August 29, 2024

This summer, 34 MSM students and alumni participated in the acclaimed Aspen Music Festival and School — a number that represents roughly one in every 14 festival participants.

Founded in 1949, the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music students. The high-profile festival attracts tens of thousands of audience members during its eight-week summer season, holding more than 400 classical music events including concerts by five orchestras, solo and chamber music performances, fully staged opera productions, master classes, lectures, and children’s programming.

This year at the festival, the presence of MSM was particularly strong, and MSM President James Gandre visited the campus in mid-August during its final week of the season while attending a meeting of the Advisory Board for the Arts.

“MSM students and alumni participate in every major music festival in America and many others throughout the world —  I was fortunate to meet with some of the 34 MSM students at Aspen Music Festival and School this summer,” says President Gandre.

“It was such a joy to see our young artists at this important summer festival and hear their stories of the great work they were doing all summer,” he added.

MSM President James Gandre poses here, in back row on the right, with nine MSM students and alumni attending AMFS this past summer.

MSM student wins AMFS Brass Concerto Competition

Classical trombone student Jacob Ogbu (BM ’25) won the AMFS Brass Concerto Competition this summer. He’s featured on the cover of the pamphlet for the 2025 AMFS season. Congratulations, Jacob!

MSM students and alumni at AMFS in August 2024:

MSM students:

• Samantha Atlas (MM ’25), Orchestral Trumpet
• Zoe Beyler (MM ’25), Orchestral Percussion
• Faith Borkowski (BM ’26), Classical Violin
• Austin Cantrell (MM ’24, PD ’26), Orchestral Percussion
• Andrés Caveda (MM ’25), Classical Violin
• Anna Gershtein (MM ’25), Collaborative Piano – Vocal
• Sofia Gotch (MM ’23, PD ’25), Classical Voice – Soprano
• Eduardo Gutterres (MM ’23, DMA Year 2), Classical Guitar
• Daniel Jansen (BM ’25), Classical French Horn
• Hae Rin Kim (MM ’18, DMA Year 5), Collaborative Piano – Instrumental
• Juan José Lázaro (MM ’19, DMA Year 2), Collaborative Piano – Vocal
• Nathan McKinstry (MM ’24, PS ’25), Orchestral Trumpet
• Jacob Ogbu (BM ’25), Classical Tenor Trombone
• Sung Hyun “Moses” Park (MM ’24, PD ’26), Classical Voice – Tenor
• Owne Xayboury (BM ’26), Classical Viola

MSM alumni:

• Emily Beckner (’22), Classical Violin
• Puyuan Chen (BM ’21), Classical Tenor Trombone
• William Chinn (BM ’23), Classical Percussion
• Edward Dealecio (MM ’24), Classical Tenor Trombone
• Yuanxinyue Gao (MM ’20), Classical Violin
• Dante Guinta (MM ’24), Classical Tenor Trombone
• Jessica Kaufman (PC ’23), Classical Viola
• Jonathan Lin (MM ’20), Classical Cello
• Ross Macatangay (MM ’24), Classical Voice – Baritone
• Maxwell Remmer (PC ’20), Classical Piano
• Alexis Seminario (BM ’20), Classical Voice – Soprano
• Margaret Shannon (BM ’21, MM ’23) Classical Voice – Mezzo-Soprano
• Mitchell Vogel (BM ’21), Classical Percussion
• Lindsey Wong (BM ’23), Classical Flute
• Alexandra Woroniecka (PC ’17), Classical Violin
• Marie Wurtz (PC ’17), Classical Piano
• Bangjun Xia (BM ’24), Classical Violin
• Ken Yanagisawa (MM ’19, PS ‘20), Classical Conducting – Orchestral
• Yueqi Zhang (MM ’21, MM ’23), Classical Accompanying – Vocal

MSM faculty and alumni also performed at the Aspen Music Festival and School this year: 

MSM Artists in Residence, the American String Quartet (in photo below) performed in celebration of their 50th anniversary. They held the position of Resident String Quartet at AMFS from 1974 to the mid-2010s. The Quartet includes current MSM College Strings faculty Peter Winograd (violin), Laurie Carney (violin), Wolfram Koessel (cello), and former faculty Daniel Avshalomov (viola).

Also performing at AMFS this year: MSM College piano faculty member Yefim Bronfman (HonDMA ’15), and Precollege alumna Simone Dinnerstein (PC ’89). Professor Bronfman played with the Aspen Chamber Symphony, and Ms. Dinnerstein performed a solo piano recital.