Aspen’s summer music season pretty epic, too
Valley holds a rich history of world-class music
Jeremy Swanson/Courtesy photo
There is a popular saying that people come to Aspen for the winter but stay for the summer. And while it’s true that ski season and winter culture tends to dominate, Aspen’s legendary summer music season and idyllic setting gives winter a run for its money.
Aspen has a storied history when it comes to music that rivals just about any major city in the world, which is impressive when you think of the population size and it’s somewhat remote location. It could be argued that music was one of the main catalysts that transformed Aspen from a quiet, former mining town to a world-renowned cultural destination.
From established institutions like Aspen Music Festival and School and Jazz Aspen Snowmass to Belly Up Aspen and newcomer TACAW, there is a musical experience for just about every taste and budget in this valley.
So what is it about this place that has attracted generations of artists and audiences alike?
“It’s a combination of different things,” said James Horowitz, president and CEO of JAS. “First, a powerful history that started in the late ’40s, post World War II. Bringing great ideas and great art to Aspen were the foundation of Elizabeth Paepcke’s aspirations. From that seed, the idea of modern Aspen took hold, and a big part of that was attracting the best of the best, which is still true today.”
It all started in 1949 when Chicago businessman Walter Paepcke and his wife, Elizabeth, insisted on organizing and hosting a University of Chicago-sponsored two-week bicentennial celebration of the 18th century German poet and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in Aspen.
The event included classical music performances and intellectual symposiums. It was such a success that it led to the founding of the Aspen Institute and the Music Festival and School, with musicians from the inaugural year returning every summer, along with their students.
Now, the music festival has grown to an eight-week season, which stretches from June 29 to Aug. 20 and hosts more than 400 classical events, including orchestral concerts, solo and chamber music performances, opera productions, master classes and children’s programming.
“Music is something that brings everyone together, no matter your age, race or ethnicity” said Kasey Klabunde, ticketing coordinator for the Wheeler Opera House. “It’s a universal language that everyone can relate to, and it embodies the Aspen Ideas philosophy of ‘feeding the mind, body and spirit.'”
Like every year, this summer the Benedict Music Tent holds concerts almost daily, and lawn seating just outside the tent is always free. Picnicking on the lawn with friends at the Benedict Music Tent is a quintessential Aspen summer activity.
“It’s a unique experience because you can be in the Benedict Tent, or you can be sitting outside on the lawn listening to the music, eating your cheese and crackers and having wine and just hanging out with your friends and having a good time,” Klabunde said. “You can enjoy the beautiful weather that we have during the summer and still listen to some of the most skilled and talented musicians that the world has to offer.”
Due partially to the efforts of Chicagoan John Silber, Aspen became a stop for another type of music: Jazz greats like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington were just a few who descended on the valley in the 1950s to play at the historic Red Onion restaurant and bar (which is currently closed but will eventually reopen) in Aspen’s core, paving the way for the eventual creation of Jazz Aspen Snowmass and its upcoming permanent home, the JAS Center, which will be located just above where those icons played decades ago.
The counterculture of the 1960s brought a new wave of musicians, which continued into the ’70s and ’80s. Everyone from John Denver to Stevie Nicks, Jimmy Buffett, John Oates, the Eagles and Willie Nelson found musical inspiration or a sense of home in this valley. For many, it involved both.
It was during that time when the valley’s tradition of gathering outdoors to enjoy music and dance was born on Fanny Hill in Snowmass. It began as the annual Deaf Camp Benefit, which was once headlined by Denver and Buffet, and has continued into the present with Snowmass’ annual free summer concert series, established in 1991. It features music across many genres, from reggae and country to zydeco and bluegrass.
“Live music is woven into the fabric of our community. We have such deep roots in music here.” said Snowmass Tourism marketing director Virginia McNellis. “Fanny Hill creates a natural amphitheater because of the slope itself and the positioning of the stage. There’s nothing like watching the mountains behind the stage light up as the sun sets. The musicians are incredible and energetic, but it’s the setting and the community that really makes it spectacular.”
Aspen and Snowmass’ musical tradition further evolved in June 1991. Inspired by a jazz festival in Maciac in the southwest of France, Horowitz founded JAS and thereby expanded Aspen’s musical landscape. What started as a three-day event has now evolved into a complex set of multi-day festivals in Aspen/Snowmass featuring a wide array of music, including two summer tent poles — JAS June experience and JAS Labor Day.
Fans of the JAS Labor Day Experience, an open air, dance-oriented extravaganza of popular, R&B, rock, funk, blues, world and soul music at Snowmass Town Park, are in for a big treat this year with musicians including Grace Potter, Billy Idol, Old Dominion, The Lumineers and the highly anticipated Foo Fighters.
“We’ve never had a band quite like the Foo Fighters at this stage of their career,” Horowitz said. “They are a stadium band, and this is a small venue that holds 10,000 people. The anticipation, naturally, is through the roof.”
Alongside the big festivals this summer, music lovers have plenty of other options to experience live performances.
Intimate venue Belly Up Aspen has offered a year-round, diverse musical lineup, which has attracted established artists and up-and-comers since 2005.
Unlike any other medium, music has a way of transcending place and time. Who hasn’t had the experience of hearing an old favorite song and instantly remembering every detail it evokes in our memories, from where we were to who we shared the moment with and how it made us feel?
For those nostalgic for the 1960s, American country rock band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band performs at The Belly Up on July 11. Its mix of reimagined classics and engaging newer works, which blend intense harmonies with instrumental flights, manages to keep the band’s loyal legion of fans on their feet, while making new memories.
Any 1980s latchkey Gen Xer raised by MTV will appreciate Billy Idol’s show at JAS Labor Day on Sunday, Sept. 3. From “White Wedding” to “Dancing with Myself” and “Rebel Yell,” Idol’s performance will make you dance like an angsty teen again.
And, of course, Yacht Rock Revue’s Sept. 10 show at The Belly Up will sail you away to the smooth and gooey love songs of the ’70s and ’80s. (Don’t forget to wear your captain’s hat.)
It’s fair to say that ’90’s rock included more than just grunge, especially when it came to the music emerging from Jakob Dylan, son of the legendary Bob Dylan and frontman of The Wallflowers. On Aug. 23 at The Belly Up, The Wallflowers bring the Tom Petty-inspired roots rock sound that produced hits like “6th Avenue Heartache” and “One Headlight” from the 1996 quadruple-platinum-selling “Bringing Down the Horse.”
Even though Train technically formed in 1993, it wasn’t until 2001 that their hit song “Drops of Jupiter” cemented their place as rock stars. It was a sound forever associated as the soundtrack of the early aughts. If you still can’t believe — or acknowledge — that 2001 was 22 years ago, then join your fellow young-minded music lovers at Train’s show at The Belly Up Aug. 1.
And the musical offerings just keep expanding. Midvalley new kid on the block The Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW) is building on the deep musical history of the valley while paving its own path, experimenting with programming and new, inclusive formats, says director of programming Kendall Smith.
“There is a healthy appetite for music across Colorado,” Smith said. “But the fact that we have these venerable institutions here like Jazz Aspen Snowmass and the Aspen Music Festival and School — having those two big entities, as well as some very well-known venues and community events, there are so many different touch points for music. What we’re leaning into here is continuing to engage the entire valley. So that includes putting up bilingual programming and other things like that. We want to continue to try and lean into that with live music, as well.”
