Road Scholar : Home
Aspen Music Festival

Program Number: 13900RJ
Start and End Dates:
7/10/2013 - 7/15/2013; 7/17/2013 - 7/22/2013; 7/24/2013 - 7/29/2013;
Duration: 5 nights
Location: Aspen, Colorado
Price starting at: $1,556.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city
Program Type: Music Festivals; Music Appreciation; History & Culture Activity Level: t (see description)
Meals: 12; 5 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 4 Dinners    

Experience the renowned Aspen Music Festival and School, site of an annual pilgrimage of the world’s most accomplished and promising classical musicians, and attend ticketed evening concerts accented by expert lectures and fascinating field trips. Six hundred fifty student musicians, as well as 200 guest artists and artist-faculty members study and perform during a glorious summer of camaraderie and music. Revel in this magnificent festival amid spectacular mountain scenery.




Highlights

•Attend five major ticketed concerts with pre-concert lectures by music experts.
•Go inside the Aspen Music School and observe an Opera master class.
•Experience behind-the-scenes looks at festival venues and Aspen’s historic neighborhoods.



Activity Particulars

Walking up to one mile a day; some uneven terrain. Stairs at music venues. Elevations of 9,500 feet.



The 2013 festival theme is “Conscience and Beauty.” Musical repertoire will focus on artist as citizen, the composer’s role in society, reflections of the social conscience through music. The festival schedule can be found on the web at www.roadscholar.org. Early arrival on first day recommended.



Coordinated by Mountains and Plains Institute.




Aspen

Situated in a mountain valley at the headwaters of the Roaring Fork River, the former mining town of Aspen is a renowned year-round resort offering magnificent natural beauty, spectacular winter skiing and a variety of performing and visual arts.
Accommodations
Lodge with heated pool, hot tub, sauna, just one block from shuttle buses, restaurants.

Road Scholar Instructors
These instructors are participating on at least one date of this program. Please note that changes may occur.
David Kaslow
David Kaslow has been fortunate enough to enjoy three careers. The first was as a symphony musician, playing for 18 years in the likes of New York City's Little Orchestra Society and Washington, D.C.’s National Symphony Orchestra. The second was as professor of horn for 30 years at Denver University's Lamont School of Music. Now he is a writer — the author of "Living Dangerously with the Horn: Thoughts on Life and Art" and "With Aspirations High: Discussions and Exercises for Musicians."
 
Meals and Lodgings
   The Stonebridge Inn
  Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO 5 nights
 The Stonebridge Inn
Type: Lodge
  Description: See web page
  Contact info: 300 Carriage Way
Snowmass Village, CO 81615 USA
phone: 800-922-7242
web: www.stonebridgeinn.com
  Smoking allowed: Yes
  Elevators available: Yes
  Additional nights prior: Call hotel Reserve directly with the hotel
  Check in time: 3:00 PM
  Additional nights after: Call hotel Reserve directly with the hotel
  Check out time: 10:00 AM


Travel Details
  Start of Program:
Arrive and hotel check-in by 4:00 pm. Required orientation at 4:45 pm. Followed by dinner and a ticketed evening concert. You will be staying at The Stonebridge Inn that night.
  End of Program:
Program ends after breakfast. Room check-out is 10:00 am. You will be staying at The Stonebridge Inn the night before.
  Required documents:
The Road Scholar Health & Safety Form is required. Acknowledgement of Risk-Liability Waiver Form to be mailed to the Mountains and Plains Institute office
  Parking availability:
No charge for outside parking lots, underground covered parking is an additional charge and not included in Road Scholar package.
Transportation
To Start of Program
  Location:  Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
  Nearest city or town:  Aspen
  Nearest highway: CO State Hwy 82
  Nearest airport:  Aspen Sardy Field (ASE)
  From End of Program
  Location: Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
    (Additional transportation information same as above)
Travel Details
 

Aspen Sardi Field

 

