Aspen Music Festival and School 2023 Annual Report
2023 FISCAL YEAR
October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023
ROBERT SPANO Music Director
ALAN FLETCHER President and CEO
Dear AMFS Community,
The 2023 season embodied our mission in an inspiring and gratifying way. The power of teaching and performing music were in their full glory, and we made a truly significant impact on our community and our world.
This work and this joy perhaps mean more to us than ever, having experienced several seasons changed by the pandemic. In this 2023 Annual Report, we are proud to highlight how the AMFS has emerged stronger and better than ever. The livestreams begun in COVID-times continue and are reconnecting AMFS alumni and patrons from all over the world. We have a far deeper dedication to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access. And our newest programs, in opera and brass quintet studies, are thriving, with an international reach.
We are more grateful than ever for our stalwart community of supporters who give so generously in every way to make possible the beauty of our work. For that, we give our own standing ovation to you.
Yours,
Michael Klein Chair, Board of Trustees
Alan Fletcher President and CEO
ARTISTIC HIGHLIGHTS
THE ADORATION OF THE EARTH
From tranquil sea interludes to a walk on green streets, from the lament of an angry river god to a mountain that loved a bird, from the secrets of meadow blooms to the song of a dreaming sparrow, from the deep resonance of the earth to an elegy for devastated landscapes, and from the chirps and burbles of the natural world to a conductor standing barefoot on the sands of a long-ago beach . . .
These were just a few of the scenes evoked as Music Director Robert Spano led the Aspen Music Festival and School in a season exploring music that expresses humankind’s relationship with the planet we inhabit.
OPPOSITE Pianist Michelle Cann presented an evening of works by Florence Price and other women composers of Chicago’s Black Renaissance
RIGHT Aspen Contemporary Ensemble Bassoon Fellow Noah Eastman performs during the world premiere of John Luther Adams’s Crossing Open Ground, an AMFS co-commission.
INSET Mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor and Music Director Robert Spano celebrated midsummer with a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3.
During opening weekend, thematic works took us on journeys as Jane Glover conducted Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes and Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony while Robert Spano offered a brilliant juxtaposition of Stravinsky’s iconic The Rite of Spring and a new work evoking Africa’s cosmology: Of Earth and Sky: Tales from the Motherland, from composer Brian Raphael Nabors
The season continued with other thematic orchestral gems including Debussy’s La mer, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) with singers Sasha Cooke and Rodrick Dixon, as well as Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 3, which marked midsummer. Mezzo-soprano soloist Kelley O’Connor said of the work, “You just look outside the Tent and know that Mahler was in a similar setting when he was writing this.”
LEFT (Top) Music Director Robert Spano congratulates English horn fellow Wentao Jiang after the Opening Sunday performance. (Bottom) Conductor James Conlon (left) with Rodrick Dixon and Sasha Cooke.
ABOVE Robert Spano with composer Brian Raphael Nabors.
OPPOSITE The McGill McHale Trio, featuring artist-faculty member Demarre McGill flute , Dan Schlosberg piano, and Anthony McGill clarinet .
The Adoration of the Earth also rippled through recital and chamber music repertoire with works such as A Fish will Rise, from Chris Rogerson’s trio of River Songs, performed by the McGill McHale Trio, and Schwantner’s Song of a Dreaming Sparrow, performed in a recital by artist-faculty member Sharon Isbin and the Pacifica Quartet. Guest pianist and alumna Min Kwon presented America/Beautiful, a recital of new works inspired by the patriotic anthem America the Beautiful. Among them were works by composers-in-residence
Stephen Hartke and Nico Muhly, and AMFS President and CEO Alan Fletcher.
Other recitals showcased an assortment of deeply personal programs. Artist faculty cellist Darrett Adkins gathered colleagues Nadine Asin flute, Elaine Douvas oboe, and Robert Spano piano for an evening of music by composer Elliott Carter. Frequent guest conductor James Conlon presented Recovered Voices, a recital of music by Jewish composers whose works were suppressed by the Nazi regime. Soprano Ana María Martínez returned after her star turn as the Mother Abbess in 2022’s The Sound of Music to perform an evening of zarzuelas and songs from her childhood with collaborative pianist and Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS (AOTVA) artist-faculty member Myra Huang and four gifted AOTVA artists.
British saxophonist Jess Gillam made her long-anticipated Aspen debut in a recital featuring talented student musicians and a wide-ranging program that included the U.S. premiere of Nico Muhly’s Pressure of Speech.
JOHN LUTHER ADAMS,
a composer whose creative process is driven by a deep concern for the earth and humanity’s future, was in residence this summer to mentor students and shared two epic musical tributes to our planet, along with one of his more intimate works. The Aspen Contemporary Ensemble had the opportunity to perform Adams’s There is no one, not even the wind at one of the AMFS’s popular Saturday Chamber Music Recitals in Harris Concert Hall.
Then, along with many of the AMFS’s young musicians, the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble gave the world premiere of Crossing Open Ground, Adams’s latest work co-commissioned by the AMFS, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the open air of the Karetsky Music Lawn. The following week, the composer experienced his own An Atlas of Deep Time for the first time in live performance by orchestra. Concertgoers might have noticed Adams as he listened intently, at times with eyes closed and hands folded or grasping the bench in front of him in childlike wonder as he turned to hear the musicians playing from around the Tent.
John Luther Adams’s residency was funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Just as the season opened with music inspired by creation myths of Lesotho and Southern Africa in Nabors’s work, it closed with music inspired by the creation story of the Bible with Haydn’s Creation on Final Sunday.
Leading up to the close of the season, alumnus Cristian Măcelaru conducted the final Aspen Chamber Symphony concert of the season with music that took the audience from the grief of Gabriela Lena Frank’s Contested Eden—a work composed in response to the wildfires that devastated her native California—to the triumphant rebirth of the mythical bird in Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite.
“Putting The Firebird on a program with Frank’s work about wildfires is actually a sort of beautiful moment . . . ,” said Vice President for Artistic Administration Patrick Chamberlain, “Despite all the destruction something beautiful can emerge.”
The Aspen Festival Orchestra’s closing performance of Haydn’s The Creation was a fitting end to the season. As Thomas May wrote in the program notes, the work “radiates a sense of gratitude for the bounty of the natural world and the diversity it manifests.”
ABOVE Final Sunday’s performance saw Aspen’s young artists together with professional mentors.
(l–r) Seraphic Fire’s Patrick Dupre Quigley, Robert Spano, tenor Matthew Polenzani, bass-baritones
Joseph Park and Vinicius Costa, and soprano
Maeve Höglund
INSET Alumnus Cristian M ă celaru, who conducted Firebird , was recently appointed music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
PIANO FORTE
Pianists featured prominently during the 2023 season. Star talent Alexander Malofeev returned to present the summer’s opening recital, then stayed for the quintessential Aspen experience—hiking, collaborating with artist-faculty in chamber music, and taking in fellow pianist Daniil Trifonov’s opening weekend performance.
Other prodigious piano talents returning included alumna Joyce Yang , Lise de la Salle, Inon Barnatan, 2022 Cliburn Gold Medalist Yunchan Lim, Yefim Bronfman, JeanEfflam Bavouzet, and Misha and Cipa Dichter Anton Nel marked 25 years as an artist-faculty member this summer, with a jubilant evening performing with long-time friends and colleagues.
The Festival also welcomed several pianists making their Aspen debuts, including long-time Spano collaborator Jorge Federico Osorio, who performed Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto, and Awadagin Pratt, who performed Bach’s Keyboard Concerto and Jessie Montgomery’s Rounds for Piano, a work written for him. Pianist Michelle Cann, a leading interpreter of the piano music of Florence Price, presented a wellreceived recital of music by Price and other women composers of Chicago’s Black Renaissance.
World renowned Russian pianist and pedagogue Mikhail “Misha” Voskresensky, who emigrated to the United States in 2022 in protest of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, taught a class for the AMFS’s young pianists and delighted guests at one of the season’s House Music evenings.
FROM TOP Pianist Alexander Malofeev opened the 2023 season with a nearly sold-out recital in Harris Concert Hall. Yunchan Lim, 2022 Cliburn Gold Medalist, returned to Aspen for his orchestral debut in the Tent. (Inset) Misha Voskresensky (left) in animated conversation with Maja DuBrul (right). Awadagin Pratt was a special guest at a Baroque Evening with Nicholas McGegan, performing works by Bach and Jessie Montgomery.
STRINGS
Several well-known violinists delighted audiences with their programs. Maxim Vengerov made his Aspen debut in a performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. After the performance, it was hard to tell who was more delighted—the crowd or Vengerov. After remarking that it had taken him forty years to get to Aspen, he exclaimed, “I don’t know why I waited so long!”
Frequent guest Augustin Hadelich gave the Aspen premiere of a new Violin Concerto depicting humankind’s complicated relationship with nature and written for him by Donnacha Dennehy. And, student Luna Choi, the 2022 Dorothy DeLay Fellowship winner, captivated the audience with Chausson’s Poème.
Alumnus Gil Shaham joined conductor (and Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS co-artistic director) Patrick Summers for a performance of Austrian composer Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D Major.
During the final week of the season, alumnus Robert McDuffie joined the Aspen Chamber Symphony and fellow alumnus Cristian Măcelaru to present the world premiere of Aria from the unfinished Violin Concerto by the late American composer Peter Mennin. Mennin was a mentor of AMFS President and CEO Alan Fletcher while he studied at Juilliard, where McDuffie was also a classmate.
