With its purpose-built pavilion, posh lawn
picnics, and totally free admission, the annual Sun Valley Symphony has
been one of the town’s biggest events for more than 30 seasons. Photo:
Sun Valley Resort
In an ongoing effort to become true year-round destinations, ski
resorts have increasingly embraced golf, mountain biking, hiking,
adventure sports and culinary events. But they are finding out that one
of the biggest appeals to travelers is the sound of music.
America’s top ski resorts, which tend to be full of luxury hotels,
great restaurants, shopping and outdoor activities, also offer an
incredible lineup of music, from classical to jazz, bluegrass, rock, and
contemporary. Many of these destinations are also “off season” bargains
in summer.
Sun Valley, ID: America’s very first destination ski
resort also has one of the most well-established musical events, the
Sun Valley Symphony, celebrating 31 seasons as the largest privately
funded, free-admission symphony in America. A summer tradition
(June-August), the symphony attracts locals and visitors alike who
picnic on the lawn with Champagne and extravagant hampers. There are
also 1,600-seats inside the beautiful purpose built pavilion. This
season’s highlight is Stravinsky’s “The Firebird,” reimagined in a grand
production using immense and elaborate puppets to bring the ballet to
life (August 1).
The Telluride Jazz Fest offers guests intimate performances with beautiful mountain backdrops. Photo: Visit Telluride
Telluride, CO: A major attractions since 1977, the
Telluride Jazz Festival (August 5-7) uses limited ticket sales to foster
an intimate format and gives visitors a chance to experience the beauty
of the open air Telluride Town Park music venue, with a soundtrack
provided by acclaimed artists, Grammy Award winners, innovators, and
some of the best student bands in the country. This year’s guest of
honor is John Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen. At night the
music moves into historic indoor music venues for late night “Jazz After
Dark” performances, offering up-close viewing of artists. On Sunday, a
New Orleans party kicks off with a second line brass band parade down
Main Street with colorful floats, costumes, beads and decorations.
The Aspen Music Festival and School has been drawing top talent and big crowds since 1949.
Aspen, CO: Founded in 1949, the Aspen Music Festival
and School is a premier classical music festival and summer educational
program, bringing together top music students, artist-faculty, and
performers to create transformative educational experiences. More than
600 talented young musicians travel from across the globe to study with
the world’s top music teachers, who represent nearly all the major U.S.
orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera,
the Chicago Lyric Opera, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The 2016
season offers nearly 300 musical events, including operas, orchestral
concerts, chamber music, recitals, and master classes. The main venue is
the 2,050-seat Benedict Music tent, which also offers additional lawn
seating. Highlights this summer include Renee Fleming performing with
the Aspen Festival Orchestra and a recital by Philip Setzer, David
Finckel and Wu Han (June-August).
Vail, CO: Vail has the biggest lineup of summer
music festivals and events, and many weeks you can go to a free concert
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Hot Summer Nights Free Concert
Series, held most Tuesdays, ranges from rock to country to bluegrass to
funk, at the
Gerald Ford
Amphitheater. On four Wednesdays in June and July is the Vail Summer
Bluegrass Series, featuring national-level, award-winning, high-energy
talent, performing at the Arrabelle at Vail Square in the Lionshead base
area. The 22nd Annual Vail Jazz Festival (June 26-September 5) is one
of Vail’s iconic summer events and includes 40 shows over 12 weeks,
concluding with the Labor Day Weekend Vail Jazz Party, when top jazz
musicians converge on the town for over 30 hours of live jazz. Shows are
throughout the village.
The beautiful Gerald Ford amphitheater stays
quite busy all summer long in Vail, CO, where four major music
festivals occur each summer. Photo: Jack Affleck
But Vail’s biggest attraction is Bravo!, a ticketed event. The
six-week Bravo! Vail Music Festival (July 1 – August 6) is in its 29th
year and attracts some of the highest quality classical musicians in the
world today. It claims to be the only festival in North America hosting
three of the world’s finest orchestras in a single season – each
summer, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the
New York Philharmonic take up residence in Vail, with programs of great
classics, plus jazz and pops. New this year, Bravo! begins a
three-performance residency with London’s internationally acclaimed
chamber orchestra Academy of St. Martin in the Field (June 23, 25 and
26). In addition, world-renowned chamber music artists perform a diverse
and eclectic series throughout the festival.
Every Sunday in summer, the Concerts on
Commons are held at the base of the Jackson Hole Mountain resort ski
area, where the iconic aerial tram offers scenic rides to the summit.
Photo: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Jackson, WY: Held on in Sundays in Teton Village,
Concert on the Commons is unusual among all of the festivals in that it
is the only one where food and drink are provided by the Four Seasons
Jackson, one of just four Forbes 5-Star ski-in/ski-out hotels in the
world, with beer, wine, specialty cocktails, and a plethora of food
options (Teton Village shops also offer food and drink to bring to the
concert). Teton Village is the resort base of the famed Jackson Hole ski
resort outside of Jackson proper, home to the area’s top hotels
including the Four Seasons, Teton Mountain Lodge and Terra, and the ski
resort runs scenic chairlift and tram rides all summer long. As the
gateway to both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Jackson is
the rare ski town that is actually busier in summer than winter, and
especially so this year, with the Centennial of the National Park
Service, of which Yellowstone was the first. Occupancy and prices for
hotel rooms will be at all-time highs, so it’s nice that Concert on the
Commons, a fun summer concert series held each Sunday, is free.
Olmsted, Larry. "Music Lover's Dream: Summer At Ski Resorts." Forbes. June 03, 2016. Accessed June 08, 2016.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2016/06/04/music-lovers-dream-summer-at-ski-resorts/#6ccbaa2a354c.