From Airport

 
 

Service:

 

Hotel Shuttle
Stonebridge Inn
phone: 970-923-7076
Advanced Reservations Required

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

No Charge
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

20 minutes 
   

Call hotel for complimentary shuttle from Aspen Airport. Scheduled and chartered services are available from Denver International Airport and Eagle County Regional Airport: Colorado Mountain Express - 800-525-6363 or 970-926-9800 High Mountain Taxi/Limousine - 800-528-8294 or 970-925-8294

 
Driving Directions
  I70 East and West Snowmass Village can be accessed: From Denver: 205 miles via I-70 and Highway 82 From Grand Junction: 130 miles via I-70 and Highway 82 From Eagle County Regional Airport: 70 miles via I-70 and Highway 82
Elevation Note: 8,000 to 9,500 feet
The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.


Daily Schedule

Day 1: Arrival at Snowmass Village. Hotel Check-in 4 pm. Orientation at 4:45 pm, dinner, and evening ticketed concert. The Festival Concert schedule and names of guest artists is attached in the information packet or can be found at: www.aspenmusicfestival.com.
(Wednesday, July 17)

Note: The 2013 Aspen Music Festival and School season theme is "Conscience and Beauty". The concerts and musical repertoire will focus on the artist as citizen, the composers role in society, and reflections of the social conscience through transcendent and beautiful music. The Festival founded in 1949, is an internationally renowned classical music festival that presents music in an intimate, small-town setting. It is a training ground for young adult musicians.
   
 Afternoon: **IMPORTANT NOTE: Please arrive on Wednesday by 4 p.m. Orientation and Welcome Lecture will occur at 4:45 pm. Dinner will be served early and a ticketed concert will be attended after dinner. Due to tickets and transportation, persons arriving late may miss the concert.
 Dinner: Buffet dinner at hotel
 Evening: After dinner attend a ticketed concert in the Benedict Music Tent or Harris Concert Hall featuring world renowned guest artist musicians. Specific concert artists and musical selections can be found attached to the packet and at: www.aspenmusicfestival.com
   
Accommodations: The Stonebridge Inn
Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: Morning lecture on Festival Theme, Composers, and featured Artists; afternoon tour of the Aspen Music School Campus; evening attend ticketed concert
(Thursday, July 18)

Note: The Festival and School was founded by Elizabeth and Walter Paepcke of Chicago and is rooted in the lofty idea that it is the combination of art and nature that fosters the growth of the human spirit. This guiding principle still informs every aspect of the organization. Substantial artistic collaboration was provided by Henri Temianka and his Paganini Quartet during the formative years.[
   
 Breakfast: Full buffet breakfast at hotel
 Morning: This morning will feature a lecture by our faculty in residence discussing last night's performance and the next two performances. We will learn and discuss how the festival theme relates to the performances, learn about the composers and the featured guest artists. Hotel Conference Room
 Lunch: Special lunch on hotel deck grill
 Afternoon: Docent led tour of the Aspen Music School Campus, a former silver mine located in a beautifully landscaped and natural mountain valley. For music students, the program provides a combination of classroom and performance experiences. A broad curriculum includes playing in an orchestra, individual lessons, master classes, and recitals. Seven hundred and fifty young musicians attend the School from throughout the United States and the world. Almost 40 nations are represented, including Australia, China, Iceland, Mexico, Sweden, and Venezuela. The average age is 23.
 Dinner: Buffet dinner at hotel; time will be adjusted to reflect evening concert schedule.
 Evening: After dinner attend a ticketed concert in the Benedict Music Tent or Harris Concert Hall featuring world renowned guest artist musicians. Specific concert artists and musical selections will be announced and updated on this website as they become available. More than 350 classical music events take place in eight weeks every summer, from July to August, including performances by four on-site orchestras, chamber music, opera, contemporary music, children's events, lectures, and discussions. There are up to 8 events a day and more than 100,000 patrons participate.
   
