AMFS Artist-Faculty, all top musicians from renowned orchestras, opera companies, and conservatories, come together to play their favorite chamber music works.

AMFS artist-faculty and ACE conductor Donald Crockett premieres his new Chamber Concerto to kick off a program that also includes Mendelssohn’s second piano trio.

Written at age 36 as a birthday gift to his sister Fanny, Mendelssohn’s work begins with a restless first movement followed by a lullaby-like second movement, and finally, a sparkling third movement the composer himself wrote was “a trifle nasty to play.” The spirited finale includes a Lutheran-style chorale. 

Topping things off is Mark Sparks’s flute transcription of Respighi’s deeply personal Violin Sonata, composed after his mother’s death and set against the backdrop of World War I.

Also featured on the program is the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, comprising emerging young artists who perform music by prominent living composers and twentieth-century classics, as well as new works by the Festival’s student composers. Always a joyful and creative 75 minutes of music-making.

Summer 2026 Chamber Music Dates:
- Monday, July 6
- Saturday, July 11
- Saturday, July 18
- Saturday, July 25
- Sunday, August 2 (at 2:00 PM)
- Saturday, August 8
- Saturday, August 15
- Saturday, August 22