75th Anniversary Highlights

In 2024, the Aspen Music Festival and School celebrates 75 years of presenting grand, intimate, experimental, and deeply personal performances, as well as 74 years of deep mentorship of young artists. The level of both artistry and camaraderie is unmatched in the classical music world, and this special alchemy will be celebrated all 53 nights of the 2024 season.
 

Music Director Robert Spano leads a season themed Becoming Who You Are, exploring Aspen’s impact on the musical and personal development of thousands of important musicians over the past 75 years.
 

The season honors its major strengths, past, present and future, in four major ways: 1) Events featuring alumni performers from the past 50 years; 2) Events featuring artists discovered early and nurtured on Aspen stages as their careers grew; 3) Events supporting new music, experimentation, and living composers; 4) Events spotlighting stand-out works of genius, unusual for a summer festival.
 

As always, more than 450 young artists from around the world will join the artist-faculty, drawn from all the major orchestras and music schools around the country, along with a dazzling array of guest artists, for almost 200 public events.
 

Specially curated events include the following:
 

75TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY
Sunday, June 30 | 2:30 PM | Karetsky Music Lawn | FREE
Join us to kick off the 75th anniversary season with family-friendly fun and refreshments. Wear your AMFS swag from past years.
 

SPECIAL REMINISCENCES PROGRAMS
Longtime Aspen alumni artists curate bespoke programs to share music, reminiscences, and stories of their decades in Aspen.

• American String Quartet, JULY 8
• Gil Shaham, Adele Anthony, and Friends, JULY 25
• Sharon Isbin, JULY 30
• Robert McDuffie, AUG 14
   

“DELAY WEEK:” HONORING MENTORSHIP IN ASPEN
Join us for a week of open classes, panels, and storytelling illuminating the deep mentorship in Aspen between teachers and young artists. In honor of legendary teacher Dorothy DeLay who taught in Aspen from 1971 to 2001. JULY 29-AUG 4. Details here.
 

HISTORY TOURS
Join us for special tours highlighting the stories of the AMFS. Free. See full details here.

• Wheeler Opera House and AMFS History Tours
• AMFS Architectural and History Tours
   

CELEBRATING 75 YEARS: HERBERT BAYER AND THE AMFS
Presented by The Aspen Institute's Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies, this retrospective exhibition explores Bayer's contributions to the early artistic vision and architecture of the AMFS.