One of the oldest and most renowned classical music festivals in the world, the Aspen Music Festival and School is known for impressive performances by world-famous soloists, hundreds of events, and its well-regarded school for aspiring musicians. Aspen has been a summer destination for classical music lovers ever since the Festival was founded in 1949 at the Goethe Bicentennial Convocation and Music Festival.
During the Aspen Music Festival’s annual eight-week summer season, more than 300 concerts, musical events, and masterclasses are presented. Nearly 25% of these are offered for free, and tickets for children ages eighteen and under are just $5. The Festival’s Music on the Mountain series offers free classical music and a picnic opportunity atop Aspen Mountain on Saturdays throughout the Festival season.
Each year, the eight-week Festival selects a consistent theme to guide the programming of music that will be performed during the summer’s array of concerts. The Festival organizes four orchestras, all of which perform regularly throughout the summer, with daily chamber music performances and three opera presentations included on the Festival calendar.
Performances are scattered throughout Aspen at multiple locations, including at the historic Wheeler Opera House in downtown Aspen. The Wheeler has been Aspen’s community performance venue since 1889.
The most spectacular concert venue is the 2000-seat Benedict Music Tent, located in Aspen's West End neighborhood near the Aspen Center for Physics and the Aspen Institute. The lawn outside the Benedict Music Tent is an excellent place for a picnic while you’re serenaded by music from inside the venue.
Seating 500 people, the Joan and Irving Harris Concert Hall is located next to the Benedict Music Tent, and provides an intimate environment and superb acoustics. It’s used primarily for chamber music presentations.
During the summer, the Aspen Opera Theater Center presents three operas, each with multiple performances in the historic Wheeler Opera House. The Center also offers weekly Opera Master Classes, one of the most popular weekly events.
The Matthew and Carolyn Bucksbaum Campus, located near the hospital along Castle Creek Road, houses the Festival’s administrative buildings, practice facilities, and rehearsal and performance venues.
Attend an Aspen Music Festival Performance
For more information about the Aspen Music Festival and School, including how to purchase tickets and passes, guests can contact the Aspen Square Condominium Hotel concierge by phone at 1-866-285-7876 ext. 3515 or by email at concierge@aspensquarehotel.com. Non-guests can contact the Aspen Music Festival and School directly by calling (970) 925-3254 or visiting www.aspenmusicfestival.com.