Accommodations: The Stonebridge Inn
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Field trip with geologist to Maroon Bells Lake, Backstage Tour of the Aspen Music Festival Performance Halls; lecture by our faculty in residence; evening attend ticketed concert
(Friday, July 19)

Note: The Music Festival Performance Venues shares the park like campus with the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. Chicago industrialist Walter Paepcke and his wife, Elizabeth, invited intellectuals, artists and philosophers to convene in 1949 for the fledgling Institute honoring the 200th birthday of humanist Johann van Goethe. The Institute became a permanent location and fostered the creation of the annual Aspen Music Festival, Aspen Ideas Festival, and Aspen Design Festival.
   
 Breakfast: Full buffet breakfast at hotel
 Morning: After breakfast we depart trip with an expert geologist to Maroon Bells Lake (9,580') providing one of the most memorable and photographed scenes in the Rockies. The lake occupies a basin that was sculpted by Ice-Age glaciers and later dammed by landslide and rockfall debris from the steep slopes above the valley floor. After a short lecture, we will walk around the lake or sit and enjoy the scenery.
 Lunch: We depart Maroon Lake for the Aspen Music Festival Performance Campus where we enjoy a box lunch. Following lunch, docents will lead us on a special backstage tour of the Benedict Music Tent and Harris Concert Hall. The award-winning Benedict Music Tent is the world's first concert facility that combines the openness and romance of a tent with the acoustic integrity of a concert hall. A permanent structure, the Benedict Music Tent seats 2,050 and offers stellar acoustics and gorgeous mountain atmosphere. The Tent, designed by renowned architect Harry Teague, made its debut in 2000. Adjacent to the Tent, the 500-seat Harris Concert Hall provides an intimate and acoustically pristine venue for chamber music performances. Remarkably, 80% of the hall is below ground. This warm, woody hall - once compared to being "inside a cello" - was proclaimed "the Carnegie of the Rockies" by the Denver Post when it opened in 1993.
 Afternoon: Returning to the hotel, the second lecture by our faculty in residence will review last night's performance and preview the next performances. We will continue to discuss how the festival theme relates to the performances, learn about the composers and the featured guest artists. Hotel Conference Room
 Dinner: Dinner tonight is on your own to discover restaurants in Snowmass Village.
 Evening: Tonight's major ticketed concert will be attended featuring the Aspen Chamber Orchestra with world class guest artists. Specific concert artists and musical selections will be announced and updated on this website as they become available. The master teacher/apprentice relationship, the foundation of music education, finds full expression at the School. Aspen students have the unusual opportunity to perform as orchestra members with some of the world’s finest musicians, under the leadership of world-renowned conductors. Musicians of all ages learn from their instructors not only in the classroom, but also as they perform side-by-side with them in the Aspen Festival Orchestra, the Aspen Chamber Symphony, the Aspen Concert Orchestra, and in chamber music throughout the summer. Conductors also have an opportunity to lead an orchestra in the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen.
   
Accommodations: The Stonebridge Inn
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4: Opera Scenes Master Class in historic Wheeler Opera House, free time in downtown Aspen and hotel; evening attend ticketed concert.
(Saturday, July 20)

Note: Aspen was founded as a mining camp during the 1880's Silver Boom and named for the abundance of aspen trees in the area. The Panic of 1893 led to a collapse in the silver market, and the city began a half-century during which its population steadily declined, reaching less than a thousand by 1930. Aspen's fortunes reversed following World War II when Aspen Mountain was developed into a ski resort. Now booming again with winter and summer attractions, the town's resident population is 6,658.
   
