Colorado
Aspen Music Festival
Program No. 13900RJ
Enjoy insider access at the Aspen Music Festival and School, where you’ll attend four concerts, witness an opera scenes master class and speak with industry professionals backstage.
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DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
Jul 23 - Jul 28, 2025
Starting at
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This date is available to book as a private experience for your group!
6 days
5 nights
12 meals
5B 3L 4D
1
Check-In, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
2
Aspen Music School Campus, Presentation, Concert
Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
3
Ashcroft and mountain valley, Backstage Experience, Concert
Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
4
Opera Encounters Master Class, Aspen town, Evening Concert
Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
5
Presentation, Museum visit, Afternoon Concert
Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
6
Program Concludes
Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
At a Glance
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.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to one mile a day; some uneven terrain. Stairs at all music venues and field trips. Elevations up to 9,500 feet.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Delve deep into classical music while attending four major ticketed concerts and enjoy pre-concert lectures by music experts.
- Learn the fascinating history of Aspen Music School during an exploration of its campus, and listen to aspiring professional singers during an opera master class.
- Gain an insider’s perspective on the festival as you venture behind the scenes at its unique venues.
General Notes
2024 marks the 75th Anniversary Festival Season. Its theme is “Becoming Who We Are” and promises a celebration of the Festival’s past and present and the many musicians who have spent formative summers in Aspen. Alumni who have gone on to build stellar careers in the classical music world will return as guest performers. Concert schedules will be announced in late Spring. Festival information can be found at www.aspenmusicfestival.com
Suggested Reading List
(3 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Aspen Music Festival
Program Number: 13900
Colorado's Colorful Characters
Outstanding illustrated narrative history of the men and women that shaped Colorado. Starting with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, interwoven are the stories of the explorers, mountain men, Native Americans, settlers, miners, railroad builders and industrialists. Included are the two major railroad builders we discuss, General William Jackson Palmer (Denver & Rio Grande) and Otto Mears (tollroads and four small narrow gauge).
Scenic Driving Colorado, 3rd (Scenic Routes & Byways)
This guidebook offers travel and historical information for 30 visually stunning driving routes, from Pawnee National Grassland of the Great Plains to Rocky Mountain National Park, the San Juan Mountains, and the deserts of the Colorado Plateau.
Messages in Stone: Colorado's Colorful Geology
Introduction to the rocks, structures and geologic history of Colorado. Includes discussion of landforms and geologic hazards. Lavishly illustrated with photographs of Colorado sites and maps. Appropriate for geologists and non-geologists.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
12 meals (
5B, 3L, 4D
)
3 expert-led lectures
4 expert-led field trips
5 performances
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
Check-In, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Location:
Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
Meals:
D
Stay:
The Stonebridge Inn
Activity Note
Hotel check-in available from 4:00 p.m.
Afternoon:
Program Registration. 4:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation. 5:30 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Meal times will be adjusted throughout the program to accommodate performance schedules. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner:
At the hotel, we’ll enjoy a welcome plated dinner with coffee, tea, iced tea, lemonade, water included; other beverages available for purchase.
Evening:
At leisure, continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars and settle into the hotel.
Day
2
Aspen Music School Campus, Presentation, Concert
Location:
Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
The Stonebridge Inn
Activity Note
Getting on/off motorcoach; driving approximately 24 miles roundtrip; about 2 hours total, with stops for field trips. Walking approximately 1 mile throughout the day; maintained dirt trails and sidewalks.
Breakfast:
At the hotel, we’ll have an extensive breakfast buffet featuring a variety of hot and cold items, plus milk, juice, coffee, tea, water.
Morning:
We’ll depart from our hotel by motorcoach to go on a docent-led field trip to explore the Aspen Music School Campus, a former silver mine located in a beautifully landscaped and natural mountain valley. 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 principle still informs every aspect of the organization. Substantial artistic collaboration was provided by Henri Temianka and his Paganini Quartet during the formative years. 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.
Lunch:
In the hotel restaurant, we’ll have a tasty lunch buffet with coffee, tea, iced tea, lemonade, water included; other beverages available for purchase.
Afternoon:
In the hotel conference room, we’ll attend a presentation and discussion given by our knowledgeable staff regarding the festival and upcoming concert performances.
