FESTIVALFOCUS YOUR WEEKLY CLASSICAL MUSIC GUIDE
SUPPLEMENT TO THE ASPEN TIMES
MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2026
VOL. 36, NO. 1
Beethoven’s 9th, Guys & Dolls, Yuja Wang Anchor 77th Season Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Aug. 2), and Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony led by Leonard Slatkin, another ACA alum (Aug. 7). Fletcher Across nearly 300 public performances calls the conducting program “one of the and events over 54 days, the 2026 season great signature Aspen experiences,” noting of the Aspen Music Festival and School its role in preparing generations of profes(AMFS) celebrates the many voices that “The American spirit sional conductors. have shaped American music while also The commissioning of new music remains uniquely combines a marking the end of a chapter for one of the a cornerstone of the AMFS’s identity. This institution’s most influential leaders. passionate celebration summer includes performances of two Titled “For All,” the season takes inspimajor new works by AMFS alumni: Sarah ration from the final words of the Pledge of individual voice along Kirkland Snider’s opera Hildegard (July of Allegiance and coincides with the 31) and David Lang’s oratorio the wealth of with the richness of 250th anniversary of the signing of the nations (Aug. 1). One of the season’s most Declaration of Independence. anticipated events is the world premiere pluralism, which lends AMFS Munroe President and CEO Alan of Matthew Aucoin’s Two Thresholds Fletcher says the season theme “reflects itself perfectly to an (Symphony) (July 19), which launches a new the inspirational sentiment behind the multi-year initiative that commissions first Aspen summer season.” Declaration of Independence and indeed symphonies from American composers. the American experiment as a whole. The Dame Jane Glover—a mentee of comAmerican spirit uniquely combines a pasAlan Fletcher poser Benjamin Britten himself—will conAMFS Munroe President and CEO sionate celebration of individual voice duct the Aspen Opera Theater and along with the richness of pluralism, VocalARTS (AOTVA) program’s two which lends itself perfectly to an staged performances of Britten’s Aspen summer season.” A Midsummer Night’s Dream starOpening Sunday, July 5 sets the ring countertenor Anthony Roth tone with a program led by Wall Costanzo (July 20, 22). The opera Family Music Director Robert Spano season concludes with a semifeaturing music by Charles Ives, staged production of Mozart’s Aaron Copland, and John Adams— The Magic Flute (Aug. 21) under three composers spanning more the baton of AOTVA Co-Artistic than a century of American music. Director Patrick Summers. The season closes with Leonard One of a number of internationally Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms recognized artists with longstandand Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony: ing Aspen connections, violinist works chosen for their themes of Augustin Hadelich returns in a reALEX IRVIN unity and shared humanity (Aug. 23). The AMFS’s iconic Klein Music Tent transports audiences cital featuring top students—a truly formative experience for those The Festival’s orchestral highlights through the power of music. BY JESSICA MOORE
Senior Director of Marketing and Global Communications
include Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony (July 3) conducted by Aspen Conducting Academy (ACA) alumnus James Gaffigan, Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F with
2026 OPERA BENEFIT
TUESDAY, JULY 7 KLEIN MUSIC TENT Culinary and musical delights unite in a dreamy sunset where Athenian themes and ’60s style converge. The evening features internationally admired countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo and the rising young stars of the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS program. Toast to the vibrant future of opera with an exquisite evening of music in paradise! Call 970 205 5065 for benefit information. Hosted by Renée Fleming and Patrick Summers, the Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass Co-Artistic Directors of AOTVA. See 2026 Season, Festival Focus page 3
Starry Alumni “Get Chills” Upon Return to Aspen BY CINDY HIRSCHFELD Festival Focus Writer
Audiences are in for a treat when two starry alumni of the Aspen Music Festival and School return to the Tent stage on July 3 for the first orchestral concert of the 2026 season. Conductor James Gaffigan leads Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony and countertenor Key’mon Murrah performs a new AMFS co-commissioned piece with the Chamber Symphony. “I still get chills every time I land in Aspen, then walk downtown and see the Tent,” says Gaffigan, who attended the Aspen Conducting Academy’s inaugural year in 2000 and for two summers after. When he first came to Aspen at age 19 to study with David Zinman and Murray Sidlin, Gaffigan says, “it was truly the beginning of my musical life.” He valued the opportunity to balance work and a social life. “It’s rare to get that
MIGUEL LORENZO
Aspen Conducting Academy alumnus James Gaffigan returns to Aspen July 3 to conduct Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony with the Aspen Chamber Symphony.
right,” he reminisces. “It was the last time I was just thinking about music and meeting people, with no other worries in the world.” As a young teenager (and bassoon player), he was fascinated by scores. “I didn’t want to be just a piece of the puzzle—I wanted to learn what everyone was doing,” he says. Offered a spontaneous chance during his junior year at New York’s storied LaGuardia High School to conduct during an orchestra rehearsal, Gaffigan recalls, “I was just in awe of the sound that the orchestra made when I stood in front of it. From that moment on it was an addiction.” Currently a resident of Berlin, Gaffigan returns to the States to become music director for the Houston Grand Opera in 2027, succeeding Patrick Summers. He discovered his affinity for opera in Aspen, too, where he vividly recalls watching another student conduct the second act See Alumni, Festival Focus page 3
DON’T MISS THE ANNUAL FREE FOURTH OF JULY CONCERT, SATURDAY AT 4 PM!