The Aspen Music Festival and School released its summer schedule on Tuesday, presenting a lineup that will fill two warm months with classical music at the Benedict Music Tent, Harris Hall and other locations in the Roaring Fork Valley. The festival kicks off June 29 and wraps up August 20.
This summer’s theme is “Adoration of the Earth,” featuring compositions like Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” Britten’s “Four Sea Interludes” and Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony.”
The organization’s president and CEO Alan Fletcher said it's a long-running concept that seemed particularly fitting for the place and time of the festival.
“We’ve been looking at this idea for a very long time: the idea about celebrating nature and human relationship with nature, both in am obviously celebratory, wonderful way and also in a way indicating concern about what is happening with our climate and in our lives in relation to the earth,” Fletcher said. “And what better place than Aspen to both see the extraordinary beauty and importance of nature and also have that concern?”
Aspen’s classical music diehards will recognize a host of familiar names on this year’s lineup. It includes returning performances from acclaimed musicians like pianist Joyce Yang, soprano opera singer Renee Fleming and violinist Augustin Hadelich.
There are also special events, like a July 25 concert of John Williams’ scores for films like “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” (Fletcher hopes to see at least a few Darth Vader and Storm Trooper costumes there) and a July 26 community mariachi celebration.
A show by Broadway star Audra McDonald is also on the Benedict Music Tent schedule for Aug. 3. An orchestra will accompany McDonald in the performance conducted by Andy Einhorn, who has long ties to Theatre Aspen.
The Aspen Chamber Symphony will perform at the tent on Fridays, and the Aspen Festival Orchestra on Sundays. The Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra will perform on Wednesdays this summer.
That time slot used to be for the all-student Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, which remains on hiatus.
The organization had to cancel the Philharmonic performances last year and cut program enrollment because they couldn’t find enough housing for music school students.
“We’re in very good shape for student housing with our reduced numbers, so we feel very confident about this coming summer,” Fletcher said. “But what we are looking to do — we have a strategic plan in progress — is see when and how we can possibly get back the Wednesday [Philharmonic] orchestra.”
Additional concerts are scheduled at other locations throughout the upper Roaring Fork Valley, including the Pitkin County Public Library, Basalt Regional Library and Aspen Center for Physics.
Fletcher said that the pop-up “Music on the Go” concerts that the festival produced in parks and other outdoor venues in recent years will return for the festival’s 75th anniversary season in 2024. The organization previously rented a mobile stage that traveled throughout the Roaring Fork Valley and is now working to build its own “Concert Truck” for future years.