Dinner:
Hotel plated dinner
Evening:
After dinner, we’ll board our motorcoach and attend a ticketed festival concert We’ll then return to the hotel.
Day
3
Ashcroft and mountain valley, Backstage Experience, Concert
Location:
Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
The Stonebridge Inn
Activity Note
Getting on/off motorcoach; driving approximately 24 miles roundtrip; about 2 hours total, with stops for field trips. Walking approximately 1 mile throughout the day; maintained dirt trails and sidewalks.
Breakfast:
Hotel buffet.
Morning:
We’ll set out from the hotel via motorcoach for a field trip to the abandoned and preserved village of Ashcroft. Founded in 1879 and at an elevation of 9,580 feet, the picturesque "ghost" town is surrounded by 14,000 feet peaks and a lush mountain valley. After a short historical presentation, we will walk around the buildings or sit and enjoy the scenery. We re-board our coach and transfer to the Aspen Music Festival Performance Campus. The Music Festival Performance Venues share 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.
Lunch:
At Aspen Music Festival Performance Campus, we’ll have boxed lunches with water.
Afternoon:
Docents will lead us on a special backstage walk of the Benedict Music Tent and Harris Concert Hall while teaching us about the unique history of each. Both offer distinctive settings, from the acoustically impressive Benedict Music Tent’s open-air seating of over 2,000, to the beautiful wooden interior of the nearby 500-seat Harris Concert Hall, circa 1993, which is ideal for chamber music and solo performances. We return to the hotel. Next, we’ll board our motorcoach and attend a ticketed festival concert. We’ll then return to the hotel and dinner on own.
Dinner:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like in Snowmass Village. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Day
4
Opera Encounters Master Class, Aspen town, Evening Concert
Location:
Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
The Stonebridge Inn
Activity Note
Getting on/off motorcoach; driving approximately 16 miles roundtrip; about 1.5 hours total, with stops for field trips. Walking approximately 1 mile throughout the day; maintained dirt trails and sidewalks.
Breakfast:
Hotel buffet.
Morning:
We set out from our hotel by motorcoach for a morning visit to the historic Wheeler Opera House in downtown Aspen for a ticketed Opera Encounters performance. Built in 1889, the Wheeler House has been magnificently preserved and it still functions as a beautiful venue for opera and all other performances. The Opera Encounters Master Class is a favorite performance of our program featuring aspiring artists in operatic roles with on the spot critiques.
Lunch:
On your own in historic downtown Aspen, one block from the Wheeler Opera House.
Afternoon:
After plenty of time for lunch and to explore the historic downtown, we rendezvous at a designated location and return to our hotel by motorcoach for a rest. When people were migrating west during the Silver Boom of the 1880s, many settled in the area presently known as Aspen, named so for the abundance of aspen trees throughout the region. After the silver market crashed in 1893, the population began to steadily diminish and eventually reach less than 1,000 residents by the time the Great Depression hit. Upon the conclusion of World War II, however, Aspen was revived as a ski resort community and has been an attractive destination for visitors from all over the world.
Dinner:
Early Hotel platted dinner.
Evening:
After dinner, we’ll board our motorcoach and attend a ticketed festival concert. We’ll then return to the hotel.
Day
5
Presentation, Museum visit, Afternoon Concert
Location:
Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
The Stonebridge Inn
Activity Note
Getting on/off motorcoach; driving approximately 16 miles roundtrip; about 1 hour total, with stops for field trips. Walking approximately 1 mile throughout the day; maintained dirt trails and sidewalks.
Breakfast:
Hotel buffet.
Morning:
Meeting in the hotel conference room, we’ll settle in for a presentation and discussion given by our expert staff.
Lunch:
Hotel buffet.
Afternoon:
Following lunch, we’ll travel by motorcoach to the beautifully landscaped festival grounds Time will be allowed for independent exploration of the festival grounds and the newly inaugurated Bayer Museum that preserves the art and legacy of Herbert Bayer (1900–1985), an influential modern artist and designer who studied and taught at the Bauhaus before emigrating from Germany to the United States in 1938. Bayer helped lead the postwar revitalization of the city of Aspen and designed the historic Aspen Meadows campus. We will attend a pre-concert lecture by the Orchestra Conductor in Harris Concert Hall. Then, we’ll attend the afternoon's major ticketed concert featuring Aspen Festival Orchestra in the Benedict Music Tent. We’ll then return to the hotel.
