Ashley Callari knew the Aspen Music Festival was a place for serious classical musicians.

“I really didn’t think I had a chance of getting in because it’s so competitive,” Callari said.

Still, the Stetson senior (now a May 2026 graduate) filmed an eight-minute video audition, which included the first movement of the concerto for Viola and Orchestra by Bela Bartok; the sarabande from J.S. Bach’s fourth suite for solo cello, transcribed for viola; a commonly requested excerpt from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Felix Mendelssohn; and the viola solo from the opening of Bedrich Smetana’s first string quartet.

Following her submission, Callari was selected as one of 500 young artists going to Aspen to play in four orchestras, as well as sing, conduct, compose and study with more than 100 artist-faculty members.

Those faculty members come from orchestras in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Dallas, plus the Metropolitan Opera and leading conservatories and music schools. Attendees are both students and colleagues of their highly accomplished teachers and perform alongside them throughout the summer (July 1-August 23).

Aine Mullen, who will be a senior in August, majoring in Viola Performance, was waitlisted for the event in 2025. “So, I knew that I met their expectations, but there were not enough openings,” she said.

With strong engagement from her studio professor, Jesus Alfonzo, DMA, Mullen applied again and was accepted. “I definitely think I’ll be forever changed as a musician after attending it,” Mullen added.

“It’s one of the most widely recognized music festivals in the United States. It’s like the ‘Juilliard’ of summer festivals.”

The Aspen Experience

The Aspen Music Festival and School is headquartered at the pastoral 38-acre Matthew and Carolyn Bucksbaum Campus, just outside of Aspen. It offers a summer experience like no other. Throughout its 77-year history, the festival has presented thousands of concerts. In addition, it’s been the place where many young artists have met their mentors, found their voices, readied for their careers and — on a deeper level — found themselves.

“I plan to be an orchestral musician for my career,” noted Callari, who began playing violin and piano at age 12 and added viola at age 16. “By the time I was in music school, piano had become just a hobby, and I have since been focusing exclusively on viola.”

Featuring nine programs of study, four orchestras, opera, chamber music, performance classes and lectures, Aspen Music Festival and School students receive a combination of intensive one-on-one instruction and professional performance experience.

“I’m very excited to have access to such high-level teaching,” commented Mullen, who received professional development funding from the Stetson School of Music to help with tuition. “I started playing the violin when I was 7 years old, but switched to viola at 14 because I preferred the sound. It made all the difference in me choosing to pursue music as a career.”

Along with private instruction, orchestra/instrumental students like Mullen and Callari will rehearse and perform major repertoire side by side with their teachers or with principal players from major orchestras. Orchestras perform weekly or accompany one of the two professional operatic productions. Soloists and conductors vary by week and are among the world’s most revered classical musicians.

Students can attend nearly 300 events and, as part of the Aspen Music Festival community, they make connections that might last a lifetime. While the average age of students is 24, the school welcomes musicians of any age and at any stage of their careers. The intensity of the professional performance schedule and the exacting standards of quality make it most appropriate for the serious, dedicated musician.

“It’s such a privilege to have access to such high-quality artistry,” Callari concluded. “I’m looking forward to playing but also to sitting in the audience and listening.”

-Renee Garrison