Aspen Music Festival and School Newsletter - July 1, 2009

The Remarkable Yuja Wang Performs Thursday

In seven short years, Yuja Wang has transformed from a 16-year-old AMFS piano student to an international phenomenon. This Thursday at 8 pm in Harris Concert Hall, Yuja performs a solo recital program ranging from the elegant Baroque of Scarlatti to the poetry of Chopin.

As a student in 2002, she won the AMFS concerto competition and performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with Maestro David Zinman, who in 2003 invited the remarkable young pianist to play the concerto with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, which he also leads.

Don't miss this rising star! To purchase tickets call 970-925-9042; visit the Wheeler Opera House and Harris Concert Hall box offices; or click below.

For tickets, click here.

Vocal Acrobatics at Friday's ACS Concert

Soprano and Aspen alumna Cyndia Sieden has gained accolades worldwide for hitting impossibly high notes and for possessing a vocal range that leaves audiences astounded. Cyndia makes her Aspen debut performing the Queen of the Night's aria from Mozart's The Magic Flute this Friday under the baton of Nicholas McGegan. The 6 pm concert in the Benedict Music Tent also includes Haydn's Symphony No. 100, "Military," as well as Mozart's Sinfonia concertante featuring violinist Edward Dusinberre and violist Geraldine Walther, both from the reknowned Takács Quartet.

To purchase tickets call 970-925-9042; visit the Wheeler Opera House and Harris Concert Hall box offices; or click below.

For information and tickets, click here.

SummerFILMS Begins with "Every Little Step"

AMFS and Aspen Film are pleased to once again join forces to present the eleventh annual summerFILMS, a series featuring highly regarded documentaries, foreign films, and new releases weekly through August 16. All movies screen at Paepcke Auditorium at 8 pm and doors open at 7:30 pm. Tickets for the series go on sale through Aspen Show Tickets at the Wheeler Opera House. Single tickets are $12 and are also available at the door.

The summerFILMS series includes: Every Little Step: (July 5 and 6) One of the longest running shows in Broadway history, A Chorus Line closed after 15 years, winning every award in the industry and earning more than $300 million in North America, as well as the hearts of millions of fans worldwide. Flash forward to 2006 when the revival touched off a firestorm of intrigue once again. Directors James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo delve into the lives of dancers and singers auditioning for that one elusive chance at Broadway fame.

Brudo Y Cursi: (July 12 and 13) Oscar-nominated screenwriter Carlos Cuarón (Y tu mamá también) debuts as a director with this entertaining rags-to-riches fable about family, soccer, and fame. Already one of Mexico's all-time box-office hits, Cuarón's comic showpiece reunites two of that country's hottest young talents, Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal (Y tu mamá también) as rival brothers with out-sized dreams.

Afghan Star: (July 19) Earning Directing and Audience Awards for International Documentary at Sundance Film Festival, Afghan Star literally unveils the face of hope amidst war and struggle. The first of its kind in a part of the world where even small freedoms are taboo, this American Idol-like television phenomenon gives a voice to those unheard. To trade guns for microphones and burkas for high notes is to believe in the power of music as a political and cultural truce-maker. Director Havana Marking immerses us in the seldom-seen vibrancy of a place known only for the opposite.

Departures: (August 2 and 3) This sophisticated and elegant drama, with touches of heartwarming humor, travels through the majestic landscapes of Japan and into the heart of Daigo, a newly unemployed cellist, as he finds the silver lining in an unusual career change. Initially reluctant to accept his new job as an encoffineer, his wife begins to embrace the idea as she witnesses her husband's personal transformation. Having recently lost his father, Daigo struggles with his new tasks as they hit close to home, but fulfillment replaces grief as he sees the beauty of performing this new art.

Summer Hours: (August 9 and 10) The much-acclaimed, effortlessly elegiac new film from veteran French director Olivier Assayas (Irma Vep) begins with a pleasant family gathering celebrating the 75th birthday of matriarch Hélène at her lovingly-preserved country estate outside Paris. The utterly French joie de vivre of a sublime summer afternoon infuses the rest of the film, when, months later, Hélène's far-flung children gather to decide the fate of their family home, its heirloom contents and equally-treasured memories. As Adrienne (Juliette Binoche), and her brothers puzzle over how they relate to their family's past and the things they have inherited, they re-invent their relationships with each other.