Dinner:
At the hotel, we’ll enjoy a delicious plated meal for our farewell dinner. Share some of your favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends.
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and departures in the morning.
Day
6
Program Concludes
Location:
Aspen/Snowmass Village, CO
Meals:
B
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 10:00 a.m.
Breakfast:
Hotel buffet. This concludes our program.
Morning:
If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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MEALS
12 Meals
5 Breakfasts
3 Lunches
4 Dinners
LODGING
Lodgings may differ by date. Select a date to see the lodgings specific to that date.
Showing Lodging For:
- Aug 06, 2025 - Aug 11, 2025
- Jul 23, 2025 - Jul 28, 2025
- Jul 30, 2025 - Aug 04, 2025
- Aug 06, 2025 - Aug 11, 2025
Participant Reviews
Based on 12 Reviews
Sort By:
This trip was great: awesome leaders, beautiful music, compatible group. Wouldn't change a thing.
— Review left August 15, 2024
This is a fantastic program for lovers of classical music and opera. World class performances in amazing concert venues, plus backstage tours. The location is very scenic and beautiful. I would highly recommend!
— Review left August 12, 2024
Amazing creativity and artistic ability presented by students and professionals from all over the world.
— Review left August 12, 2024
This trip was absolutely fantastic - so very special. Anne and Brad were an amazing team adding insight and information in an easy to understand manner with wit and depth. Everything was extremely well run and organized and the concerts and local tours were all first class.
— Review left August 5, 2024
A very unique combination of educational and entertainment experience.
— Review left July 30, 2024
Our visit to the Aspen Classical Music Festival with Road Scholar was wonderful! We were able to fulfill a long-wished-for vacation in Colorado combined with an excellent opportunity to appreciate and learn about classical music. This is a magical program, and we highly recommend it.
— Review left July 25, 2023
This program is full of mainly classical music (concerts and lectures), so if that's not your thing, this program is not for you. :-) If it IS your thing, I predict that you'll be delighted by the number, variety, and quality of the concerts and the opportunity to thoroughly get to know the festival sites.
Some points to consider:
(1) Stonebridge Inn is not air-conditioned, and my room was very hot during the entire trip.
(2) Stonebridge Inn is located in Snowmass, not Aspen. There is a system of regional buses that allow you to get between the two towns for free, but you have to transfer at the Brush Creek Park and Ride, and it takes a while to get between the two towns (I allowed at least an hour to do this one-way). This was an annoyance when I wanted to attend concerts in Aspen that weren't part of our program.
(3) If you are flying in/out of the Aspen airport (ASE)... it's kind of fragile. Planes can only take off and land in one direction, and may be grounded by high winds or other issues. My flight leaving Aspen was delayed for 11 hours, and the airport is tiny and not a fun place to spend a bunch of time. I don't think I would use this airport again.
I enjoyed this program a good deal, but I was glad that I had studied the bus situation in advance and had made my own plans to attend concerts that weren't included.
— Review left July 25, 2023
If you want to hear and learn about the upcoming young musicians in the classical music field and hear the current professional ones, this western musical trip is one you would enjoy to the fullest.
— Review left July 25, 2023
Others may do more, or cost more or less BUT you do it BEST
— Review left July 25, 2023
Road Scholar: Please use any part of the text in the first section of this survey. -Mike Ryan
— Review left August 2, 2022
If you enjoy classical music and escaping the summer heat, this is the program for you. Group leader Anne and her sidekick Brad both have professional music backgrounds which really enhanced the other aspects of the program, preparing us for the ticketed events. The music at the Benedict Tent and Harris Hall was exceptional, and free time options were endless, including free performances at other city venues or even at the top of Aspen Mountain (paid gondola fee required). I attended the third and last week with Road Scholar and hope to return in the future for more music in the mountains. If you go, pack your swimsuit and exercise/walking gear in order to use the pool and hot tubs and well equipped fitness center.
— Review left August 2, 2022
I am not writing a review. But I would like to suggest that the music tickets be closer to the fron in the Harris Hall and much closer to the front for the opera! Thank you for the program. I enjoyed it thoroughly from a musical and leader point of view
— Review left July 29, 2019