FROM TOP Alumnus Gil Shaham enjoying his performance of Korngold’s Violin Concerto with the Aspen Chamber Symphony. (Middle) Violinist Maxim Vengerov (left) celebrates with conductor Nicholas McGegan. (Bottom) Luna Choi, the 2022 Dorothy DeLay Competition winner, performed Chausson’s Poème with the Aspen Festival Orchestra conducted by David Robertson (right).
ASPEN OPERA THEATER AND VOCAL ARTS
In its third year under the leadership of co-artistic directors Renée Fleming and Patrick Summers, the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS program presented two operas that illustrated its mission to mentor talented young singers at the threshold of their professional careers.
In July, the program presented Jimmy López Bellido’s Bel Canto, based on the best-selling novel by Ann Patchett. Fleming herself was the inspiration for the lead character in Patchett’s book and nurtured the opera’s commissioning and workshopping over five years prior to its premiere by the Chicago Lyric Opera in 2015.
The Aspen production was only the second in the opera’s history. Vice President for Artistic Administration Patrick Chamberlain noted that the opera’s requirements for a large orchestra, a huge chorus, and an unusually large number of roles in seven different languages—things that make it challenging for other companies to produce— were exactly what made it so suited for an AMFS production.
In August, world-renowned tenor Matthew Polenzani was in residence to work with the program’s young artists and sing the title role in Mozart’s Idomeneo
Washington National Opera Artistic Director Francesca Zambello also came to Aspen to help bring the opera’s post-Trojan War land- and seascapes to life on the Tent stage. She imbued the performance with the season theme, using orchestra members clad in blue to represent the roiling seas, while Robert Spano conducted barefoot from “the beach.”
Several young artists of the AOTVA also had the opportunity to perform with renowned actress Phylicia Rashad, in the summer’s collaboration with Theatre Aspen. Rashad played the legendary opera singer Maria Callas in Master Class, Terrance McNally’s 1995 Broadway play.
TOP Renée Fleming Artist and soprano Kathryn Henry (right) sings the lead role of Roxane Coss in Jimmy López Bellido’s Bel Canto as fellow Fleming Artists Yue Wu bass-baritone (left) and Cesar Andres Parreño tenor (center) look on in the roles of Katsumi Hosokawa and Gen Watanabe, respectively.
CENTER Renowned tenor Matthew Polenzani sings the title role of Idomeneo, King of Crete, alongside artists of Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS in Francesca Zambello’s staging of Mozart’s opera seria Idomeneo
BOTTOM Fleming Artist Joseph Tancredi tenor and Studio Artist Anna Thompson soprano with Phylicia Rashad.
MAGICAL EVENINGS
The season’s special events offered a wide range of musical experiences. Soprano and alumna Renée Fleming and pianist Inon Barnatan dazzled in highlights from Fleming’s Grammywinning release Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene, with works by Fauré, Reynaldo Hahn, composer-in-residence Nico Muhly, and Kevin Puts.
The AMFS and Jazz Aspen Snowmass collaborated in an evening with alumnus and artist-faculty member Edgar Meyer and renowned jazz bassist Christian McBride merging their wide-ranging backgrounds of jazz, classical, and bluegrass.
Tony Award-winning singer Audra McDonald joined a full Festival Orchestra led by Broadway conductor and producer Andy Einhorn and delighted audiences with personal stories and a bespoke program of her favorites from the Great American Songbook.
An evening featuring the beloved film music of John Williams from Star Wars, E.T., Harry Potter, and more, drew crowds, many adorned in costumes. Assistant conductor Maurice Cohn led the evening with aplomb.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Pianist Inon Barnatan and soprano Renée Fleming; bassists Edgar Meyer and Christian McBride; member of the house staff wielding a light saber in celebration of John Williams’s unforgettable music from Star Wars ; and Broadway phenomenon Audra McDonald.
OPPOSITE (l–r) Violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, cellist Paul Watkins, and violist Lawrence Dutton share a light moment in their final performance in Harris Concert Hall.
The final, extra-special event of the season marked the end of an era. After more than four decades as one of the world’s premier chamber music ensembles, and a ongoing presence at the AMFS, the Emerson String Quartet made Aspen a stop on its farewell tour.
“The Emersons” have been a prime example of the many artists who found colleagues and welcoming audiences at the Music Festival as they began their professional careers. As they honed their musicianship and reputation, the Emersons continued to return to Aspen for extraordinary events like the gala performance that opened Harris Concert Hall in 1993, or their performance—on that very stage—of the entire set of 15 Shostakovich string quartets over eight seasons from 1999 to 2007, with Deutsche Grammophon on site to record them. Violist Lawrence Dutton was a student at the AMFS in 1975 and 1976. He noted, “[Aspen is] such a special place, unlike any other. It’s only right that we’re now coming back for our last season.”
STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Student enrollment at the Aspen Music Festival and School remained steady in 2023, with a total of 456 students attending in our regular programs. (Students attending the two-week Seraphic Fire Professional Choral Institute during the final weeks of the Festival brought the number to 479.) The young artists who spent their summer making music in Aspen represented thirty-one countries and forty-one states, and ranged in age from twelve to thirty-seven, with an average age of twenty-three.
The School continued to progress in its work to diversify the AMFS student body, with an increase in the proportion of students who self-identified as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latina/o, Native American or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Of the 456 students admitted (not including Seraphic Fire Professional Choral Institute students), 16 percent of the 2023 class was represented by diverse candidates versus 11 percent in 2022.
The AMFS continues to partner with the National Alliance of Audition Support (NAAS) and the Sphinx Organization to provide access and opportunities for musicians from underrepresented communities as they apply for study in Aspen.
The Student Services team introduced several enhancements to the student experience, including a revamped “Welcome Week,” which featured a series of affinity group mixers, social events, hikes, and an All-School Orientation, designed to foster a sense of community and feelings of inclusion and belonging.
LEFT Young artists of the AMFS perform during an Aspen Chamber Symphony performance.
OPPOSITE Horn players rehearse.
The School also made Improvements to the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra curriculum in direct response to student feedback, demonstrating a commitment to continually enhance the overall student experience at the AMFS.
During the 2023 season, the American Brass Quintet Seminar @Aspen program was temporarily on hiatus as the Quintet auditioned new members. The summer of 2023 also marked the conclusion of the extremely successful Seraphic Fire Professional Choral Institute program at the AMFS.
* Student body totals do not include students from the Seraphic Fire Professional Choral Institute.
DIVERSITY IN CLASSICAL MUSIC (statistics from the League of American Orchestras)
1.8% Musicians who identify as Black/African American 2.5% Musicians who identify as Hispanic/Latina/o 9% Musicians who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander 31 COUNTRIES & 41 STATES From
456* TALENTED STUDENTS
than 83% RECEIVE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
3.4 million
AID
• To study with and/or perform alongside our world-class artist-faculty
• The amount of financial aid offered
• To participate in an intensive program of study THREE TOP REASONS STUDENTS SAY THEY CHOSE TO ATTEND THE AMFS:
* Student body totals do not include students from the Seraphic Fire Professional Choral Institute
2023 STUDENT COMPETITION WINNERS
Jiaru Cheng piano
Piano Competition
Student of Hung-Kuan Chen and Yoheved Kaplinsky
New Horizons Fellowship given by Kay and Matthew Bucksbaum
RUNNER UP | Gregory Martin, student of Yoheved Kaplinsky
Nathan Cox cello
Low Strings Competition
Student of Darrett Adkins and Richard Aaron
Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra Fellowship, Bert Neirick Scholarship
RUNNER UP | Ania Lewis cello student of Brinton Smith and Richard Aaron
Fengyang (William) Ju oboe
Winds Competition
Student of Elaine Douvas, Liam Boisset
New Horizons Fellowship given by Kay and Matthew Bucksbaum
RUNNER UP | Jazmin Pascual clarinet student of Joaquín Valdepeñas
Ken Kagawa trombone
Brass Competition
S tudent of Per Brevig, James Miller, Peter Sullivan, and Weston Sprott
Bulkley-Flint Scholarship in memory of Katherine MacKenty Bryan
RUNNER UP | Tianyu Wang trumpet student of Kevin Cobb and Stuart
Stephenson
Hojung Kwon violin
Violin Competition
Student of Kathleen Winkler
Talented Students in the Arts Initiative Scholarship, a collaboration of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Surdna Foundation
Scholarship
RUNNER UP | Yu-Ping Tsai, student of Kathleen Winkler
Yu-Ping Tsai violin
Dorothy DeLay Fellowship
Student of Kathleen Winkler
New Horizons Fellowship given by Kay and Matthew Bucksbaum
RUNNER UP | Abigail Ko, student of Masao Kawasaki
Matiss Cudars
Hermitage Prize for Composition
Student of Christopher Theofanidis
Susan and Ford Schumann Scholarship
Piotr Waclawik
Aspen Conductor Prize
Student of Robert Spano
2022 Robert Spano Conductor Prize given by Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass
Damali Willingham
Robert J. Harth Conductor Prize
Student of Robert Spano
Helen F. Whitaker Fellowship; Victoria Lea Smith Diversity Scholarship
Paul-Boris Kertsman
Robert Spano Conductor Prize
Student of Robert Spano
2022 Robert J. Harth Conductor Prize
Gabriela Gómez Estévez
James Conlon Conductor Prize
Student of Robert Spano
Merle Chambers Fellowships Fund for Minority Students
Isabella Gellis
Druckman Prize
Student of Christopher Theofanidis
Susan and Ford Schumann Scholarship
FACULTY MILESTONES
Espen Lilleslåtten violin, Anton Nel piano, and Kevin Cobb trumpet ( pictured left to right with President and CEO Alan Fletcher, second from left, below), celebrated 25 years as artist-faculty members this summer at a reception at the Tent. (Nel notes he has been coming to the AMFS for much longer as a guest artist!)
EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
CONNECTING THE AMFS TO LOCAL YOUTH AND FAMILIES
THIS SUMMER, more than 1,000 children participated in the AMFS’s free Festival for Kids programs. An additional 160 students refined their musicianship by studying with AMFS students in Festival Lessons and the P.A.L.S. (Passes and Lessons Scholarship) program, for a total of more than 500 hours of music lessons!
In its second year, the AMFS’s Mariachi Workshop doubled its enrollment, thanks to lead sponsor Querencia Private Golf and Beach Club in Los Cabos, Mexico.
The culminating performance, A Mariachi Celebration, showcased workshop participants, who performed alongside Denver-based professional Mariachi Sol de mi Tierra, who returned for the second time, and dancers from Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklórico at the Music Tent. The audience for the celebration also was able to enjoy activities and food and visit with local partner organizations at a pre-concert fiesta on the Karetsky Music Lawn.
LEFT A Lead Guitar student performs at Harris Concert Hall.
INSET Dancers from community partner Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklórico dazzled the audience from the Tent stage, helping to complete the AMFS’s 2023 celebration of Mexican music and culture.
DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, nearly 500 local students (grades 2-12) were enrolled in weekly in-school and after-school classes through AfterWorks
BEGINNING STRINGS enrolled 165 students at six local schools.
NEW! This year, Beginning Strings added double bass instruction with three students playing one-eighth size instruments!
CHAMBER MUSIC LAB, for intermediate string players, comprised eight trios and quartets meeting weekly with a dedicated coach.
LEAD GUITAR enrolled 80 classical guitar students at four school locations, with instruction by Lead Guitar Director of Instruction Nick Lenio and local teaching artists.
BACK IN FULL VOICE! MAROON BEL CANTO CHOIRS
returned for the first time since 2020 with 150 students enrolled in the elementary and middle school divisions. The joyous spring concert featured all students singing repertoire ranging from classical works to popular favorites, like Grease to Encanto, on the Harris Concert Hall stage.
The AMFS partnership with ArtistYear AmeriCorps continued with two Resident Teaching Artists, violinists Camille Backman and Megan Rabe providing arts education to classrooms across the Roaring Fork School District.
Through the Musical Connections program, the AMFS brought the Lirios String Quartet and Ensemble Flatirons Brass Quintet from the University of Colorado-Boulder to perform at schools.
In addition, the Ivalas Quartet—AMFS alumni and the string quartet in residence at The Juilliard School—and Colorado composer Dr. Jeffrey Nytch presented a community performance called “For the Trees,” which the AMFS presented in partnership with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, Farm Collaborative, and Roaring Fork Conservancy at the Basalt Regional Library.
Two Rivers Community School
Glenwood Springs Middle School
Glenwood Springs Elementary
Glenwood Springs High School
Sopris Elementary AY
Riverview School
Colorado Rocky Mountain School
Carbondale Middle School
AFTERWORKS REACH in the Roaring Fork
Valley
Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork
Crystal River Elementary School
Ross Montessori School
Basalt Regional Library
Basalt Elementary School
Basalt Middle School
Basalt High School
Beginning Strings
Lead Guitar
Chamber Music Lab
Maroon Bel Canto Children’s Chorus
Maroon Bel Canto Singers
Mariachi Workshop
Ivalas Quartet “For the Trees” Community Performance
Musical Connections: Lirios String Quartet and Flatirons Brass Quintet
School with an ArtistYear Resident Teaching Artist AY
Aspen Elementary School
Aspen Middle School
Aspen Country Day School
Aspen Community School
SEASON BENEFITS
Benefits during the 2023 season brought new and longtime friends together and raised more than $1.4 million in support of the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Reflecting the season theme of nature and music, the annual Season Benefit highlighted the glorious transition of seasons in the Rocky Mountains. The Feast of Music: Rite of Seasons honored Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass, celebrating her 35th year of dedicated philanthropy. It was a memorable evening at the Hotel Jerome with spectacular food, wine, and musical pairings.
The 2023 Opera Benefit returned to the Benedict Music Tent stage for a swoon-worthy evening of romantic Broadway hits and beloved arias performed by young artists of the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS program. Directed by a creative team of Rachelle Fleming and Andy Einhorn, the Cabaret Evening of Romance was a stunning display of artistry and extraordinary talent.
The summer’s sold-out Artist Dinner series featured an exceptional lineup of Aspen’s renowned and beloved guest artists including Augustin Hadelich, Gil Shaham, Mikhail Voskresenky, and Joyce Yang.
OPPOSITE INSET President and CEO Alan Fletcher with long-time supporter and gala honoree, Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP (L–R) Incoming Board Chair Alexandra Munroe and Composer-in-Residence Nico Muhly; Music Director Robert Spano and Board Chair Michael Klein; supporters Marci Morgan and Joy Dinsdale; supporter Eleanore De Sole, Trustee Nicholas Paepcke DuBrul, Vice President for Advancement Mi Ryung Song, and supporter Jan Greenberg; Benefit Chairs Jim Martin and Denise Monteleone; supporters Derek Foster, Antonia Paepcke DuBrul, and Jennifer DuBrul.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Michael Klein, Chair
Charles Wall, Vice Chair
Sam Brown, Treasurer
Carrie Wells, Secretary, Co-President of National Council
Robert J. Hurst, Co-President of National Council
Alan Fletcher, President and CEO
Charles Anderson
Nadine Asin*
Amy Margerum Berg
Marianne Boesky
Stephen Brint
Sarah Broughton
Warren Deck*
Elaine Douvas*
Stephen Drimmer
Nicholas DuBrul
James Dunham*
Alan Englander
Richard Felder
Ann Friedman
John Fullerton
Nancy Furlotti
Mary Giese
Arjun Gupta
Jonathan Haas*
Per Hannevold*
Cornelia Heard*
Jamie Helzberg
Linda Vitti Herbst
Cathy Koplovitz
Jonathan Lee
Espen Lilleslåtten*
Anthony Mazza
Michael Mermagen*
Will Mesdag
Alexandra Munroe
Michael Murray
H. Gael Neeson
Janet O’Connor
Fonda Paterson
Timothy Pitts*
Aaron Podhurst
Dan Porterfield, ex-officio
Dana Powell
Charles Rivkin
John Rojak*
Brinton Averil Smith *
Victoria L. Smith
Judith Steinberg
Erika Aronson Stern
Alia Tutor
Joaquín Valdepeñas*
Bryant Welters
Josh Wolman, ex-officio
HONORARY TRUSTEES
Joan W. Harris
Itzhak Perlman
Robert Spano
Pinchas Zukerman
LIFE TRUSTEES
Paula Bernstein
Carolyn Bucksbaum‡
Noël Congdon, in memoriam
Gerri Karetsky ‡
Betty Schermer,‡ in memoriam
* Denotes Faculty Trustee/ Corporation Member ‡ Denotes At-Large Corporation Member
OPPOSITE A student pianist performs a work by one of the AMFS’s young composers during one of the AMFS’s popular Composition Workshops.
CORPORATION MEMBERS
All AMFS Trustees (listed at left) are members of the Corporation.
Richard Aaron†
Darrett Adkins†
Nancy Allen†
Renata Arado†
Nadine Asin*†
Andrew Bain†
Joan Balter †
Fabio Bidini†
William Billingham†
Per Brevig †
Raehann Bryce-Davis‡
Elizabeth Buccheri‡
Carolyn Bucksbaum‡
Heidi Castleman‡
Choong Jin Chang †
Hung-Kuan Chen†
Robert Chen†
Victoria Chiang †
Kevin Cobb†
Vinson Cole†
Patrick Davila‡
Warren Deck*†
Ellen de Pasquale†
Elaine Douvas*†
James Dunham*†
Melissa Eisenstat ‡
John Engelkes†
David Finckel†
Gabriela Lena Frank‡
Simin Ganatra†
Nancy Goeres†
Jonathan Haas*†
David Halen†
Wu Han†
Robert Hanford†
Per Hannevold*†
Christopher Hanulik†
Louis Hanzlik†
Stephen Hartke†
Austin Hartman†
Cornelia Heard*†
Tim Higgins†
Desmond Hoebig †
Mark Holloway †
Douglas Howard†
Elizabeth Hynes‡
Jeffrey Irvine†
Sharon Isbin†
Yoheved Kaplinsky †
Gerri Karetsky ‡
Masao Kawasaki†
Alexander Kerr †
Eric Kim†
Stephen King †
Espen Lilleslåtten*†
Robert Lipsett †
Mingjia Liu†
Julian Martin†
Raymond Mase†
Robert McDuffie‡
Demarre McGill†
Michael Mermagen*†
Ken Merrill†
Edgar Meyer †
James Miller †
Anton Nel†
Eric Owens‡
Laura Park Chen†
Timothy Pitts*†
Michael Powell†
Erik Ralske†
Eric Reed†
Kevin Rivard†
John Rojak*†
Sylvia Rosenberg †
Michael Rusinek†
Betty Schermer,‡ in memoriam
Golda Schultz‡
Brinton Averil Smith*†
Robert Spano†
Mark Sparks†
Edward Stephan†
Stuart Stephenson†
Naoko Tanaka†
Conrad Tao‡
Christopher Theofanidis†
Joaquin Valdepeñas*†
Almita Vamos†
Brandon Vamos†
Carol Vaness†
Arie Vardi†
Bing Wang †
Donald Weilerstein†
Timothy Weiss†
Art Williams‡
Stephen Wyrczynski†
Joyce Yang ‡
Cynthia Yeh†
* Denotes Corporation member who serves as Faculty Trustee
† Denotes Faculty members of the Corporation
‡ Denotes At-Large Corporation Member
ARTISTFACULTY
ASPEN OPERA THEATER AND VOCALARTS
Renée Fleming, co-artistic director*
Patrick Summers, co-artistic director
Myra Huang, director of musical administration and head coach
Elizabeth Bishop, voice instructor
Stephen King, voice instructor
Robin Rice, voice instructor
Carol Vaness, voice instructor
William Billingham,◊ senior coach
Kirill Kuzmin, senior coach
Grant Loehnig, senior coach
Kenneth Merrill, senior coach
Nicolò Sbuelz*, senior coach
Madeline Slettedahl, senior coach
Pierre Vallet, senior coach
Rachelle Fleming, music theater instructor
Matthew Aucoin, guest coach
Jen Campbell, movement coach
Andy Einhorn, guest coach
Chía Patiño, scenes director
Kevin Newbury, stage director
Francesca Zambello, stage director
COLLABORATIVE PIANO
Cameron Stowe, director
Patrick Summers, AOTVA co-artistic director
Myra Huang, AOTVA director of musical administration and head coach
Anton Nel
SOLO PIANO
Hung-Kuan Chen
Yoheved Kaplinsky
Julian Martin
Anton Nel
Arie Vardi
VIOLIN
Renata Arado*
Laura Park Chen
Robert Chen*
David Coucheron
Ellen dePasquale
Noah Geller
David Halen*
Cornelia Heard*
Masao Kawasaki*
Alexander Kerr
Espen Lilleslatten*
Robert Lipsett*
Robert McDuffie*
OPPOSITE Cellist Garri Hovsepyan with artist-faculty member Michael Mermagen.
