{"id":2451889,"date":"2019-12-05T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=317059"},"modified":"2019-12-05T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-05T17:00:00","slug":"aspens-most-anticipated-arts-events-winter-2019-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/aspens-most-anticipated-arts-events-winter-2019-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Aspen\u2019s Most-Anticipated Arts Events, Winter 2019-20"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
“Just Mercy”<\/strong>
Courtesy photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Anybody who hangs around in Aspen long enough will grow weary of tourism boosters talking incessantly about how exceptional this place is. All the superlatives and all that \u201cmy life is better than your vacation\u201d bull is tiresome and indecent.<\/p>\n

But then you look at the arts and culture lineup for the winter ahead and, yeah, you realize how spoiled we are here \u2014 how, yes, exceptional it is to have access to this caliber of exhibitions and performance and events in a remote mountain town so isolated from the cosmopolitan centers where you\u2019d expect, say, a Kusama \u201cInfinity Room\u201d and a Trevor Noah show. For most winter destinations, the skiing is enough.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead at 2019-20 on the culture beat in Aspen, there are tentpole events you can count on, like splashy art openings over Presidents\u2019 Day weekend for the jet-set and huge New Year\u2019s Eve concerts at Belly Up, those few days over X Games when Aspen is the center of youth culture and pop music. There are series that have gotten hotter in recent years and have the town abuzz, like the Aspen Laugh Fest and the JAS Caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

And there are always some new wrinkles, like Aspen Film\u2019s Academy Screenings this year moving from its Christmas-to-New Year\u2019s slot to early January, changing the long-established rhythm of entertainment during Aspen\u2019s freakiest week.<\/p>\n

As always, there will be surprises to come, like last year\u2019s late addition of an on-mountain springtime music festival with String Cheese Incident and Umphrey\u2019s McGee headlining.<\/p>\n

So keep your edges sharp and mark your calendars. This is the Aspen Times Weekly\u2019s Most Anticipated list for 2019-20.<\/p>\n

\u2013Andrew Travers<\/p>\n

MOST ANTICIPATED: ART<\/h3>\n

Yayoi Kusama\u2019s \u2018Where the Lights in My Heart Go\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Aspen Art Museum, Dec. 20 through May 10<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably seen your friends\u2019 Instagram posts from inside Kusama\u2019s \u201cInfinity Room\u201d installations around the world, for which people wait for hours in line and on which museums and galleries have had to implement strict time limits for visitors. Kusama, a 90-year-old titan of contemporary art and recent viral fame, brings this mirrored room to the rooftop sculpture garden at the Aspen Art Museum in time for Christmas and everybody in Aspen is going to want to step inside.<\/span><\/p>\n

AND DON\u2019T FORGET:<\/strong> Oscar Murillo\u2019s \u201cSocial Altitude\u201d at Aspen Art Museum (through May 17) \u2026 \u201cbayer & bauhaus: how design shaped aspen\u201d at Aspen Historical Society (through April) \u2026 Anderson Ranch Arts Center Holiday Open House (Dec. 17) \u2026 Mickalene Thomas at Baldwin Gallery (opening late December) \u2026 Emma Senft\u2019s \u201cDappling\u201d at Anderson Ranch Arts Center (Feb. 3-28) \u2026 Lisa Yuskavage\u2019s \u201cWilderness\u201d at Aspen Art Museum (Feb. 16-May 31) \u2026 \u201cOur Planet: Exploring Our Changing Environment\u201d at Anderson Ranch (March 9-April 8).<\/span><\/p>\n

MOST ANTICIPATED: BOOKS<\/h3>\n

Christopher McDougall<\/span><\/p>\n

Aspen Winter Words at Paepcke Auditorium, Tuesday, Feb. 18<\/p>\n

Few books in recent years have been as ubiquitous on Aspen bookshelves as McDougall\u2019s 2009 narrative nonfiction blockbuster \u201cBorn to Run.\u201d It sparked the barefoot running craze and shined a fascinating light on Mexico\u2019s Tarahumara tribe. McDougall\u2019s latest, \u201cRunning with Sherman,\u201d is about a donkey jogging partner and animal-human partnerships. <\/span><\/p>\n

AND DON\u2019T FORGET:<\/strong> \u201cWild Game\u201d memoirist Adrienne Brodeur at Wheeler Opera House (Dec. 6) \u2026 \u201cThree Women\u201d author Lisa Taddeo at Winter Words (Jan. 7) \u2026 Poets Jericho Brown and Ada Limon at Aspen Winter Words (Jan. 28) \u2026 Naomi McDougall Jones\u2019 \u201cThe Wrong Kind of Women\u201d (published Feb. 4) \u2026 \u201cShutter Island\u201d author Dennis Lehane at Winter Words (March 10) \u2026 \u201cDopesick\u201d author Beth Macy at Aspen Winter Words (March 31).<\/span><\/p>\n

