Aspen Music Festival & School

The Aspen Music Festival and School is the country's premier orchestral and operatic summer music festival, offering a combination of intensive one-on-one instruction and professional performance experience. Aspen offers 9 programs of study ranging from guitar to opera to serious students of any age.

Along with private instruction, many students rehearse and perform major orchestral repertoire side-by-side with their teachers and/or with principal players from major orchestras, including those of New York, Vienna, Los Angeles, St. Louis, San Francisco, Cleveland, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Orchestras perform weekly or accompany one of two professional operatic productions. Soloists and conductors vary by week and are among the world’s most revered classical musicians.

Students in all programs can attend more than 400 performances, master classes, lectures, and panels; and, as part of the AMFS community, they make connections that can last a lifetime.

Aspen is open to musicians of any age and at any stage of their career. However, the average age of an Aspen student is 23. The intensity of the professional performance schedule and the exacting standards of quality make Aspen most appropriate for the serious, dedicated musician.

The orchestral experience is only available to students ages 18 and up. Students under the age of 18 may participate in private lessons and chamber music. AMFS does not have housing for students under the age of 18.