MUSIC, THEATER, DANCE & MORE

The Aspen Music Festival and School is regarded as one of the top classical music festivals in the United States. The 8-week summer season is open to the public and includes more than 400 classical music events and concerts. Year-round homeowners in Aspen Glen with a valid Colorado driver’s license or I.D. can purchase a 10-event Locals Pass for $60. It’s good for deeply discounted or free admission to a variety of events all summer long.

Aspen Film events allow audiences to view highly anticipated films and short subjects as well as award-winning features from the international festival circuit along with panel discussions and special guests. Enjoy a the Filmfest in the fall and a Shortsfest in the spring with showings at venues in both Aspen and Carbondale. During the Christmas holidays Academy Award Screenings are held for films with Oscar nomination buzz.

Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) presents jazz and related forms of music through world-class events, performances and education. The Labor Day Experience, Snowmass Free Summer Concert Series and intimate JAS Café performances are crowd pleasers.

Thunder River Theatre Company in Carbondale creates professional and stimulating programming through live theatre, educational outreach, a Latino Theatre Initiative and the Theatre for Young People Conservatory.

Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House since the 1800s has been an opulent yet intimate venue for world class entertainment, community productions, films and more. There is a packed schedule 350 days a year.

The Sopris Theatre Company (formerly known as CMC Theatre) complements Colorado Mountain College theatre classes. Students join theatre professionals and community members in three major productions a year, spanning the spectrum from Shakespeare to Sondheim, Moliere to Miller. The New Space Theatre is located just off of the main lobby in the Calaway Academic Building at Spring Valley Campus, just minutes from Aspen Glen.

Free Summer Concert Series are held throughout the Roaring Fork Valley: Summer of Music and Music on the Mountain in Glenwood Springs, Redstone’s Concert Series, Basalt’s Music in the Park and Carbondale’s Summer Park Concert Series. Get more info by visiting community chamber of commerce web sites.

Theatre Aspen’s award-winning shows are presented in the heart of Rio Grande Park, along the Rio Grande Trail, just next to the river. Theatre-goers enjoy an experience that combines dynamic professional theatre with the excitement of being outdoors. Productions feature the best of Broadway talent and local performers offering musicals, plays, new work and family-friendly shows.

Considered the ultimate après-ski experience, Rolling Stone Magazine has called Belly Up Aspen “one of the best clubs in America.” Located at the base of Aspen Mountain, this 450-seat venue boasts a year-round calendar of more than 300 concerts a year. The likes of John Legend, Joe Walsh, Jimmy Buffet, Widespread Panic, The Chainsmokers, Seal, Snoop Dog, Jack White, B.B. King and Twenty One Pilots have performed here.

Veterans from Aspen’s esteemed Crystal Palace and other professional actors perform hilarious 2-hour family dinner theater shows in nearby Glenwood Springs. Topical humor, comedic presentations, song parodies and timely skits keep guests laughing, entertained and coming back for a new show each season. The Vaudeville also hosts film screenings, stand-up comedians and concerts. Food and beverages are available.

The Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW) envisions Willits (located just 15 minutes from Aspen Glen in El Jebel/Basalt) as a vibrant community connected by art and commerce. Having hosted several lectures, performances and events in a temporary location, the TACAW is now focused on building an 8,900-square foot building called the Contemporary, which will be a 21st-century performance space.