The chamber-sized Aspen Chamber Symphony (ACS) is composed of AMFS artist-faculty members and students in side-by-side performance. It is led by world-renowned conductors and joined for most concerts by star guest soloists. Repertoire consists of standard and contemporary works for the chamber orchestra.

For each weekly concert cycle, ACS generally rehearses on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with the dress rehearsal and concert on Friday. ACS students will play in repertoire readings led by the ACA conducting fellows on two occasions during the season.

A large symphony orchestra composed of AMFS artist-faculty members and students in side-by-side performance, the Aspen Festival Orchestra (AFO) is led by world-renowned conductors and joined for most concerts by star guest soloists. Repertoire consists of standard and contemporary works for symphony orchestra.

For each weekly concert cycle, AFO generally rehearses on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with the dress rehearsal and concert on Sunday. AFO students will play in repertoire readings led by the ACA conducting fellows on two occasions during the season.

The Aspen Conducting Academy (ACA) Orchestra is the centerpiece of Aspen's conductor-training program. The all-fellowship orchestra is guided by Music Director Robert Spano, established visiting conductors, and the next generation of up-and-coming conducting talents who perform in the orchestra when not on the podium. The orchestra is led by an artist-faculty concertmaster, with the rest of the ensemble composed of students.

The curriculum includes weekly orchestral concerts on Wednesdays, concerto performances, opera scenes classes, repertoire readings, and composer readings. Students in AFO or ACS may be assigned to play in ACA from week to week depending on repertoire needs.

Composed of students selected from ACS or AFO, this orchestra performs with the prestigious Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS (AOTVA) program. The orchestra is led by an artist-faculty concertmaster and world-renowned conductor. The AOTVA program performs fully and semi-staged productions in either the historic Wheeler Opera House or the Michael Klein Music Tent.

The Aspen Contemporary Ensemble (ACE) is comprised of nine ACE fellows and led by artist-faculty members Tim Weiss and Donald Crockett. Students in AFO or ACS may be assigned to play in ACE from week to week depending on repertoire needs.

ACE performs on the Saturday afternoon Chamber Music recitals in Harris Concert Hall, along with additional performances scheduled at various venues throughout Aspen. For each weekly concert cycle, ACE generally rehearses on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with the dress rehearsal and concert on Saturday.

“Specials” are recitals or special events featuring a guest artist performing repertoire that requires a small ensemble involving students. These ensembles will typically have 2-3 rehearsals before the performance. Students in AFO or ACS may be assigned to play in a Special. Assignments to “Specials” may offer students the opportunity to sit in principal positions.

Winds, Brass, Percussion, and Harp (WBPH) students will rotate through the orchestras described above as the repertoire calls for their instruments, and are eligible to perform on special assignments with faculty and guest artists, the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, or the Aspen Opera Theater Orchestra. Certain WBPH fellows may be identified by faculty as players designated to one orchestra (e.g., piccolo, flute, English horn, third horn, and tuba fellows may be designated as non-rotating members of AFO). Most WBPH students perform weekly, repertoire depending.

String students generally remain within their assigned orchestra for the duration of their residency and may be selected to perform on special assignments with faculty and guest artists, the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, or the Aspen Opera Theater Orchestra. String orchestra placement assignments will be determined for enrolled students based on faculty review of the student's admission audition recordings. Strings students can request a week off from orchestra, although this is not guaranteed.

Following the results of faculty review of student admission audition recordings, a student can earn a spot in the Assistant Principal Pool. Assistant principals have the opportunity to sit assistant principal alongside a designated artist-faculty member and will also rotate into the section as the faculty principals change. The Assistant Principal Pool has an unspecified number of members, encouraging selection based only on students who are qualified. When not sitting assistant principal, these students will rotate through the second and third stands, depending on the number of members in the pool.

Instrumentalists awarded an Aspen Conducting Academy Fellowship play in the all-fellowship Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra. This high-level orchestra is the training ground for the emerging conductors of the Aspen Conducting Academy. The ACA orchestra is composed of Aspen's top fellowship musicians and led by a professional concertmaster. This ensemble provides pre-professional musicians the opportunity to hone their craft and prepare them to win their next audition, whether it be for graduate school or a top-tier professional orchestra. Musicians in the ACA Orchestra focus primarily on standard orchestral works with a sprinkling from the operatic canon as well as new music written by fellows of the Susan and Ford Schumann Center for Composition Studies. Through these varied experiences, instrumentalists learn the intricate collaboration process that occurs between the orchestra and conductor, singers, and/or composers, all of which will be part of any professional role in the industry. ACA fellows network with student conductors, many of whom become classical music leaders in the field, and musicians enjoy regular exposure to Music Director Robert Spano and distinguished guest conductors and concertmasters.