A Note From
Alan Fletcher
|
|
If this summer could be summed up in one word, I believe it would be "gratitude." We at the AMFS deeply appreciate our students, artist-faculty, concert attendees, community members, volunteers, and of course, our generous donors. Whether this has been your first season or your sixth decade, your generosity has made a difference to us and to the lives of our 642 students this past season.
We presented several recognition events to celebrate your contributions this summer, including the
Where Dreams Begin Donor Recognition Wall Reveal and the AMFS Thanks YOU! event for members of our Planned Giving Society, long-time donors, and first-time contributors. Additionally, we celebrated the 100 donor families who helped us meet the $1 million matching grant from Joan Harris and the Irving Harris Foundation for the continued improvement of Harris Concert Hall and the continuation of the Winter Music Series.
We are especially grateful to those who have given donations this past year to recognize and celebrate our world-class artist-faculty. We have received several gifts to grow the Dorothy DeLay Fellowship, as well as gifts in support of other existing scholarships named for our prestigious artist-faculty. We thank you for recognizing our organization's contributions in the arena of classical music and for giving generously to endow the future of classical musicianship.
Alan Fletcher
President and CEO
|
 |
|
Congrats on
25 years with
the AMFS!
|
|
On July 23rd, we honored two of our esteemed strings artist-faculty, Victoria Chiang and Eric Kim, for their 25 years of service to the AMFS by adding their names to the plaque in the Benedict Music Tent. The AMFS is endlessly proud of our magnificent artist-faculty and grateful for their loyalty to the organization and its students!
|
|
Planned Giving tools available online!
|
To discuss ways to give to the AMFS, please contact Steve Haddad,
VP for Advancement, at [email protected]
or 970-205-5060.
|
225 Music School Road
Aspen, CO 81611
970-925-3254 administration
970-925-9042 box office
|
|
|
|
|
| Announcing the Robert J. Hurst Scholarship |
|
|
|
| Honoree and Board Chair Bob Hurst at the Feast of Music Season Benefit |
|
In honor of his outstanding achievements as Board Chair, we are proud to announce the creation of the Robert J. Hurst Scholarship to be awarded annually in perpetuity at the AMFS. At the 2017 Season Benefit: An Enchanted Feast of Music on August 7th, our astoundingly generous community of supporters pledged more than $220,000 to endow the scholarship in full in a single evening.
In addition to his substantial giving to the capital portion of the
Where Dreams Begin Campaign, Bob has been a proponent of increased opportunities for our students of merit to receive significant scholarship support in Aspen. This year, $2.75 million was awarded in financial aid, to benefit 69 percent of AMFS students. It is Bob's firm belief that no student of exemplar talent who is offered a summer in Aspen should have to decline because they cannot afford it.
If
you have questions about how you can support the AMFS through gifts to the endowment through student financial aid, please contact VP of Advancement Steve Haddad at
[email protected]
or 970-205-5060.
|
|
|
Celebrating Harris Concert Hall's Success
|
|
|
|
| Renée Fleming, Joan Harris, and Alan Fletcher |
|
On July 30th, in conjunction with the second Encore event of the season, hosted by Aspen Sojourner Magazine, the AMFS showed its great
appreciation to Joan Harris and the Irving Harris Foundation on the successful completion of
the $1 million matching grant to support, in perpetuity, the continued improvement of performance
quality and comfort in Harris Concert Hall and the Winter Concert Series. Artist-in-residence and opera star
Renée Fleming shared a
story of her first performance in the Hall, as well as her great respect for the Harris family. We give thanks to all supporters of the Harris Concert Hall 20th Anniversary Fund, especially the 100 donors who participated in the match as evidence of their devotion to the future of classical music education and performance.
Though the match is complete, you may still give in honor of Harris Hall's legacy. Gifts of any size are still celebrated and can be made online or by contacting Steve Haddad, VP of Advancement at 970-205-5060 or [email protected].
|
|
|
An Anecdote by Gil Shaham
|
|
This summer, we celebrated the 100th birthday of Dorothy DeLay, one of Aspen's most beloved teachers and a prime example of the AMFS's prestigious artist-faculty.
