Salida Aspen Concerts have been held in Salida every summer since 1977 when the first musicians from the world-famous Aspen Music Festival were selected to perform as part of the festival’s outreach program. Salida Concerts Inc. was founded as a nonprofit in 1982 to locally produce what has become a six-week concert series in Held Auditorium at Salida High School and one concert in Buena Vista. Concerts are funded annually through charitable contributions, grants, advertising and ticket sales.
Many performers who played Salida early in their careers have since become international stars, for example: soprano Renee Fleming; violinist Gil Shaham; cellist David Finckel; and pianists Ann Schein, Rita Sloan and Wu Han. Members of the American Brass Quintet helped arrange Salida’s first concert and have come back every year to audiences that now think of them as favorite sons.
Salida Concerts Inc. established a scholarship program in 2000 for deserving Chaffee County students who choose to continue their musical education. A limited number of tickets to each concert are reserved for practicing music students.
For further information or to make a contribution or volunteer for the concert committee, call Jean Hanfelt, administrator 719-539-6467; or write to Salida Concerts, Inc., P O Box 13, Salida, CO 81201. Visit the website at for a complete schedule.
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