Naoko Tanaka*
Bing Wang*
Kathleen Winkler
VIOLA
Choong-Jin Chang
Victoria Chiang*
Christian Colberg
Wesley Collins
James Dunham
Jeffrey Irvine*
Masao Kawasaki*
Zhenwei Shi
Ben Ullery*
Stephen Wyrczynski
CELLO
Richard L. Aaron
Darrett Adkins*
Desmond Hoebig
Eric Kim*
Michael Mermagen*
Brinton Averil Smith*
DOUBLE BASS
Kristen Bruya*
Christopher Hanulik*
Robin Kesselman
Ju-Fang Liu
Leigh Mesh*
Edgar Meyer*
Timothy Pitts
FLUTE
Nadine Asin*
Demarre McGill
Mark Sparks*
OBOE
Liam Boisset
Elaine Douvas
Alex Klein*
Titus Underwood*
CLARINET
Laura Ardan
Michael Rusinek
Joaquín Valdepeñas*
BASSOON
Evan Epifanio*
Nancy Goeres*
Daniel Matsukawa
George Sakakeeny
SAXOPHONE
Samuel Williams*
FRENCH HORN
Andrew Bain*
Jeffrey Fair*
Brad Gemeinhardt*
Alexander Kienle*
Abel Pereira
Kevin Rivard
TRUMPET
Kevin Cobb
Billy R. Hunter, Jr.
David Krauss*
Anthony Limoncelli
Raymond Mase*
Stuart Stephenson*
James Wilt
TROMBONE
Per Brevig
Randall Hawes
James Miller*
John D. Rojak*
Weston Sprott
Peter Sullivan*
TUBA
Warren Deck*
PERCUSSION
Jonathan Haas*
Douglas Howard
Jacob Nissly
Ed Stephan
Cynthia Yeh*
GUITAR
Sharon Isbin*
HARP
Nancy Allen*◊
Emily Levin*
Katherine Siochi*
LUTHIER
John Young
ASPEN CONDUCTING ACADEMY
Robert Spano, director
Maurice Cohn
James Conlon
Federico Cortese
Kevin John Edusei*
Jane Glover
Cristian Măcelaru*
George Manahan
Nicholas McGegan
Matthias Pintscher
David Robertson
Markus Stenz
Mark Stringer
Xian Zhang
ASPEN
CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE
Donald Crockett
Maurice Cohn
Timothy Weiss◊
ENSEMBLES IN RESIDENCE
Mariachi Sol de mi
Tierra
Seraphic Fire
SUSAN AND FORD SCHUMANN CENTER FOR COMPOSITION STUDIES
Christopher Theofanidis, composer-inresidence
Anthony Davis, principal guest
composer
VISITING COMPOSERS
John Luther Adams
Jimmy López Bellido
Billy Childs
Donald Crockett
Donnacha Dennehy
Aaron Israel Levin
Steven Mackey
Nico Muhly
Brian Raphael Nabors
Kyle Rivera*
Sarah Kirkland Snider
Augusta Read Thomas
Joel Thompson
SERAPHIC FIRE PROFESSIONAL CHORAL INSTITUTE
James K. Bass, director
Patrick Dupre Quigley
Alexis Aime
John Buffett
Amanda Crider
ARTIST-FACULTY EMERITUS
Martha Aarons, flute
Adele Addison, voice
Robert Biddlecome, trombone
Bonita Boyd, flute
Bruce Bransby, double bass
Elizabeth Buccheri, Aspen Opera Center
head of music, vocal coach
Earl Carlyss, Center for Advanced Quartet
Studies, violin
Heidi Castleman, viola
Gabriel Chodos, piano
Carole Cowan, violin
Michael Czaijkowski, composition
John Graham, viola
William Grubb, cello
Thomas Haines, film scoring and audio recording
Alan Harris, cello
Elizabeth Hynes, voice
Jennifer John, violin
Catharine Carroll Lees, viola
Eugene Levinson, double bass
Jorge Mester, music director
Theodore Oien, clarinet
Antoinette Perry, piano
Sylvia Plyler, Aspen Opera Center
Louis Ranger, trumpet
Ann Schein, piano
Rita Sloan, collaborative piano
W. Stephen Smith, voice
Dennis Smylie, bass clarinet
Paul Sperry, voice
Thomas Stubbs, percussion
Sabina Thatcher, viola Viviane Thomas, voice
George Tsontakis, composition
Martin Verdrager, theory
David Wakefield, French horn
Richard Woodhams, oboe
Won Bin Yim, violin
John Zirbel, French horn
◊ leave of absence
* AMFS Alumni
FAMILY OF SUPPORTERS
The Aspen Music Festival and School gratefully acknowledges those who have made contributions to the organization between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023. This includes support of the Annual Fund, memorial and honorary gifts, Winter Music sponsorships, Benefit and Artist Dinner support, and special projects.
Annual contributions are the backbone of support necessary for the realization of the Festival and School’s mission. With these gifts, donors support our artist-faculty, public concerts, opera productions, student education, guest artist appearances, community engagement programs and performances, and many other essential projects throughout the year. We are profoundly grateful to our entire family of supporters in Aspen and beyond.
OPPOSITE Summer in the Music Tent is a beloved multi-generational tradition.
$150,000 AND ABOVE
INDIVIDUALS
Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass
Amy Margerum Berg and Gilchrist Berg
Montae and Richard Johnson*
Joan Fabry and Michael Klein
Alexandra Munroe and Robert Rosenkranz
H. Gael Neeson
Kelli and Allen Questrom
Nancy Wall and Charles Wall
$100,00 TO $149,999
INDIVIDUALS
Nancy Swift Furlotti and the Pettit Foundation
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation
Vincent Wilkinson Foundation
$80,000 TO $99,999
INDIVIDUALS
Soledad and Robert Hurst
Judy and Leonard Lauder
Lisa and Will Mesdag
Mary Catherine and Trevor Person
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
Wheeler Opera House (City of Aspen) Arts Grant Program
$55,000 TO $79,000
INDIVIDUALS
Kay Bucksbaum
Joy and Chris Dinsdale
Nicholas Paepcke DuBrul and Family
Jessica and John Fullerton
Shirley and Barnett Helzberg, Jr. Donor Advisory Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City
Louis & Harold Price Foundation, Inc.
Barbara and Jonathan Lee
Marlene A. Malek
Mona Look-Mazza and Tony Mazza
The John P. and Anne Welsh
McNulty Foundation
Janet and Tom O’Connor
Drs. Amy D. Ronner and Michael P. Pacin
Judith Z. Steinberg and Paul J. Hoenmans
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
Querencia Private Golf & Beach Club
$35,000 TO $54,999
INDIVIDUALS
Anonymous (2)
Sasha and Ed Bass
Stephen Brint and Mark Brown
Ruth Carver and Jim Schmidt
Scott Dunn and Robbie Moray
Richard Edwards and Kevin Ramnaraine
Jane and Michael Eisner, The Eisner Foundation
Gail and Alfred Engelberg
Deborah and Richard Felder
Ann and Tom Friedman
Mary E. Giese
Harriett Gold
Sharon and Lawrence Hite
Nancy Meinig - Meinig Family Foundation
Denise Monteleone and James Martin
Becky and Mike Murray
GORDON AND LILLIAN HARDY PLANNED GIVING SOCIETY
Named for Gordon Hardy’s rich legacy as president of the AMFS for twenty-eight years and his dedication to the music world, the Gordon and Lillian Hardy Planned Giving Society honors those donors who have included our organization in their estate plans.