Guest-artist and AMFS alumnus Gil Shaham shared the story of his first with his long-time teacher, Miss DeLay.
I do remember the first time, coming into the church on Main Street and playing for Miss DeLay...I was about 9 years old - it was maybe 1980... We would drive by the church and see all these kids fiddling away away on the lawn. She would teach very late and often the lessons would run 5 or 6 hours late, and all these kids would be hanging around waiting!
I didn't really know who she was, but she wanted to hear me play the violin. And for a little kid, that was very intimidating! Still, she was very kind about it. I played Scherzo-Tarantelle by Wieniawski and she called me "Sweetie," which made me feel good. But then I found out she calls everyone "Sweetie!" She sat down on the piano and played the piece along with me - she was actually a wonderful pianist. She said, "We will see how it goes and maybe you can come back next year." And I did! And that's where the dream began.
The Dorothy DeLay Fellowship was created in 2002 in her memory by a small group of admirers. Today, the draw from the endowed fund does not provide enough to cover the expenses of the Fellowship. A gift of any amount to the Dorothy DeLay Fellowship, or to the
Where Dreams Begin
Campaign in the form of a full or partial scholarship supports the AMFS in perpetuity.
Give a gift today to honor Miss DeLay in this anniversary year, or to honor another beloved faculty member, by contacting Steve Haddad, VP of Advancement at 970-205-5060 or
[email protected].
|
|
Scholarship Funding Makes a Difference
|
|
|
|
|
People Give to People: A Video About Student Scholarships
|
|
The opportunity to learn from and often perform alongside our prestigious artist-faculty is the reason why the most qualified young musicians from around the world apply to attend a summer in Aspen, and the appeal of the substantial financial aid provided by the AMFS is what makes our organization a preeminent and renowned classical music mecca.
Please read the following thank you note, written by Walter Aldrich, a 22-year-old baritone in the Aspen Opera Center and a recent graduate in vocal performance at California State University, Sacramento:
I first learned of the Aspen Music Festival when I was a young child, and it has long been a dream of mine to attend...I am a self-supporting student, and paid my way through college by providing music for a local church. As you know, attending the Festival requires a significant investment: one that I could not make on my own. I am so grateful to you for this amazing support, that is allowing me to have this life-changing experience.
Additionally,
please watch this video of our donors s
haring their
motivation to give to young musicians through endowed scholarships and of students remarking on their time here at the AMFS thanks to generous support.
To discuss giving opportunities, please contact VP of Advancement Steve Haddad at [email protected] or 970-205-5060.
|
|
|
|
The Aspen Music Festival and School is thankful for all supporters of the
Where Dreams Begin
Campaign for the development of the Bucksbaum Campus, additional student scholarships, the expansion of artist-faculty support, and the ability to pursue transformative artistic experiences.
Special thanks to our recent supporters of the
Where Dreams Begin
Campaign:
Lisa and George Baker
Amy Margerum Berg and Gilchrist Berg
Deborah and Gabriel Brener
Berit and Per Brevig
Karen Brooks
Charles and Bunny Burson
Terri and Tony Caine
Steve and Nancy Crown
Bonnie and Ken Davis
Eleanore and Domenico De Sole
Antonia P. DuBrul
Tracy and Bubba Eggleston
Gail and Alfred Engelberg
Fullerton Family Charitable Fund
Arjun Gupta
Carolyn and Ken Hamlet
Hugh S. Hatcher
Jamie and Bush Helzberg
Soledad and Robert Hurst
Debbie and Richard Jelinek
Warren and Allison Kanders
Barbara Bluhm-Kaul and Donald Kaul
Laura and Gary Lauder
Aimee and Robert Lehrman
Mona Look-Mazza and Tony Mazza
Ryan McDonough
Robert and Camille McDuffie
Lisa and Will Mesdag
Denise Monteleone
Becky and Mike Murray
Fonda and Charles Paterson
Sarah Broughton and John Rowland
Arlene and Chester Salomon
Mark Seal
Donna and Elliot Slade
Caroline Fitzgibbons and Tad Smith
Katherine and Mark van Alstine
Christopher E. Walling
Lorraine and Adam Weinberg
Corrine and Paul Wood
|
|
|
