ASPEN’S CULTURAL CACHET A Cosmopolitan Offering of Art, Dance, Theater, Seminars, Science and Music

ASPEN, Colo. (Spring/Summer 2012) – Though Aspen is largely touted for its adrenaline-pumping activities and natural beauty, its diverse cultural offerings are what truly make this mountain town an “elevated” destination.

Modern Aspen was born more than six decades ago when Chicago industrialist and his wife, Elizabeth, invited intellectuals, artists and philosophers to convene in Aspen for the fledgling Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, established in the wake of the 1949 festival honoring the 200th (posthumous) birthday of humanist Johann van Goethe. With lofty goals of promoting world peace and instilling humanism in the tense post-war nation and world, the festival was a success, and spawned the current Aspen Institute, Aspen Music Festival and School, the International Design Conference (changed to Aspen Design Summit), and the Aspen Center for Physics.

Today, arts and culture thrive in the company of outdoor adventure and a close-knit, dynamic community, making Aspen a haven for the simultaneous nurturing of mind, body, and spirit. The following are some examples of Aspen’s elevated cultural offerings.

HIGH NOTES Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) presents its 63rd season June 28 – Aug. 19, 2012 with 320 public events (many of them FREE) including concerts, masters classes, rehearsals, lectures and discussions. The long list of artists who have graced the stages in previous years includes Edgar Meyer, James Conlon, Julia Fischer, Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Leonidas Kavakos and many more luminaries.

Cultivating the next generation of musical talent, AMFS brings 750 international music students to Aspen each summer. In addition to performing scheduled recitals at the Benedict Music Tent and Joan W. and Irving Harris Concert Hall, the music students hold impromptu concerts in the streets of Aspen during the summer, filling the hills with the sound of music. (www.aspenmusicfestival.com)

Aspen Opera Theater Center, part of Aspen Music Festival and School, offers intensive educational programs for opera singers and coaches, culminating in three fully staged productions at the Wheeler Opera House. Performances during the 2012 season will include new productions of MOZART: The Magic Flute (Richard Bado, conductor); SONDHEIM: Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, A Musical Thriller (Robert Spano, conductor); and HARBISON: The Great Gatsby (Anne Manson, conductor). In addition, the weekly public Opera Scenes Master Classes are under the direction of Edward Berkeley and give singers the opportunity to appear publicly in scenes with a conductor and piano or full orchestra. (www.aspenmusicfestival.com)

Jazz Aspen Snowmass hosts the two-week June Festival (June 22 – July 7, 2012) with four nights of headline concerts from world-class musicians (like last year’s performers Cheryl Crow, Jennifer Hudson and more) as well as free and ticketed concerts by JAS Academy Bands and a closing weekend of small-venue shows. This year’s headliners will include Joe Cocker, K.D. Lang and Chris Botti. The incredibly popular open-air Labor Day Festival returns to Snowmass Aug. 31 – Sept. 2, 2012, brining big names to the stunning alfresco fall setting. Some of the announced headliners for this year include Kid Rock, Sugarland, and Trombone Shorty. Last year’s performers included Thievery Corporation, Steely Dan, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Girl Talk and the Zac Brown Band. JAS also presents JAS After Dark, a series of small-venue performances taking place in conjunction with the June and Labor Day festivals and at other times throughout the year. In December 2011, JAS teamed up with The Little Nell to present JAS Café Downstairs @ The Nell an intimate venue to see top jazz acts every other weekend in the summer and winter. (www.jazzaspensnowmass.org)

The line-ups at Belly Up Aspen, an intimate 450-person music club, and the Wheeler Opera House, Aspen’s historic theater and stage, are ever-changing but always entertaining. Belly Up has featured musical talents such as Widespread Panic, The Flaming Lips, Jane's Addiction, The Raconteurs, Ben Harper, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Bassnectar and Snoop Dogg, and Wheeler Opera House presents its own festivals including the Aspen Laff Festival (Feb. 22 – 25, 2012) and 7809 Aspen Songwriters Festival (March 21 – 24, 2012). In either location, expect big names in an unforgettable setting. (www.bellyupaspen.com, 970.544.9800; www.wheeleroperahouse.com, 970.920.5770)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Representing the next generation of contemporary, American ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet was founded by Aspenite Bebe Schweppe in 1990 and has become nationally recognized for its repertoire, contemporary-meets-classical choreography, forward- thinking directors, and skilled dancers. The company performs in Aspen, in Santa Fe and on national and international tours, and the summer Aspen Dance Festival presents performances by internationally renowned dance companies in July and August. (www.aspensantafeballet.com; 970.925.7175)

Theatre Aspen, a homegrown theater company, has received national acclaim and performs a rotating schedule of productions for both adults and families. The troupe opened the 2011 season under a new tent in Rio Grande Park and is aiming to establish a year-round presence in Aspen. The organization’s mission is to entertain, enlighten, enrich, educate and challenge the residents and visitors of the through professional-quality theatrical productions, new play development initiatives and a broad spectrum of educational programs. (www.theateraspen.org; 970.925.9313)