Martha Aarons and Lev Polyakin
Estate of Dr. John E. Amos
Pamela Gross and Charles Anderson
Nadine Asin
Thomas H. Baer
Susan Beckerman
Melissa Eisenstat and Jonathan Blau
Estate of Mark A. Bradley
Dr. Eugene L. Brand
Stephen Brint and Mark Brown
Kay Bucksbaum
Helen and Phil Burnett
Jon Busch
Dr. Janet Claman
NancyBell Coe and William Burke
Noël and Tom Congdon*
Evelyn R. David*
Adelaide and James Davis
Sheryl and Michael DeGenring
Lee W. Dorsey
Estate of Merle Dulien
Estate of Mrs. Charles B. Edison
Gary A. Fisher and Judy Fisher
Family Trust
Audrey A. Sattler and Donald J. Fleisher
Alan Fletcher and Ron Schiller
Jane and Bill Frazer
Rich and Riley Garvin
Mary E. Giese
Barbara and Gary Goldstein
Estate of Loette Goodell
Howard Gottlieb
Christine Grad, M.D.
Mark Gurule
Estate of Lillian and Gordon Hardy
Shirley and Barnett C. Helzberg, Jr.
Casady M. Henry
Juliane Heyman*
Shirley Holst
Soledad and Robert Hurst
Larry Isaacson
Estate of Montae and Richard Johnson
Estate of Mary H. Kalmes
Linda and Eugene Kalnitsky
Jane Kessler*
Estate of Bob Klineman
The Barbara Koval Trust
Estate of Christine H. Leister
Dr. and Mrs. Harold Leventhal
Nancy R. Levi
Estate of Mary Crouch Lilly
Phyllis and Saul Lowitt
Mona Look-Mazza and Tony Mazza
Estate of Elaine and James McDade
Joyce McGilvray
Lydia Morrongiello
Bert Neirick
Estate of Heinz G. Neumann
Ann and Bill* Nitze
Drs. Amy D. Ronner and Michael P. Pacin
Jean and Allen* Parelman
Merbie and Tom Payne
Estate of Virginia Pearce
Terry Lee and Bill Perich
Estate of Lt. Col. and Mrs. R. L.
Pickard
Estate of Jean Pokress
Marilynn and Charles Rivkin
Noyes W. Rogers
Betty* and Lloyd Schermer
Estate of Vera Sears
Pamela Shockley-Zalabak
Eric Simon
Alicia and Alan Sirkin
Estate of Freda Gail Stern
Norma and Don Stone
Marcia Strickland
Barbara C. and Robert P. Sypult
Estate of Magda B. Tenser
Michael Teschner
Leslie and Joe Waters
Estate of Cynthia and Gerald Weinbrum
Laura Werlin
Kay and Ken* Whiting
* Denotes deceased supporter
David Newberger
Ann and Bill* Nitze
The Polonsky Foundation
Dana and Gene Powell
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Rutherfoord, Jr.
Mary and Patrick Scanlan
Carrie and Joe Wells
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
Aspen Times
The Rob Walton Foundation
$20,000 TO $34,999
INDIVIDUALS
Anonymous
Sarah Broughton and John Rowland
Douglas and Abby Brown Family Foundation
Laura Donnelley
Marsha and David Dowler
Marcy and Leo Edelstein
Patsy Malone and Darby Glenn
Maryann and Adrian Gruia
Melony and Adam Lewis
Pat and Ed Peterson
The Marc and Eva Stern Foundation, Erika Aronson Stern and Adam Stern, Suzanne Stern Gilison and Steve Gilison
Carol and Mack Trapp
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
LLWW Foundation
The Gant Condominium Association
$13,000 TO $19,999
INDIVIDUALS
Nancy L. Blank and Paul Alter
Marianne Boesky
Deborah and Gabriel Brener
Sam Brown and Alison Teal
Jackie and John Bucksbaum
Glenn Bucksbaum
Dr. Pamela Cantor and Mr. Richard Cantor
The Congdon Family
Frances Corsello
Ginny Dabney
Eleanore and Domenico De Sole
Lesha and Tom Elsenbrook
Fisher Family Fund at the Community Fdtn. for Greater Buffalo
Thorey and Barry Goldstein
Brenda and James Grusecki
Ellen and Irv Hockaday
Gerri Karetsky and Larry Naughton
John Madigan
Fonda Paterson
Dorothy and Aaron Podhurst
Margot and Tom Pritzker Family Foundation
Betty* and Lloyd Schermer
Gayle Stoffel
Alexandra Woods
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
Aspen Square Condominium Hotel
Clark’s Market
Here House: Social Members Club & Alpina: Daytime Dining
Hotel Jerome
Maja DuBrul Fine Jewelry
Mountain Chalet-Aspen
Pitkin County Dry Goods
Sidney E. Frank Foundation
$8,500 TO $12,999
INDIVIDUALS
Anonymous
Pamela Gross and Charles Anderson
Nadine Asin and Thomas van Straaten
Jon Busch
Shelley Senterfitt and Ken Canfield
Janet F. Clark
Bunni and Paul Copaken
Amy and Darrell Crate
Barbara and Herschel Cravitz
Elissa and Gary Davis
Judith Barnard and Michael Fain
Samia and A. Huda Farouki
Alan Fletcher and Ron Schiller
Scott Francis, Francis Family Foundation, and Susan Gordon
Jane and Bill Frazer
Mary Ann Frenzel
Barbara and Richard I. Furman
Sandy and Lee Godfrey
Barbara Gold
Andi and Jim Gordon, The Edgewater Funds
Jan and Ronald Greenberg
Celeste C. Grynberg
The Arjun Gupta Family Foundation
Kim A. Gutner, MD, DFAPA
Julia Hansen
Irving Harris Foundation, Joan W. Harris
Elyse Seidner-Joseph and Kenny Joseph
Marianne* and Dick Kipper
Karen Kribs
Matthew Kuhns, Kuhns Wealth
Sheldon and Marianne Lubar Charitable Fund
Dr. Nancy Maruyama
John P. McBride Family and the ABC Foundation
Diane and Mead Metcalf
Renee and Bruce Michelson
Beller Moses Family Foundation
Ilene and Jeff Nathan
Sara and Don Nelson
Nedra and Mark Oren
Jean and Allen* Parelman
Merbie and Tom Payne
Kathryn and Richard Rabinow
George J. Records
Marilynn and Charles Rivkin
Judy and Gary Rubin
Drs. Ruth and Steven Ryave
Phyllis and David Scruggs
Marcia Strickland
Penny Pritzker and Bryan Traubert
Alia and Ron Tutor
Linda and Dennis* Vaughn
Fitz and Herb Washer
Bryant Welters
Edith Kallas and Joe Whatley
Marilyn Wilmerding
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
Alpine Bank of Aspen
Asian Cultural Council
Aspen Sojourner
Bessemer Trust
Carl’s Pharmacy
Fusion Design and Catering
Miners’ Building Hardware
The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc.
$4,000 TO $8,499 INDIVIDUALS
Anonymous
Joyce Amico and Charles Malkemus
Barbara and Bruce Berger
Kathy and Richard Broussard
Chambers Initiative
Martha and Bruce Clinton
James W. and Kathleen C. Collins
Family Foundation
Melinda and Donn Conner
Sylvie and Gary Crum
IN MEMORIAM
It is with sadness that we note the passing of the following AMFS community members who left us during the past year.
MICHAEL CZAJKOWSKI
Former AMFS composition artist-faculty member
CARLTON “MIKE” HUNKE
AMFS alumnus and longtime supporter
MARY ANN HYDE
AMFS Trustee during the 1990s and National Council member until 2022; gracious host of many events, including “Tea on the Terrace”
JONATHAN D. LEWIS
Longtime supporter
ALLEN PARELMAN
Past National Council member and longtime Winter Music supporter
LLOYD SOBEL
Longtime Aspen Opera Center
lighting designer
REMEMBERING
NOËL “NOËY”
R. CONGDON
AMFS Board Chair 1996–1999 and Life Trustee
DECEMBER 10, 1928–JULY 7, 2023
Noël “Noëy” Robbins Congdon lived a life of generosity and curiosity, devoting time and boundless energy to the people, programs, and institutions that make communities whole. Among them, the Aspen Music Festival and School was privileged to be a beneficiary of her care, attention, and most importantly, her devoted leadership. Born in New York City, Noëy earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Mount Holyoke College in 1950 and years later, while raising three small children, a master’s degree in community planning and development at CU Denver. She put her knowledge to work in Denver, supporting many educational, arts, and cultural organizations and helped to secure reliable funding for arts and culture in the state. In Aspen, she expressed her deep love for summers of music by chairing the Aspen Music Festival and School’s Board of Trustees in the crucial years during the “Future in Concert” campaign which concluded in 1999. Ever mindful of our students, she and her husband Tom also created the Congdon Family Scholarship Fund during the AMFS’s “Where Dreams Begin” campaign.
REMEMBERING JAMES CROWN
National Council Member and longtime supporter
JUNE 25, 1953–JUNE 25, 2023
A business leader on a global scale, Jim Crown maintained a firm belief in the magic of Aspen. Chairman and CEO of Henry Crown and Co., he also served as managing partner of Aspen Skiing Co., and as a member and former chair of the Aspen Institute’s Board of Trustees. When remarking on the Leadership Gift he and his wife Paula Crown gave during the AMFS’s “Where Dreams Begin” campaign, Jim spoke proudly of Paula’s nearly two decades as an AMFS Trustee, and of the role his father, Lester, played in leading the $32 million joint campaign to reclaim and renovate the physical assets of both the Aspen Institute and the Aspen Music Festival and School in the late 1980s and early 1990s.“Our support has always been driven by our love for Aspen and our desire for it to be a thriving, diverse community,” he said. “The Music School Campus is one of the truly magical places we have here in Aspen. Being able to live and learn at the foot of a mountain along Castle Creek is a fantastic opportunity, and we are happy to be able to support the students, the school, and the festival.” At the Crowns’ request, the island in the middle of the Great Pond on the Bucksbaum Campus is named “The Island of Conclusions,” from the book, The Phantom Tollbooth, a Crown family favorite.
