Set in the awe-inspiring majesty of the Colorado Rockies, the Aspen Music Festival and School's (AMFS) vision of creativity and education started with the 1949 Goethe Bicentennial Convocation. Uniting the intersecting worlds of ideas, art, and natural beauty, this event started something special: fostering the growth of the human spirit through the melding of art and nature. Today, nearly sixty years later, the AMFS continues pursuing that ideal. The nine-week summer festival of more than 350 events includes orchestral concerts, chamber music, opera, contemporary music, master classes, lectures, and kids' programs. Many events are free, and lawn seating is always free. AMFS continues to bring the brightest young musicians together with the classical music world's foremost instructors.