‘THE COMPLETE ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL AND SCHOOL (ABRIDGED)’ COMES TO NEW YORK APRIL 16

NEWS RELEASE

March 14, 2014

For the first time, Aspen brings its artistic work to a New York stage.

The innovative evening at SubCulture will be hosted by Aspen Music
Director Robert Spano and President and CEO Alan Fletcher.

It will also feature Aspen alumna Dawn Upshaw and a fresh mix of professionals and students from the AMFS.

Wednesday, April 16, 7:30 p.m.
At SubCulture, 45 Bleecker Street (downstairs)

Tickets are $20 and available at www.subculturenewyork.com.

ASPEN, Colo. — How do you convey the essence of one of America’s oldest and most respected music festivals and educational institutions? Really, by encountering it. Music lovers know that the 65-year-old Aspen Music Festival and School delivers consistently world-class performances in an ultra-beautiful setting, that its storied music school turns out, generation by generation, some of the great artists of their time, from James Levine to Joshua Bell to Conrad Tao. Many even know that from its earliest days, with visits by Igor Stravinsky and Aaron Copland, and a contemporary music program founded by Darius Milhaud, it has been a hub for new music. But knowing these things is one thing. Living them, feeling them, is another.

And so, in a historic first, the festival is bringing this to New York—in 100 minutes. It will be, as its title suggests, “The Complete Aspen Music Festival and School (abridged).” Abridged, because of course one cannot possibly put every piece of music from a two-month festival into 100 minutes (nor is it medically advisable to try). But the show, which is planned as an annual performance piece with this first one as a stand-alone ‘prologue,’ will not be a normal concert format. It will, instead, be a free-flowing, shape-shifting artistic event that will catch the quintessence of the festival’s artistic work each year. And in so doing, will truly bring that special Aspen elixir to New York audiences.

Aspen Music Director Robert Spano and President and CEO Alan Fletcher will host the evening, which will feature celebrated Aspen alumni, faculty and students. The program will include surprises, stars and atmosphere in abundance. Among the treats in store will be appearances by Aspen alumna Dawn Upshaw, Aspen faculty member Steven Stucky and Spano himself leading the re-creation of a stand-out performance from last summer’s festival, the Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor.

“I’m hugely excited about bringing this innovative idea and format to New York,” says Spano, “We didn’t feel that a standard concert could convey the creative thinking that takes place in Aspen on
a daily basis, so we’ve tried to program something that is part concert, part, I suppose ‘happening’ and part artistic immersion. What I love is that in bringing together alumni, faculty and students, we will recreate that special energy an Aspen participant feels the moment they engage with the festival and school.”

Co-hosting the show with Spano will be Fletcher, also a composer, who shares his music director’s excitement. “When I write music, I’m working with ideas of inspiration, creation and interpretation,” he says, “It doesn’t always work, often it doesn’t. But when it does, in those magical moments when the alchemy proves true and something of value is formed, the place, the time, who’s nearby, it all seems to count, and you remember those things. Running a great festival and a great school is a not dissimilar process—you strive to create the circumstances for those magical convergences in time and place. In Aspen I have seen and been lucky enough to be part of some amazing moments over the years. With this first of our planned annual New York shows— each very different from the last— I look forward to trying to have another amazing Aspen moment, but this time in our nation’s cultural capital, so that we can conjure that same magic with
New York audiences.”

 

About the Music Festival and School
The Aspen Music Festival and School is the United States’ premier classical music festival, presenting more than 300 musical events during its eight-week summer season in Aspen. The institution draws top classical musicians from around the world to this Colorado mountain retreat for an unparalleled combination of performances and music education. Many events are free and seating on the David Karetsky Music Lawn and in the Music Garden is always free.

More than 630 music students from more than 40 U.S. states and more than 40 countries come each summer to play in five orchestras, sing, conduct, compose and study with approximately 130 renowned artist-faculty members. Students represent the field’s best talent; many have already begun their professional careers, others are on the cusp.

Renowned alumni include violinists Joshua Bell, Sarah Chang, Cho-Liang Lin, Robert McDuffie, Midori, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Gil Shaham; pianists Ingrid Fliter, Orli Shaham, Conrad Tao, Yuja Wang, Wu Han and Joyce Yang; conductors Marin Alsop, James Conlon, James Levine, Leonard Slatkin and Joshua Weilerstein; composers William Bolcom, Philip Glass, David Lang, Augusta Read Thomas, Bright Sheng and Joan Tower; vocalists Jamie Barton, Danielle de Niese, Sasha Cooke, Renée Fleming and Dawn Upshaw; cellists Lynn Harrell and Alisa Weilerstein; guitarist Sharon Isbin; performer Peter Schickele and bassist Edgar Meyer.

Aspen Music Festival and School
June 26 – August 17, 2014
225 Music School Road, Aspen, CO 81611 www.aspenmusicfestival.com
970-925-9042 box office phone | 970-925-3254 administration phone
Also see the AMFS on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest and InstantEncore.

 

Press Contacts
James Inverne, Inverne Price, 011-44-7870-203181, james@inverneprice.com
Laura Smith, Director of Marketing and PR, 970-205-5070, lsmith@aspenmusic.org
Janice Szabo, PR Manager, 970-205-5071, jszabo@aspenmusic.org

 

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