MOST ANTICIPATED: CLASSICAL MUSIC<\/h3>\n

David Finckel and Wu Han<\/span><\/p>\n

Harris Concert Hall, Thursday, Feb. 20<\/p>\n

If our summers are overstuffed with classical offerings, winter is starvation season. But the Aspen Music Festival\u2019s three-part winter series dependably brings summertime favorites back to satiate year-round local listeners. This beloved husband-and-wife pair has long been synonymous with Aspen\u2019s music scene, giving rapturously received recitals and running influential chamber music workshops at the festival. They\u2019ll perform cello sonatas by Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Chopin.<\/span><\/p>\n

AND DON\u2019T FORGET:<\/strong> Aspen Choral Society\u2019s \u201cMessiah\u201d (Dec. 13 & 14) \u2026 \u201cA Celtic Family Christmas\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (Dec. 19) \u2026 William Hagen and Albert Cano Smit at Harris Concert Hall (Feb. 6) \u2026 Joyce Yang at Harris Concert Hall (Feb. 13).<\/span><\/p>\n

MOST ANTICIPATED: COMEDY<\/h3>\n

Trevor Noah<\/span><\/p>\n

Aspen Laugh Festival at the Wheeler Opera House, Saturday, Feb. 22, 7 & 9:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

The Wheeler has raised expectations sky-high for Laugh Fest, as it\u2019s booked the biggest names in comedy for several years in a row. But, man, landing the \u201cDaily Show\u201d host and stand-up comic for two shows in the middle of presidential primary season? This is already the most talked-about event of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

AND DON\u2019T FORGET:<\/strong> Best of \u201cSNL\u201d with Alex Moffat and Mikey Day at Wheeler Opera House (Dec. 27) \u2026 David Spade at Belly Up (Jan. 2) \u2026 Fortune Feimster at Wheeler Opera House (Jan. 11) \u2026 Brian Regan at Belly Up (Feb. 10) \u2026 Second City at Aspen Laugh Festival (Feb. 19) \u2026 Norm Macdonald at Aspen Laugh Festival (Feb. 20) \u2026 Taylor Tomlinson at Aspen Laugh Festival (Feb. 21) \u2026 Paula Poundstone at Wheeler Opera House (March 12) \u2026 Piff the Magic Dragon at Wheeler Opera House (March 13).<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

MOST ANTICIPATED: DANCE<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Beautiful Decay\u2019 by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet<\/span><\/p>\n

Aspen District Theatre, Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, Feb. 29, 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

This piece by Nicolo Fonte, staged for three performances last summer, was the first evening-length contemporary ballet ever produced by Aspen Santa Fe. A touching meditation on mortality, featuring a multi-generational cast, if you missed the first round of shows you must see it this winter.<\/span><\/p>\n

AND DON\u2019T FORGET:<\/strong> \u201cThe Nutcracker\u201d by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet (Dec. 21 & 22) \u2026 \u201cShimmer\u201d by Acrobats of Cirque-Tacular at Wheeler Opera House (Dec. 26) \u2026 Cirque Zuma Zuma at Wheeler Opera House (Feb. 16) \u2026 Diavolo at Aspen District Theatre (March 27).<\/span><\/p>\n

MOST ANTICIPATED: FILM<\/h3>\n

\u201cJust Mercy\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Aspen Film Academy Screenings, Jan. 7<\/p>\n

Director Destin Daniel Cretton brings the work and life of death row activist attorney Bryan Stevenson to the screen, with Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx starring. You may remember Cretton from his presentation at Aspen Shortsfest last spring and you may have caught one of Stevenson\u2019s many talks at the Aspen Institute over the years. So you\u2019ve got to see this during Aspen Film\u2019s annual festival of Oscar hopefuls.<\/span><\/p>\n

AND DON\u2019T FORGET:<\/strong> \u201cPain and Glory,\u201d presented by Aspen Film at Isis Theatre (Dec. 4) \u2026 Warren Miller\u2019s \u201cTimeless\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (Dec. 4 & 5) \u2026 \u201cHeavy Water\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (Dec. 15) \u2026 \u2018Polar Express\u201d at Wheeler Opera House, Dec. 20 \u2026 \u201cStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker\u201d at Isis Theatre (Dec. 20) \u2026 X Games film series, Diamond Club at Buttermilk (Jan. 23-26) \u2026 \u201cThe Longest Wave\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (March 20) \u2026 Aspen Film\u2019s Aspen Shortsfest at Wheeler Opera House (March 31-April 5).<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

MOST ANTICIPATED: POP MUSIC<\/span><\/p>\n

Rae Sremmurd<\/span><\/p>\n

X Games & Belly Up, Jan. 24 & 25<\/p>\n

If you have ears, you\u2019ve heard \u201cBlack Beatles\u201d a lot in the last three years. And if you\u2019re a hip-hop head, you probably know the album \u201cSR3MM.\u201d The duo\u2019s fourth full-length album, \u201cSremmLife 4,\u201d is rumored for a winter release. So expect Rae Sremmurd to make their big X Games show and ESPN tie-ins a key part of their album launch with all eyes on Aspen, these concerts and these new tracks.<\/span><\/p>\n