Herb Dorthy: (August 16) The Vogels are an endearing couple, who redefine what it means to be an art collector. Swimming upstream in an art world saturated with wealth and fame, over forty years Herb and Dorothy built their impressive collection on the modest salaries of a postal clerk and a librarian. Staying true to themselves and to their eye, they chose each piece for one simple reason: they liked the way it looked. With a keen, early instinct for an artist's potential, their collection of over 4,000 pieces is now valued in the millions - and it all fit in their one-bedroom apartment.

Visit www.aspenfilm.org for the complete summerFILMS 2009 program and schedule. For more information call Aspen Film at 970-925-6882. Single tickets can be bought at Paepcke Auditorium before each screening or at www.aspenshowtickets.com.

Click here for more information.

2-for-1 Offer

Treat a friend to today's Aspen Concert Orchestra performance at 6 pm in the Benedict Music Tent.

Christopher Seaman conducts the ensemble and guest artist Stefani Collins on violin. The program includes Dohnányi's Violin Concerto No. 2 in C minor, op. 43 and Elgar's Symphony No. 1 in A-flat major, op.55.

Please click below and enter the promotion code emailnews09 at checkout to receive your discount.

Click here for your email discount offer.

Free Wine on Fridays with Clos Du Val

As the Festival's official wine, Clos Du Val is generously hosting "Free Wine Fridays" again this summer.

Toast the end of the week with a complimentary glass of award-winning Clos Du Val wine before each 6 pm Friday orchestral program. Present your concert ticket to receive your white or red wine option from 5 to 5:45 pm.

Many thanks to Clos Du Val for making this possible.

Click here for chamber music information.

Grace Notes

The following American Academy of Conducting at Aspen alumni have shared with us these career updates:

Kazem Abdullah (2001) made his Metropolitan Opera conducting debut with Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. Kevin Edusei (2004) won first prize in the Dmitri Mitropoulos International Competition in Athens. Joshua Kangming Tan (2008) was awarded second prize. James Feddeck (2006-08, and 2009 assistant conductor) was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra for the 2009-10 season. James Gaffigan (2000-02) San Francisco Symphony Associate Conductor was one of two winners of the Helen M. Thompson Award, presented by the League of American Orchestras in alternate years to recognize an emergent, young music director. Simon Gaudenz (2005) won the prestigious German Conductor Prize, the 2009 Deutscher Dirigentenpreis. Tomasz Golka (2002) was appointed music director and conductor of the Pennsylvania's Williamsport Symphony Orchestra. Carlos Izcaray (2007, 2008) of Venezuela was selected as one of the four winners out of 150 young conductors at the Arturo Toscanini International Conductor Competition in Italy. Ulrich Kern (2007) made his professional U.S. debut conducting the Spokane Symphony Orchestra at the Martin Worldson Theatre in Washington. Shizuo Kuwahara (2000) won first place in the 2008 Sir Georg Solti International Conductors' Competition. The Augusta Symphony in Georgia announced the appointment of Mr. Kuwahara as its new Music Director, effective July 1, 2009. Benjamin Levy (1999, 2000, 2002, 2007) was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Radio Chamber Philharmonic in Hilversum, Amsterdam. Octavio Más-Arocas (2008, winner of the 2009 Robert J. Harth Conductor Prize) was named music director and conductor of Michigan's Interlochen Arts Academy Symphony Orchestra. Gerard Schwarz, Seattle Symphony's music director since 1985, is this year's recipient of the 2009 Seattle-King County First Citizen Award for being an exemplary music director, conductor, visionary leader, collaborator, and educator. Scott Terrell (2000) was appointed music director of the Lexington Philharmonic. Danail Rachev (2002) was named assistant conductor of the Eugene Symphony in Oregon. Daniel Alfred Wachs (2004) was appointed music director and conductor of the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra, and as director of instrumental studies/music director of university orchestras at the newly designated Chapman University Conservatory of Music.