 Breakfast: Full buffet breakfast at hotel
 Morning: This morning we visit the historic Wheeler Opera House in downtown Aspen for a ticketed Opera Master Class performance. Built in 1889, the Wheeler House is magnificently preserved and serves as a beautiful venue for opera and all other performances. The Opera Scenes Master Class is a favorite performance of our program featuring aspiring artists in operatic roles with on the spot critiques.
 Lunch: Lunch today is on own in the historic downtown of Aspen, one block from the Wheeler Opera House.
 Afternoon: After plenty of time for lunch and to explore the historic downtown, we return to our hotel for a rest or time to enjoy the beautiful outdoor pool and spa.
 Dinner: Buffet dinner at hotel; time will be adjusted to reflect evening concert schedule.
 Evening: After dinner attend a ticketed concert in the Benedict Music Tent or Harris Concert Hall featuring world renowned guest artist musicians. Specific concert artists and musical selections will be announced and updated on this website as they become available. . Alumni of the AMFS fill important professional music positions around the world, performing in top-tier orchestras, opera houses, and teaching on music school faculties. Joshua Bell, Sarah Chang, James Conlon, Lynn Harrell, Renée Fleming, Lawrence Foster, James Levine, Cho-Liang Lin, Robert McDuffie, Susanne Mentzer, Shlomo Mintz, Itzhak Perlman, Leonard Slatkin, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Philip Glass, Bright Sheng, Augusta Read Thomas, William Bolcom, Dawn Upshaw, and Kalil Wilson are among those whose careers have roots at the Aspen Music Festival and School.
   
Accommodations: The Stonebridge Inn
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5: Lecture by our faculty in residence; guided Victorian neighborhoods; pre-concert lecture by the Orchestra Conductor; followed by ticketed concert
(Sunday, July 21)

Note: Robert Spano is one of the brightest and most imaginative conductors of his generation. As music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, he has enriched and expanded its repertoire and elevated the ensemble to new levels of international prominence. In 2012, Mr. Spano became music director of the Aspen Music Festival and School and named a Fellow of the Aspen Institute as part of the Harman-Eisner Artist-in-Residence Program. Mr. Spano also leads the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen.
   
 Breakfast: Full buffet breakfast at hotel
 Morning: This morning the third lecture by our faculty in residence will again review last night's performance and preview the concluding performance this afternoon. We will continue to discuss how the festival theme relates to the performances, learn about the composers and the featured guest artists. Hotel Conference Room
 Lunch: Buffet lunch in the hotel. Following lunch, we travel to the Hotel Jerome for a look at the historic hotel and then take a leisurely guided walk through the beautiful Victorian era neighborhoods. We end our tour at the Music Festival Performance Hall. Built in 1889 at the height of Colorado’s silver boom by Jerome B. Wheeler, co-owner of Macy’s department store, Hotel Jerome was then considered a modern marvel – one of the first buildings west of the Mississippi River to be fully lit by electricity.
 Afternoon: After a short rest or time for exploration of the beautifully landscaped Festival Grounds, we will attend a pre-concert lecture by the Orchestra Conductor. This afternoon's major ticketed concert will feature the full Aspen Festival Orchestra with world class guest artists. Specific concert artists and musical selections will be announced and updated on this website as they become available
 Dinner: Buffet closing dinner at hotel following the concert.
 Evening: Time for farewells, reflection, and packing for morning departures.
   
Accommodations: The Stonebridge Inn
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Departures; Check-out 10 am
(Monday, July 22)
   
 Depart From: Independent departures after breakfast
 Breakfast: Full buffet breakfast at hotel
   
Meals Included: Breakfast
Important information about your itinerary: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information featured on this website. Itineraries are based on our best information at this time. Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Information will be sent to you from your Program Provider approximately three weeks prior to the program start date. The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.


You can't find a better value than Road Scholar.


As a not-for-profit organization, we are dedicated to providing all-inclusive educational programs at great value. From lectures to gratuities to field trips to accommodations - the tuition you pay up front is all that you pay.



Specifically, this program includes:

Plus these special experiences...

View the Daily Schedule to see more

And included with all Road Scholar programs:


© Road Scholar 2013 | Call toll-free: 1-800-454-5768