Dorian and Pat Damoorgian
Sheryl and Michael DeGenring
Brian and Susan Dickie
Muffy and Andy DiSabatino
Ann and John Doerr
Jennifer DuBrul and Derek Foster
Antonia Paepcke DuBrul
Jane Dunaway
Tom Dunton
Delia Duson
Linda and Alan Englander
Debbie and Jerry Epstein
Marcia and Don Flaks
Karen and Jim Frank/J.S. Frank Foundation
Barbara and Gary Goldstein
Christine Grad, M.D.
Dean Greenberg
Greg Greenberg and family
Russell H. Greenberg
Adam Gressa
Joan and Rodger Gurrentz
Toddi Gutner and Neil Block
Leelee and Bill Harriman
Phyllis S. Hojel
William Jentes
Abigail and George Kampmann
Barbara Bluhm-Kaul and Donald Kaul
Sally and Jim Klingbeil
The Dana Foundation - Ann* and Tom Korologos
Mary Jo and Dick Kovacevich
Joan Lebach
Nancy and Bart Levin/AM Gas
Edward C. and Linda Dresner Levy Foundation
Judy and Sam Linhart
Patty and Dr. Robert Mack
Joe McGuire
Bette and Donne Moen
Laura Taylor and David A. Mulkey, MD
Janet Rae Naster Memorial Fund
Linda Nathanson
Kathy and John Orton
Doren Pinnell
Cyrena and Lee Pondrom
Natasha and Douglas Riboud
Myra and Robert Rich
Helen and Marc Rubenstein
Clare and Marius Sanger
Lorraine and Mark Schapiro
June and Paul Schorr lll
Susie and Barry Schub
Laura Blocker and Mark Seal
Beatrix and Michael Seidenberg
Karen Setterfield and David Muckenhirn
Patsy and John Shields
Robert Skolnick
Rogeria Mulrine and Neil Smith
Alana R. Spiwak and Sam Stolbun
Nancy Stevens
Billy Stolz
Andrea and Lubert Stryer
Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
Rivka and Seth Weisberg
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
Aspen Skiing Company
Aspen Self Storage Warehouses
European Caterers, Ltd.
Fred & Elli Iselin Foundation
Frias Properties of Aspen, Chuck Frias & Tim Clark
Golub Family Foundation
Harriman Construction, Inc.
Osmia Skin Care
Sashae Floral Arts & Gifts
The St. Regis Aspen Resort
The Berti Foundation
The Farmer & Chef
The Little Nell
$2,000 TO $3,999
INDIVIDUALS
Anonymous
Tracy and Dennis Albers
Becky Ayres
Baer Family Foundation
Connie and Buddy Bates
Lynda and Carty Beal
Chuck Bellock and Madeleine
Morrison
Kate Bermingham
Frances F. Blum and Jon Blum
Henry Lambert - Carey Bond
Elizabeth Buccheri
Bucy Family Fund -
Suzanne D. and M. Peyton* Bucy
Christine Karnes
Cornelia Corbett
Mary Gittings Cronin
Veronica and Mike Curran
Linda and Ben Davis
Elaine and Claiborne Deming
Holly and David Dreman
Diane and Wayne Ducote
Mr. and Mrs. John H. Duncan, Jr.
Loyal Durand
Alan Eisenman
Marja Engler
Clara y Mauricio Fabre
Pam Finkelman
David Gitlitz
Jean Golden
Margot and Dick Hampleman
Bunny and John Harrison
Susan Helm
Alexander Henkin
Linda and Steven Hill
Debbie and Richard Jelinek
Sandy and Dick Jones
Laura and Michael Kaplan
REMEMBERING CLARENCE A. “CLANCY JOE” HERBST
Hurst Chair’s Circle member and longtime AMFS supporter
MAY 16, 1928–JUNE 21, 2023
Clancy Joe Herbst was a man of many identities—swimmer, chemical engineer, proud CU Boulder alumnus, businessman, Korean War veteran, investor, opera lover, world traveler, historian, philanthropist, mentor, mountain biker, and devoted family man. Born near Chicago in 1928 and raised during the Depression and World War II, he put his energy, enthusiasm, and education to work for people and organizations he believed in. A look at the institutions that he and his wife Linda, an AMFS Board member, supported—the Aspen Music Festival and School among them—shows an undying sense of wonder and curiosity that drove his belief in education. His philanthropic gifts were never about just an institution or a team, but also the people who benefitted from them. He made his mark by making it possible for others to share the joy and wonder he felt while exploring and celebrating the world around him.
REMEMBERING ANN MCLAUGHLIN KOROLOGOS
Longtime National Council member and generous donor
NOVEMBER 16, 1941–JANUARY 31, 2023
To see her enjoying music in the Tent, or watching her beloved husband Tom conduct on the Fourth of July, or working in her eponymous, nationally known gallery of contemporary Western art in Basalt, one might never guess that National Council member and longtime supporter Ann Korologos was once a member of President Ronald Reagan’s cabinet. However, close observation of her unwavering support and encouragement for organizations in the Roaring Fork Valley offered hints of her past life as what The Washington Post described as “a glass ceiling breaker.” Her early career in public and alumni relations led her to increasingly national political campaign work, and eventually, to important roles serving three presidents, including secretary of labor from 1987 to 1989, and head of the President’s Commission on Aviation Security. After leaving Washington, Korologos broke ground in leadership roles on corporate boards, including Microsoft’s. She became the first woman to chair the Aspen Institute’s and also led the Anderson Ranch Arts Center’s board. In retirement she turned to her love for the arts, the West, and the mountains, building the collection in her own gallery while all the time advocating for and supporting other arts organizations in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Ann and Stephen Kaufman
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Keefe
Dr. Gail Mizner and Michael Kendrick
JoAnn and Bernard Kruger
Mollie L. and Garland M. Lasater, Jr.
Charit. Fund
Elaine LeBuhn
Bruce Landon Lee
EJL98 Charitable Trust, on behalf of Edward Lenkin and Roselin Atzwanger
Nancy Levitt Davis
Bertel M. Lewis
Perry J. Lewis
Kristen and Matthew Loden
Kristin and Chuck Lohmiller
Mr. and Mrs. H. Montgomery Loud
Tita and Dan McCarty
Anne McGrath
Katherine and Steve Meier
Gail and Alec Merriam
Bettie McGowin Miller
Paula and Herbert R. Molner
Caroline and John Moore
Navias Family Foundation
Donald and Judy Norris
Cynnie and Tom Ogden
Carol Pasternak
Hensley and James Peterson
Leslie and Harold Porosoff
Valerie Richter
Gail and Ron Rubenstein
Linda J. Sandell
Dr. Richard and Jo Sanders
Kim and Darryl Schall
Enika and Richard Schulze
Gail Scott and Thomas Quinlan
Harriet Landau and Nathan Segall
Madeline and Michael Silverman
The Simms/Mann Family Foundation, Victoria and Ronald Simms
Mr. and Mrs. Heinz K. Simon
Tina and Albert Small, Jr.
Robin and Larry Statsky
Sandy and Stephen Stay
Susan Campbell and William Stutts
Tina Taylor Little
Zana Timroth
Patti and Jay Webster
Lynn Asbury and John Wronosky
Michael Zeff
ZG-Chicks Advised Fund at Aspen
Community Foundation
Barbara and John Zrno*
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
Aspen Bartending Company
Aspen Thrift Shop
Aspen Valley Hospital
Cornerstone Estate Management
El Pomar Foundation
Francesca’s Pasta Market & Empanadas
Garfield & Hecht, P.C. Attorneys at Law
Harrington Smith Floral
Les Dames d’Aspen
Local Spirits
Mountain West Insurance & Financial Services, LLC
Sigma Alpha Iota
Sundae Ice Cream
The Amphion Foundation
Western States Arts Federation
Woody Creek Distillers
$800 TO 1,999
INDIVIDUALS
Nancy and Paul Adams
Carol and Ken Adelman
James Aresty and Sallie Golden
Holly and Albert Baril
Susan and Steven Beebe
Michael Behrendt and St. Moritz Lodge
REMEMBERING
BETTY SCHERMER
AMFS Trustee from 1996 to 2002 and 2003 to 2009; Life Trustee since 2009
MAY 1, 1929–DECEMBER 5, 2023
Born in Kewanee, Illinois, and educated at the University of Illinois’s College of Journalists, Betty Schermer began her career as a reporter for the Daily Times in Davenport, Iowa. In the early days of her career and later, raising her family in Missoula, Montana, and Iowa’s Quad Cities, those essential early experiences led her to recognize the importance of being engaged in one’s community. Over the years, she served on the boards of the Missoula Symphony Association and the local YMCA; and in Iowa, on the St. Luke’s Hospital board of directors and the St. Luke’s Medical Foundation, as well as the Davenport Food Bank, where she and her family served Thanksgiving dinners. When Betty and her husband Lloyd became a part of the Aspen community, she expressed her love of music through service on the AMFS Board of Trustees, leading its Development Committee as chair from 2003 to 2009. In recognition of her service, the Betty A. Schermer Percussion Building was named in her honor, and she became one of the Festival’s beloved Life Trustees.
