What's New

News from Aspen for the Summer/Fall 2019 Season  

ART AND CULTURE NEWS

• Bauhaus100: Aspen (April – Aug. 2019) 2019 is the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus, and to celebrate the history of the Bauhaus in Aspen, there is a nine-month schedule of activities orchestrated by various organizations for Bauhaus 100: Aspen. There are events with Aspen Institute to Anderson Ranch Arts Center to the Aspen Historical Society, Aspen Art Museum, and many others. Bauhaus 100: Aspen will also include events during the 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival, an Aspen Institute symposium from Aug. 6 – 9, regular tours of the Aspen Institute Herbert Bayer collection, art exhibitions and more. Bauhaus artist Herbert Bayer designed the Aspen Institute’s campus which includes Bayer sculpture’s, landworks, tapestries, paintings, photography and more. In addition, other Bauhaus designers impacted modern Aspen.
• NEW EXHIBIT. “Herbert Bayer: Mountains and Convolutions, 1944 – 1953” opened on the Aspen Institute Campus in the Resnick Gallery in the Doerr-Hosier Building in June 2018. This exhibit features 28 of the artist’s most dynamic compositions and will stay in the Resnick Gallery through June 10, 2019.
• NEW EXHIBIT. As a part of Bauhaus 100: Aspen celebration, Aspen Historical Society presents “bayer and Bauhaus: how design shaped aspen.” This new exhibit delves into the profound influence of Herbert Bayer’s work on Aspen. The exhibit will live in the Wheeler Stallard Museum until March 2020.
• NEW. Following their 2019 summer season, Theatre Aspen will launch the organization’s inaugural one-person show festival, Solo Flights, in Sept. 2019. The week-long festival will be presented at multiple venues in Aspen, including Theatre Aspen’s Hurst Theatre, and include talkbacks as well as guest interview panels.
• Aspen Music Festival & School, regarded as one of the top classical music festivals in the United States, will celebrate its 70^th anniversary this summer, as well as a school with more than 600 classical music students from around the country and the world. The eight-week summer season includes more than 400 classical music events spanning eight weeks from late June to mid- August -  including concerts by orchestras, solo and chamber music performances, master classes, lectures, and children’s programming.
•  Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) is celebrating 50 years of educating environmental responsibility in the Roaring Fork Valley. In classrooms, on trails, at ski mountains, and at ACES’ sites, the staff bring to life the wonder of the natural world in and around Aspen. With four locations in the Roaring Fork Valley, ACES offers a wide variety of opportunities to learn about the environment year-round for children and adults of all ages.  The 50^th anniversary celebration includes special programming throughout the year with a special anniversary celebration event scheduled July 11, 2019.
• COMING SOON. The “JAS Center” is Jazz Aspen Snowmass’ new permanent home in the Aspen core for JAS Café performances, jazz education programming, and special events for private as well as not-for-profit and community users. Construction is tentatively projected for April 2019 with an opening planned in 2020.

LODGING NEWS

• NEW.  W Aspen and The Sky Residences at W Aspen is slated to open by July 2019. The new hotel and residences are being designed by Nemaworkshop in partnership with local firm Rowland + Broughton Architecture and W’s in-house design team, offering 88 guestrooms and 11 W-branded fractional residences. Conveniently located at the base of Aspen Mountain, the development will also feature a 12,000 sq. ft. rooftop bar and pool, which will be open to the public with expansive views of Aspen Mountain. 

FOOD & WINE NEWS

• OPENING JUNE 2019. Almresi Aspen is a new European-alpine style restaurant slated to open for the summer season. (Dancing Bear Mountainside building)
• NEW. Scarlett’s recently opened in downtown Aspen serving brunch, lunch and dinner. The menu includes options such as avocado toast, quinoa and poke bowls, burgers and more. The new restaurant’s outdoor patio boasts great views of Aspen Mountain and is enclosed with plants for a “living wall” concept. (515 E. Hopkins Ave.)
• NEW. The co-owners of the restaurant Bonito in St. Barth opened a new restaurant called Betula in downtown Aspen over the winter season. The restaurant blends French and Pan American cuisine. (525 E. Cooper Ave.)
• NEW. Hao House: Far East Street Food is located in the Bodega space on the Mill Street pedestrian this winter as a pop-up restaurant. The new concept from chefs David Wang and Kiyong Kim includes a menu with a rotating set of shareable items inspired by Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. The restaurant is open during après hours and dinner. (307 S. Mill St.)

2019 SUMMER CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

Aspen boosts an array of events and festivals all summer long with musical performances around town, culinary and art festivals, sporting events and more. Following are some highlights of Aspen’s summer 2019:

Theatre Aspen, June- Sept. 2019

• Theatre Aspen has received national acclaim and performs a rotating schedule of productions for both adults and families. The summer stock theater performs under a tent in Rio Grande Park. The Tony Award-winning musical Guys and Dolls will kick off the summer production slate, directed by Tony Award nominee Hunter Foster. Additionally, Carbonell Award winner Mark Martino returns for a remarkable eleventh time to direct a newly reimagined production of Little Shop of Horrors. Theatre Aspen’s Summer Conservatory will also present  on the mainstage a student production of The Wizard of Oz.

Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, June 14-16

• The nation’s premier culinary event returns to Aspen with world-renowned celebrity chefs and wine experts. The three-day weekend includes tasting events, cooking classes, cooking demos, wine and interactive seminars, and the daily grand tastings.

Aspen Summer Words, June 12-21

• Aspen Summer Words welcomes visitors and locals alike to celebrate writing and writers in Aspen for a week in June. Various workshops will be held with renowned authors and teachers including Rumaan Alam, Meghan Daum, Nick Flynn, Susan Minot and other acclaimed authors.

Aspen Institute Aspen Ideas Festival June 20-29

• The 15^th annual Aspen Ideas Festival is divided into three sessions over ten days. Aspen Ideas Health is the opening session from June 20-23, followed by festival 1 June 23-June 26 and festival 2 June 26-June 29. The goal of Aspen Ideas Festival, which brings more than 200 experts to town each season,  is to highlight topics that share modern lives and challenge our times, with a series of tracks at each session, with topics such as Hope Made Visible/Innovation by Design,  Mental Health – Out of the Shadows, and the New World Order.

Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Festival June 20- 23

• The Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Festival recently announced changes to the 2019 format. The JAS June Festival will focus on programming multiple smaller venues and a greater variety of artists and genres across four days. The venues will host staggered performances that allow attendees the opportunity to hear multiple artists in a single day/night/weekend. Artists for the festival have yet to be confirmed.

Aspen Music Festival & School, June 27-Aug. 18

• Aspen Music Festival and School, regarded as one of the top classical music festivals in the United States, will celebrate its 70^th anniversary this summer, as well as a school with more than 600 classical music students from around the country and the world. The eight-week summer season includes more than 400 classical music events spanning eight weeks from late June to mid- August -  including concerts by orchestras, solo and chamber music performances, master classes, lectures, and children’s programming. Aspen Music Festival and School’s 2019 season will explore the theme of “Being American,” (highlighting the role of immigration in classical music) with works by Gershwin, Ives, Wynton Marsalis and Copland, including Appalachian Spring; works by émigré composers; and settings of the poetry of Whitman, Melville, Dickinson, and Poe. Some of the renowned musicians who perform in Aspen include Renee Fleming, Joshua Bell, Edgar Meyer, Sarah Chang and many more.

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, July - Aug. 2019

• Aspen Santa Fe Ballet has become nationally recognized for its repertoire of contemporary-meets-classical choreography. The 2019 summer season includes Beautiful Decay by choreographer Nicolo Fonte. The piece explores the idea of aging and the perception of the physical self as the body erodes over time and features two guest artists who are both advanced in years.  The company performs in Aspen, in Santa Fe, and on national and international tours.

Power of Four Trail 50K, 22K & Vertical K Race, July 13

• The Power of Four Trail Race Series offers three different races in Aspen Snowmass including the 50K race, 22K race and the event’s signature race, the challenging 50K Ultra that covers the four Aspen Snowmass mountains.

South Pacific: In Concert, July 22

• A collaboration between Theatre Aspen and the Aspen Music Festival, South Pacific will include celebrated Broadway talents take the Tent stage for this iconic American classic, set on an island paradise during World War II. Uproarious, yet also tender, the show includes enduring songs such as "Some Enchanted Evening" and "There is Nothing Like a Dame." Performed with a full orchestra. 

Power of Four Mountain Bike Race, Aug. 17

• This unique mountain bike race combines single and double track trails across the four ski areas of Aspen Snowmass into one challenging course.

Country Music: A Special Event Evening with Ken Burns and Edgar Meyer, Aug. 20

• Join Ken Burns, who has produced and directed some of the most critically acclaimed and most watched documentaries in television history, for a special preview of his new project,Country Music. The evening includes clips from the series as well as commentary from Burns, bassist and composer Edgar Meyer, and AMFS President and CEO Alan Fletcher.

Motherlode Volleyball Classic Aug. 30- Sept. 1

• Nearly 700 teams from all over the country come to Aspen to compete in the annual Motherlode Volleyball Classic, one of North America’s largest and most popular beach volleyball events.

Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival Aug. 30- Sept. 1

• The Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival will take place in the Snowmass Town Park. Acts for this year’s festival include Sting, John Mayer, Luke Combs, Portugal. The Man, and more to be announced.

Grand Traverse Mountain Run & Bike, Aug. 31- Sept. 1

• The sixth annual Grand Traverse Mountain Run & Bike will take place on a fully supported trail from Crested Butte to Aspen, a 40-mile course. Participants may choose to do the race solo or as a team of two. The races will start in downtown Crested Butte on Elk Avenue and finish at the base of Aspen Mountain.

Aspen Filmfest Sept. 23-29

• Aspen Film’s 40^th annual FilmFest is a six-day-long festival with a focus on documentaries. Filmfest audiences are among the first in the country to see award-worthy and acclaimed independent films.

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