AND DON\u2019T FORGET:<\/strong> Gregory Alan Isakov at Belly Up (Dec. 6) \u2026 Robert Glasper at Belly Up (Dec. 9) \u2026 The Wood Brothers at Belly Up (Dec. 11) \u2026 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony at Belly Up (Dec. 13) \u2026 Modest Mouse at Belly Up (Dec. 14) \u2026 The Head and the Heart at Belly Up (Dec. 16) \u2026 Thievery Corporation at Belly Up (Dec. 18 & 19) \u2026 Big Gigantic at Belly Up (Dec. 22) \u2026 Cedric Gervais at Belly Up (Dec. 23) \u2026 ABBA Mania at Wheeler Opera House (Dec. 25) \u2026 Zhu at Belly Up (Dec. 26) \u2026 Third Eye Blind at Belly Up (Dec. 27 & 28) \u2026 Bob Moses and Nora En Pure at Belly Up (Dec. 29) \u2026 Flume at Belly Up (Dec. 30-31) \u2026 Yonder Mountain String Band at Wheeler Opera House (Dec. 31) \u2026 Dillon Francis at Belly Up (Jan. 4) \u2026 Pat Green at Belly Up (Jan. 10) \u2026 Alphonso Horne & the Gotham City Kings at JAS Caf\u00e9 (Jan. 10 & 11) \u2026 Illenium (Belly Up Jan 22 & X Games Jan. 25) \u2026 Alesso (Belly Up Jan. 24 & X Games Jan. 25) \u2026 Bazzi at Belly Up & X Games (Jan. 26) \u2026 Railroad Earth at Belly Up (Jan. 28 & 29) \u2026 The Doo Wop Project at Wheeler Opera House (Feb. 8) \u2026 Lupe Fiasco at Belly Up (Feb. 9) \u2026 Martin Sexton at Belly Up (Feb. 11) \u2026 Curtis Stigers at JAS Caf\u00e9 (Feb. 13 & 14) \u2026 North Mississippi Allstars at Belly Up (Feb. 19) \u2026 Duchess at JAS Caf\u00e9 (Feb. 20 & 21) \u2026 Donavon Frankenreiter at Belly Up (Feb. 21) \u2026 O.A.R. at Belly Up (Feb. 27) \u2026 Lyle Lovett at Belly Up (March 3) \u2026 Guster at Wheeler Opera House (March 4) \u2026 Poncho Sanchez at JAS Caf\u00e9 (March 7) \u2026 Keller Williams at Belly Up (March 8) \u2026 Spafford at Belly Up (March 13) \u2026 Carolyn Leonhart at JAS Caf\u00e9 (March 13 & 14) \u2026 Classic Albums Live: \u201cAbbey Road\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (March 25) \u2026 Grace Potter at Belly Up (March 26 & 27) \u2026 Killer Queen at Wheeler Opera House (March 27) \u2026 Jamison Ross at JAS Caf\u00e9 at the Collective (March 27 & 28) \u2026 Steel Betty at Wheeler Opera House (March 29).<\/span><\/p>\n

MOST ANTICIPATED: THEATER<\/h3>\n

Crystal Palace \u201cReview\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wheeler Opera House, Jan. 31 & Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Mead Metcalf and the Crystal Palace players made a nostalgia-fueled, still-funny and politically incorrect return to Aspen last winter at the Wheeler and it appears this may be turning into an annual tradition. Metcalf\u2019s old dinner theater was reduced to rubble this fall, but the Palace lives on in this most local of local\u2019s nights at the Wheeler.<\/span><\/p>\n

AND DON\u2019T FORGET:<\/strong> \u201cThe Doyle and Debbie Show\u201d at Thunder River Theatre (Dec. 5-21) \u2026 \u201cA Very Electric Christmas\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (Dec. 8) \u2026 Theatre Aspen Holiday Cabaret (Dec. 15-19) \u2026 Ken Ludwig\u2019s \u201cTwas the Night Before Christmas\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (Dec. 22) \u2026 Adam Trent\u2019s \u201cHoliday Magic\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (Dec. 28) \u2026\u2018The Great Dubois\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (Jan. 10) \u2026\u201cA View From the Bridge\u201d at Thunder River Theatre (Feb. 20-March 7) \u2026 \u201cMillion Dollar Quartet\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (March 6) \u2026 \u201cWild Creatures\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (March 7) \u2026 \u201cPeter Rabbit Tales\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (March 19) \u2026 Justin Willman\u2019s \u201cMagic for Humans\u201d at Wheeler Opera House (March 21).<\/span><\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Just Mercy”Courtesy photo Anybody who hangs around in Aspen long enough will grow weary of tourism boosters talking incessantly about how exceptional this place is. All the superlatives and all that \u201cmy life is better than your vacation\u201d bull is tiresome and indecent. But then you look at the arts and culture lineup for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2451889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-19 03:40:49","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2451889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451889\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2451889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2451889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2451889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}