REMEMBERING MARIANNE “MIMI” COUCH TESCHNER
AMFS director of development from 1996 to 2009; member of the Gordon and Lillian Hardy Planned Giving Society
AUGUST 1, 1942–FEBRUARY 9, 2023
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Marianne “Mimi” Couch Teschner found her place in the mountains surrounding Aspen. A natural athlete, linguist and grammarian, gifted pianist, and classical music lover, the town gave her a place to celebrate the things she loved. A graduate of Sweet Briar College and the University of Geneva, Switzerland, she worked in New York City as assistant to the editorin-chief of Harper’s Bazaar before moving to Aspen in 1969. She embarked first on a 22-year career with Aspen Skiing Company. Then, in 1996, AMFS president and CEO Robert Harth, a longtime friend, asked her to join the Music Festival as its Director of Development. She worked at the Music Festival until her retirement in 2009, helping to support the institution in the crucial years leading up to the construction of the Benedict Music Tent and the planning of the Bucksbaum Campus. Always committed to giving back to the community she loved, she was a committed supporter of other many other nonprofit organizations in the community, including Aspen Animal Shelter, the Buddy Program, Shining Stars, Aspen Hall of Fame, and Aspen Historical Society. As one of them, the AMFS was extraordinarily fortunate to have her as a friend and advocate.
Allison Bellows
Daniel Benavent
The Community FoundationMortimer and Josephine Cohen Fund
Linda Binder
Judy and Tom Biondini
Dorothy R. Fait and David G. Borenstein
Eugene Brand
Marian H. Brown
Kate Bulkley, in memory of Kit Bryan Bulkley
Bunny and Charles Burson
Shirley Chann, in memory of Earl Kai Chann
Jennifer Chun
Dr. Janet Claman
The Crum Family
Lynda and Jack Daubert
Patrick Davila
Sandra Davis
Victoria Adams and James E. DuBose
Caroline W. Duell
Leatrice and Melvin Eagle
Melissa Eisenstat
Adrian and Joe Erman
Nicholas Ferrara
Sistie Fischer
Steven Fishman
Kit and Mark Fordham
Carla D’Arista
Alice Francis
Ricki and Peter Fuchs
Carolyn and Ron Galfione
Jillian Gibbs
Dr. Patty Gerstenblith and Rabbi Samuel N. Gordon
Jeff Grinspoon and Jon Foley
Paula and David Harris
Mary Kathryn Hartigan
Katherine Heller and Rolf Lygren
Amanda and Bret Hirsh
Sharon and John Hoffman
Dale and Stephen Hoffman
Mary Lee and Ronald Hull
Barbara Reid and David Hyman
Sandy and Charles Israel
Tae Terumoto and Bernard Josefsberg
Cynthia Knight
Philae Knight
Susan P. Kopperman
Jessica Rothstein and Kurt Lageschulte
Laura and Gary Lauder
Nancy R. Levi
Margaret and Daniel Loeb, Third Point Foundation
Mathilde L. and Parker A. Maddux
Evi and Evan Makovsky
Haley and Ramsey March
Margaret and Larry Marsland
Carol Murphy and Michael Miller
Lydia Morrongiello
Dr. Mark Neustrom
The JN Trust
Drs. Lorrie and John Odom
Lisa and John Overbey
James Paloucek
Becky and Mike Paniwozik
Jan and Jim Patterson
Dr. David S. Pearlman
Bryna Ram and Daniel Perlman
Essie Perlmutter
Fran and Frank Porter, Jr.
Karen Herrling and Dan Porterfield
Susan D. Proctor
Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Pugh
Bertram Risch
Anita Roger-Fields
Noyes W. Rogers
EZR Spirit of Giving and Marvin Rosenberg
Linda Sandrich
Sally Saunders
Margaret Scheyer and Eric Scheyer
Drs. Mary Schmidt and Russell Libby
Linda and Robert Schmier
Kitty P. Sherwin
Susan Sherwin, in memory of Marty Sherwin
Phyllis and Nathan Shmalo
Dr. Pamela Shockley-Zalabak
Fund of Pikes Peak Community Foundation
Ann Siochi
Bill Stirling and Barbara Bussell
Austine Stitt
Steve Stunda
Barb and Bob Sypult
Matthew Tenzin
Rosemarie and David Thurston
Patsy Tisch
MaryAnn Tittle
Anne Tobey
Mi Hyon and Joaquin Valdepeñas
Dr. Margaret Waisman
Laura Werlin
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
Anonymous
AMM Charitable Fund
ANN Family Foundation
AspenOUT
Bethel Party Rentals, Inc.
D’Angelico Guitars
Everybody Water
FCI Constructors, Inc.
JVAM (Johnston | Van Arsdale | Martin)
Lungarotti Winery
McMahan and Associates, LLC
National Federation of Music Clubs
Piranesi
Suerte Tequila
$400 TO $799 INDIVIDUALS
Marsha and Bill Adler
Tania Babic Maloney
Katie and Connor Bailey
Carole and Arnold Bailis
Susan and Steve Baird
Kathy and Carter Barger
Meredith Bell
Janet and Robert Blaich
The Riddell Family
Sandra M. Moses and Harvey S. Bodker
Bill Bone
Greg Borchert
Stuart Brafman
Dr. and Mrs. Daniel M. Brener
Galen Bright and Lucy Tremols
K. Dane and Carter S. Brooksher
Thomas Buesch
Carol and David Clemons
Sheila M. Cleworth
NancyBell Coe and William Burke
Peter Cohn
Toby Ann and Carl Cronin
Amory Cummings
Lucy and Tom Danis
Drs. Nancy Thomas and Roger Davis
James R. Davis
Marcia and Warren Deck
Elena Madrigal Hall and Rhett Michael Del Campo
Jeannette Guarner and Carlos Del Rio
Lynne & Jimmy DeWitt Family Fund
Mary and Sven Dominick-Coomer
Elaine Douvas and Robert Sirinek
Maria and Paul Dragoumis
Nancy S. Dunlap
Nancy and Mike Estrada
Lori and Roy Fabry
Carol and Jim Farnsworth
Mynan and Sam Feldman
Jonathan Fitch, in loving memory of Lucie Fitch
Edmund Frank and Eustacia Su
Cynthia Friedman
Katy and Adam Frisch
Alan G. Gass
Michael Gengler
Susan Gessner
Christopher Goessling
Bobbi Goldblatt
Annie and Jim Goodman
Flossie and Evan Gull
Anna and Jonathan Haas
Jane and Joe Hanauer
Mary Ann and Jim Harris
Kate Haugen and Carlton* Hunke
Linda and Thomas Headlee
Connie Heard and Edgar Meyer
Sally Greer and David Heil
Kristen Henry
Casady M. Henry
Lynne Ramsey and Jeffrey Irvine
Virginia Irwin, in memory of Richard D. Irwin
Cathy and Dr. Joseph Jankovic
Sandy and Peter Johnson
Drs. Ann and Doug Jones
Ralph Jones
Maury and Gerry Kaplan
Lisa See and Richard Kendall
Sun Min Kim
Edith King
Sally and Bill Kling
Christa Kohler
Katharine C. Kurtz, in memory of James B. Kurtz
Tracy and Glen Larner
Geoffrey Lee and Lee Philpott
Sam Lee
Colleen and Bill McAleer
Deb and Bill McCanne
Mrs. Harriet Mehl
Shelah and Marc Moller
George Newell
Jane and Carroll Novicki
Jennifer Oakes, in honor of John Oakes
Deb and Keith Oates
Glenda and Doug Otten
Lynda Palevsky
Janet Peargin and Trudy Milcan
Carol and Brooke Peterson
Joanne Pittard
Andy Prodanovic
Faith and David Rachofsky
Ann and Gene Reiling
Patti Richards
Ellen Roeser
Diana Rumsey
Mark Salkind
Jan and John Sarpa
Patricia Schneider
B.J. and R.B. Sewell
Alicia and Alan Sirkin
JoAnn Skillett
Agi Smith
Ziao Lan Zhang and Christopher Sommer
Lucia Swanson and Ted Levine
John Czuwak, John Beldon Scott, Paul Streveler, Katherine H. Tachau
Matthew Trinidad
Ruth and Bob Wade
Betty and Howard Wallach
Angi Wang
Hanna M. Warren
Mindy Wexler and Ken Small
Victoria Clyne and Brian Windle
Peggy Wise
Wyatt-Stone Family
Karen and Shelby Wyll
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Zeff
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
AMFS Artist-Faculty Fund
The Aspen Community Foundation
Evoke Women
Gay for Good
Homestead Circus Productions
Johnson Foundation of the Rockies
Stripped Mixers
Two Leaves and a Bud
Vos Family Fund
$200 TO $399
INDIVIDUALS
Anonymous
BJ and Michael Adams
Sarah C. Brett Smith and Stephen L. Adler
Robert C. Anderson
Karyn and Charles Andrade
Sylvia Balcom
Joan Balter
Betteanne and James Barash
Cathrine Blom and Gordon Baym
Barbara and Pedro Bermann
Dr. William J. Bertschy
Fran and Larry Blum
Michele Bodner
Margaret and Tommy Booras
Lori and Bob Brandon
Linda and Bob Brining
Wendy and Dale Brott
Franci Candlin
BJ and Jack Carter
Lynda and Ron Charfoos
Rika and David Charley
Sydney and Steven Cohen
Jane Peterson and Kenneth Cremer
Donald Crockett
Roseline Curran
E. Lee DeGolyer
Kara Horner and Spencer Denison
Mary C. Dolan
Jane Douglas in honor of Dr. Jack Aikin
Aubrey Epstein
Sylvia and George Falk
Ilene and Burt Follman
Alma Garrett
Katherina K. Grunfeld
Carol and Howard Hahn
Gail Hartley
Les Holst
Frank M. Humphrey
Carolyne T. Hyde
Tova Jacober
Phyllis and David Johnston
Dr. and Mrs. Phillip Kelton
Meg and Phil Kendall
Sylvia Blau and Rabbi Samuel Kenner
Roberta and Mel Klein
Dan Kloster
Judy Kravitz
Amy and Tom Kwei
J. Landis and Sharon Martin
Marilyn S. Latterman
Nancy Lazar
DeDe and Moses Lebovits
Kimberly Levin
Denison Levy
Jeffrey Li
ABOVE Wilkinson Scholar Douglas Nunes horn performs in the world premiere of John Luther Adams’s Crossing Open Ground with other members of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble.