Aspen Film, a nonprofit, year-round organization, embarks upon its 33rd year presenting festivals, film series and youth programs. Its motto, “Independent by Nature,” is imbued in its trademark event, Aspen Filmfest, which celebrates the independent and innovative filmmakers of past and present. Autumn’s golden leaves combine with the silver screen Oct. 1 – 7, 2012, and film lovers have a chance to sneak peek the best films in a variety of genres without the Hollywood hype, velvet ropes or paparazzi. In addition, Aspen Film partners with the Aspen Institute to present the third annual New Views: Documentaries & Dialogue, a four- week series of acclaimed documentaries and post-screening discussions with special guests (mid-July – early August). The springtime Aspen Shortsfest is considered one of North America’s premier short film and video festivals (April 2013), and the wintertime Aspen Academy Screenings add celluloid excitement to Aspen’s holiday season with a whirlwind slate of the year’s most talked about films (December 2012). (www.aspenfilm.org; 970.925.6882)

ART FOR ALL Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a nonprofit, year-round organization serving the personal and professional development of amateur and professional artists through workshops, artist residencies, exhibitions, tours, lectures, and community outreach programs for artists of all skill levels. The artists-in-residence and faculty are distinguished professionals in a wide variety of fields, from printmaking to digital art, and it all takes place on a historic five-acre Snowmass ranch that’s been transformed into a serene, inspirational campus. (www.andersonranch.org; 970.923.3181)

Aspen Art Museum is a non-collecting institution home to contemporary exhibitions and aimed at the promotion of free art with complimentary admission courtesy of John and Amy Phelan. For the last 30 years, the AAM has operated in an historic, converted hydroelectric plant located on the edge of town, along a picturesque stretch of the Roaring Fork River. In 2011, AAM purchased land in downtown Aspen, and plans are underway to construct a new, 30,000-square-foot museum. Designed by Japanese architect and humanitarian Shigeru Ban, the new building will include 12,500 square feet of exhibition space, a rooftop deck, sculpture garden, educational spaces, bookstore and shop, café and more. Construction is scheduled to begin spring 2012, and the new museum is expected to open in about two years. Admission will remain free! (www.aspenartmuseum.org; 970.925.8050)

Aspen’s myriad art galleries punctuate downtown streets, inviting passersby to browse their diverse collections. Baldwin Gallery, a sleek, open space showcases works by some of the most acclaimed contemporary artists in the business such as Louise Nevelson, David LaChapelle, Ewan Gibbs, Todd Hido, James Rosenquist and Jennifer Bartlett. Galerie Maximillian and Forré Fine Art are Aspen’s homes for the great modern masters including Picasso and Chagall. For inspirational glass work, Pismo Fine Art Glass offers original works by Dale Chihuly and other master glass blowers. Elliott Yeary Gallery hosts the work of fine 19th and 20th century European and American masters as well as contemporary paintings and sculpture. Just a few minutes away in Aspen Highlands, LIVASPENART showcases the diverse talents of emerging local artists from the Roaring Fork Valley.

PUT ON A THINKING CAP Serving readers and writers since 1976, the Aspen Writers' Foundation is 's oldest nonprofit literary center and has established itself among the country's foremost promoters of the literary arts. Its programs are cornerstoned by the 36th annual Aspen Summer Words (June 17 – 22, 2012), a celebration of words and ideas featuring two complementary components: an intensive writing retreat held in the mornings and a stimulating literary festival in the afternoons and evenings. Launched in 2006, Lyrically Speaking is a story/song series celebrating songwriters and their lyrics, exploring the written word expressed through music by bringing songwriters to Aspen to discuss and perform their lyrical creations. For young writers, Scribes and Scribblers is an inspiring summer camp for kids and teens, and the Weekly Writers’ Groups hone literary talent of any age. (www.aspenwriters.org; 970.925.3122)

The Aspen Institute aims to foster values-based leadership, and encourages individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society. Through its seminars, leadership programs, public policy work, and conferences and events, the Aspen Institute provides a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. Its centerpiece events include the 5th annual Aspen Environment Forum (June 22 – 25, 2012), which will hone in on climate change and “living in the new normal,” and the Aspen Ideas Festival (June 27 – July 3, 2012).

Now in its eighth year, the Aspen Ideas Festival focuses on “ideas that matter” and offers a spectacular array of lectures, presentations, debates, and panel discussions by leading thinkers who span a vast range of critical topics, from the economy to the environment and science to the arts. Divided into two overlapping four-day sessions, attendees hear from inspired and provocative writers, public officials, artists, scientists, business executives, scholars, economists, foreign policy specialists, entrepreneurs, and leaders of diverse fields from across the country and around the world. (www.aspeninstitute.org; 970.544.7960)

In 1962, the Aspen Center for Physics was created to provide a neutral forum to discuss rising concerns about the impact of technological discoveries to the public. Away from the responsibilities of scientists’ day-to-day projects, with Aspen’s serene mountain landscapes as a backdrop, the Aspen Center for Physics hosts more than 500 physicists selected from a pool of 900 applicants, representing 100 different institutions during its 16-week summer session (May 20 – Sept. 9, 2012). In addition to serious collaborations and discussions between attending physicists, the public is treated to free lectures throughout the summer. (www.aspenphys.org; 970.9252585)

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