Hansen

Phyllis S. Hojel

Jaquish & Kenninger Foundation

Ellen and Irv Hockaday

Gerri Karetsky

Mollie and Garland M. Lasater, Jr.

Evelyn* and Leonard Lauder

Lowell H. Lebermann*

Elaine and Rob* LeBuhn

Toby Devan Lewis*

Robert H. Malott*

Nancy and Peter* Meinig

Becky and Mike Murray

Janet and Tom O’Connor

Fonda and Charles* Paterson

Kathryn and Richard Rabinow

Mary and Patrick Scanlan

Caryn and Rudi Scheidt, Jr.

Betty* and Lloyd Schermer

June and Paul Schorr

Barbara Shook*

Shirley and Albert H.* Small

Judith Z. Steinberg and Paul J. Hoenmans*

Margaret and Philip Verleger

Dorothy Wildman and Albert Sanford

Dee and Charles* Wyly

Martha and David* M. Yocum

* denotes deceased

 

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Aspen Music Festival 2025

Aspen Music Festival 2025

Concerning the Spiritual in Art

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Alexandra Munroe

Alexandra Munroe

Chair of the Board of Trustees

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Robert Spano

Robert Spano

Music Director

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Alan Fletcher

Alan Fletcher

Munroe President and CEO

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About the Cover Artist

About the Cover Artist

Wassily Kandinsky

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Renée Fleming and Patrick Summers

Renée Fleming and Patrick Summers

Co-Artistic Directors, Aspen Opera Theatre and VocalARTS

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Robert J. Hurst and Carrie Wells

Robert J. Hurst and Carrie Wells

National Council Co-Presidents

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Mensaje Del Editor

Mensaje Del Editor

Joseph Pfender

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Leadership and Governance

Leadership and Governance

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In Memoriam
KAY BUCKSBAUM

In Memoriam KAY BUCKSBAUM

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Catharsis and Active Listening: Concerning the Spiritual in Music

Catharsis and Active Listening: Concerning the Spiritual in Music

Markus Rathey

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Kandinsky, Painting, and the Spiritual in Modern Music

Kandinsky, Painting, and the Spiritual in Modern Music

Julian Johnson

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"An Interview with Composer
Christopher Theofandis"

"An Interview with Composer Christopher Theofandis"

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The Book of the World

The Book of the World

Dr. Phil Ford

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2025 Aspen Music Festival Students

2025 Aspen Music Festival Students

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Alumni Association and Alumni News

Alumni Association and Alumni News

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Artist-Faculty and Guest Artists

Artist-Faculty and Guest Artists

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Festival Programs, Prizes, and Community Engagement

Festival Programs, Prizes, and Community Engagement

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A Brief History of the Aspen Music Festival and School

A Brief History of the Aspen Music Festival and School

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A Special Thanks to our Annual Supporters

A Special Thanks to our Annual Supporters

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Designated Annual Fund Gifts

Designated Annual Fund Gifts

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Contributing Authors

Contributing Authors

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Endowment Gifts

Endowment Gifts

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Scholarships, Giving Programs, and Memorial Gifts, and Volunteer Thanks

Scholarships, Giving Programs, and Memorial Gifts, and Volunteer Thanks

Published

Where Dreams Begins Campaign Supporters

Where Dreams Begins Campaign Supporters

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Special Credits

Special Credits

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Administration and Summer Staff

Administration and Summer Staff

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Aspen Promises

Aspen Promises

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