Dori and Robert Libson
JuFang Liu
Pamela Robillard Mackey
Marlene Maddalone
Barbara and Larry Margolis
Julia Marshall*
Mark Mason
Bernardo Matte
Dennis McCarthy
Joelle McDonoughHenry Claessens
Joyce McGilvray
Dawn and Bob Medwid
Carol and Tom Meissner
Mary Mendenhall
John Menninger
Jeanette Darnauer and Rob Merritt
Suzanne and Taber Meyers
Beth and Josh Mondry
Mary and Roger Moyer
Musselman Family
The Nassan Family
Barbara Neal
Richard Y. Neiley, Jr.
Dr. Harold S. Nelson
Christine and Thomas Nerney
Susan and Thomas Netzer
Lucy and Gary Nichols
Dr. Neil and Carol Niren
Karin Offield
Kathleen Winkler and Timothy Pitts
Gloria Pryzant
Michael Rand
Frederic Rasio
Elissa Stein and Richard Replin
Aly and Milo Richer
Kathy and Mark Rick
LEFT Festival listeners, outside and inside the Tent.
Peter Rispoli
Mr. and Mrs. E.B. Robinson, Jr.
Carolyne Roehm and Simon Pinniger
David A. Roth
Mary Salton
Marilyn G. and Donald H. Schaffer
Michael Schler and Joan McClure
Susan and Sheldon Schneider
Judith J. Schramm
Susan Sheridan
Betty and Rob Shiels Fund of Communities Fdtn of TX, Inc.
Susan Werth and Bernie Silver
Nancy and Mark Silverman
Margaret and Mike Simmons
Martha and Tom Singleton
Eric Smith
Sandy Smith
Sally Sparhawk
Lorraine and Pat Spector
Frances Sullivan
Marilyn Susman
Kathy Hansen and Edward Sweeney
Harry Teague
Connie Beck and Frank Tilley
Linda and Dr. Denis Trupkin
Suzanne and Michael Vernon
Paul Vichot
Dr. Frank C. Marino Foundation, Inc.
Jennifer Causing and Peter Waanders
Barbara and Marvin Walker
R. T. Ward
Caryll Webner
Irene Weinrot
A friend
Judy and Don Wrigley
Courtney Wulfe
Soojung Yoon
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
Bravo! Vail Music Festival
Montanya Distillers
$100 TO $199
INDIVIDUALS
Anonymous
Philip Altfeld
June Hajjar and Jerome Andersen
Krista and Mike Andrews
Laurie Aronson
KD Ashbrook DVM
Donald Baldovin
Lorian and Chris Bartle
Elizabeth Bayliss
Ann and Byron Beasley
Jill Lerner and William Bintzer
Paul Bishop
Leslie Blanton
Nancy and Evan Boenning
Melissa Branch
Joseph Brazie
Margaretta Bruegger
Oni Butterfly
Gordon and Ron Butz
Paulette and Joseph Cantey
John R. Cohn Philanthropic Fund of the Dallas Jewish Comm.
Foundation
Gretchen Cooper
Tiberiu D. Corduban
Emily and Rick Corleto
Linda and Clay Crossland
Catherine Cussaguet
Bonnie and Mike Daniels
Sandy Simpson and Don Davidson
Sue and Richard de Campo
Diana and Mark Dubin
Susan and James Dubin
Mike, Chris, Tim Hanline and WHCC Family
Lucy and Dan Ellerhorst
Marsha and Sheldon Feldman
Nancy Fleischer
Patricia and Thomas Foels
Keree and Noel Frakes
Jean and Gregg Frankel
Debora and John Freed
Sara Garton
Barbara and Stephen Gilbert
Jennifer Gipson Kapp
David V. Gollon
Willi Colino Goodman and Barry Goodman
Christine and George Hakim
Marti and Jeff Hall
Jennifer Harris
Lisa Hawks
Mark Henriksen
Shirley Holst
Susan and Alan Houseman
The Hsieh Family
Diana Hunke
Sommer and Jon Hunke
Amy Rowe and Paul Jacob
George C. John
Jennie S. Karotkin
Kayden Kelly
Mrs. Soon Duck Kim and Mr. Kang Il Kim
Kathlyn Kingdon
Mary and Greg Kramp
Doris La Mar
Andrew Lan
Alan Lash
Carole and Gary Lazar
Jean and Richard Leety
Marsha Levin
Francine and Tag Liebel
Beverly and Bob Litsky
Sylvia Liwerant
Jennifer and Greg Long
Sue and Bill Mason
Fern and Mark Mazo
Estelle and William McArthur
Brenda and John McCaffrey
Charlotte and Michael Mclain
Martha Mecom
Trudy Ann Milcan
Don E. Miller
Nancy and Charles Mitchell
Kristin Oppenheim Mortenson
Anna Naeser
Anna and Jeffrey Norman
Sue and Paul Ofield
Ellen and Leary O’Gorman
Olender Family
Ann Spaeth and Raymond Ollett
Peggy and Paul Pace
Frank Pajerski
Frederick Peirce
Karen Peirson
Susan and Paul Penn
Terry Lee and Bill Perich
Nancy R. Peterson
Susan Plummer
Wanda Wray Putnam
Ewald Rainer
Suzann Resnick
Helen E. Richards
Thorn C. Roberts
Antonio Safa
Elyse Schostak
Marlene Schroeder
Donna and David Schwartz
James Scull
Swannee and Dr. David Sexton
Karlyn and Don Shapiro
Eve and Howard Shapiro
Jacqueline Shear
Carolyn and Dick Shohet
Three pianists who performed at the 2023 Season Benefit—(l–r) guest artist Michelle Cann, 25-year artist-faculty member Anton Nel, and student artist Harmony Zhu—represented the AMFS in a nutshell: seasoned performers and youthful talents making music together.
Jo Ann and Samuel Silverstein
Emi and Larry Slater
Sandra Smith
Donna and Andy Smith
Adrienne Smith
Elsa and Stephen Solender
Andrew Spitteler
Pat Spitzmiller
John Starr
Barbara Sterling
Diane and Stephen Stewart
Dr. and Mrs. Barry S. Strauch
Rebecca, Patrick, and Benjamin Sunde
Karen M. Tafejian
Hanne and George Thatcher
Mariann and Richard Thompson
Dorothea D. Thomson
Josefina P. Tuason
Jan and Rein van West
John Vogt
Margaret F. Walker
Linda Watchmaker
Mr. and Mrs. Somerset R. Waters
Tom Watling
Allyson and Walter Weathers
Pamela Willingham
Libby Wilson
Melinda and John Wright
Ruth Wright
David Ziring
BUSINESSES/FOUNDATIONS/ GOVERNMENT
Leaf People
* Denotes deceased supporter
‡ Denotes Education and Community Programs supporter
FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
The Aspen Music Festival and School’s successful 2023 season delivered spectacular performances, mentoring of an exceptional class of young artists, and an increase in total revenues of 7.2%.
TICKET SALES
Ticket sales in 2023 increased by 11.2% reflecting significant sales at a number of highly popular special events. Those included a recital with soprano Renée Fleming, an evening featuring Star Wars and other film music of John Williams, and a Farewell Concert by the Emerson String Quartet.
DEVELOPMENT
The AMFS raised $8.8 million for the operating fund in 2023. These contributions, which included Annual Fund gifts, benefit income, and grants, funded both general operations and special projects. In addition to continued generosity from the Board of Trustees, the AMFS received significant funding for special projects including for the world-renowned Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS program, and a grant from the IRS’s Employee Retention Credit Program.
INVESTMENT INCOME
The AMFS’s operating draw from the endowment was equal to 5% of the previous 36 months’ average balance. This was in line with historical practices and yielded $3.7 million. Improving investment market conditions contributed to an increase of the endowment fund to $81.5 million as of September 30, net of the 5% draw.
EXPENSES
In 2023, the AMFS remained at historical levels for most program expenses, with moderate increases in compensation reflecting inflationary pressures. We are proud to have increased our student assistance to a new high of $3.5 million. Inflation in local housing costs for our staff, artistfaculty, and guest artists continues to be a source of concern.
OPPOSITE The Music Tent at night.
ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL AND SCHOOL Statement of Revenue and Expenses
As of September 30, 2023
REVENUE
OPPOSITE The Emerson String Quartet acknowledges a full house after its farewell performance in Harris Concert Hall.
BACK COVER Violin students onstage at the Music Tent.
