July 4th weekend, Aspen style
This past Sunday, as we all know, was July 4th. What did this mean for me? July 4th was an insanely busy but fun day in Jeff Land. Not only did I have my Festival Orchestra open dress rehearsal in the morning from 9:30-noon followed by the concert at 4pm but I also managed an annual tradition at the festival, the July 4th Band conducted by Boston maestro Larry Isaacson.
The AFO concert was conducted by Robert Spano of the Atlanta Symphony with cello soloist Claudio Bohorquez. We performed Ives’s The Fourth of July, Bernstein’s Three Meditations, from Mass, and Copland’s Symphony No. 3. The Band concert was a slam bang loud solid 45 minutes of standard band works highlighted by three female trumpet soloists playing Bugler’s Holiday.
After the double duty of concerts came to an end, I met up with my fellow staffers as well as several musicians to watch fireworks set off in front of Aspen Mountain. Then, Kevin (fellow Fellow), Beth (fellow manager), Gene (conducting student), and I piled in my car and braved the post firework streets of downtown Aspen. I grabbed a slice of pizza at New York Pizza, a scoop of Black Diamond Cookies & Cream at Paradise Bakery, and a Passion Fruit Mojito at La Cocina’s bar (a triple play of healthy foods…ha ha).
The next morning, on Monday, the four of us all had some long awaited time off and decided to drive up to Independence Pass (appropriate for the holiday) and hike a trail known as the Continental Divide. This totally unbelievable trail, all above the tree line, yielded some incredible views as we made our way to a peak known only as “peak 13,045.” (Check back sometime for pictures after I get the photo gallery portion of my site running.) On our way back, we checked out a ghost mining town and stopped by the grocery store to get supplies for a BBQ later that afternoon. So concluded the festivities of July 4th weekend.
The AFO concert was conducted by Robert Spano of the Atlanta Symphony with cello soloist Claudio Bohorquez. We performed Ives’s The Fourth of July, Bernstein’s Three Meditations, from Mass, and Copland’s Symphony No. 3. The Band concert was a slam bang loud solid 45 minutes of standard band works highlighted by three female trumpet soloists playing Bugler’s Holiday.
After the double duty of concerts came to an end, I met up with my fellow staffers as well as several musicians to watch fireworks set off in front of Aspen Mountain. Then, Kevin (fellow Fellow), Beth (fellow manager), Gene (conducting student), and I piled in my car and braved the post firework streets of downtown Aspen. I grabbed a slice of pizza at New York Pizza, a scoop of Black Diamond Cookies & Cream at Paradise Bakery, and a Passion Fruit Mojito at La Cocina’s bar (a triple play of healthy foods…ha ha).
The next morning, on Monday, the four of us all had some long awaited time off and decided to drive up to Independence Pass (appropriate for the holiday) and hike a trail known as the Continental Divide. This totally unbelievable trail, all above the tree line, yielded some incredible views as we made our way to a peak known only as “peak 13,045.” (Check back sometime for pictures after I get the photo gallery portion of my site running.) On our way back, we checked out a ghost mining town and stopped by the grocery store to get supplies for a BBQ later that afternoon. So concluded the festivities of July 4th weekend.
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