Gil Shaham Leads Rare Family Triple-Header at Aspen Music Festival

Aspen —The late summer sun hangs low over the Roaring Fork Valley, casting long shadows across the manicured lawns of the Aspen Music Festival grounds, where the air carries that specific, crisp mix of pine resin and dry heat. Inside Harris Concert Hall and the Physics Center, the silence is heavy with anticipation, a quiet hum of strings being tuned and woodwinds testing their reeds before the first note is struck. This isn’t just another week of performances; it’s a homecoming for one of the valley’s most enduring musical families, who have woven their personal histories into the very fabric of this town.

Next week, violinist Gil Shaham leads what can only be described as a musical invasion of his own making. Starting August 14, Gil performs alongside his sister Orli Shaham and brother-in-law David Robertson in a rare triple-header that marks the first time all three have shared the Aspen stage together. But the depth of this family’s connection to Aspen runs deeper than recent concert schedules. As Orli Shaham noted, their father worked at the Physics Center, meaning they were present in these mountains before they were professional musicians. "Aspen feels like a second home for Gil and me," she said, noting that their children all attended Aces camp and hiked in Snowmass. David Robertson has made his professional debut here, and the family raised their children against this backdrop of high-altitude leisure and artistic rigor.

The centerpiece of this weekend’s programming is a double concerto by Reena Esmail, commissioned by the Aspen Music Festival and premiered in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. Esmail’s work combines Hindustani modes with Western classical structures, creating a soundscape that Orli Shaham described as having "gorgeous moments and sonorities" with a joy that feels like playing a game. It’s music that fits the Shaham siblings, who have been playing off one another since childhood.

Gil’s schedule is particularly grueling and impressive: he will perform all ten of Beethoven’s violin sonatas over three evenings, accompanied by his longtime recital partner, Akira Eguchi. Gil noted that he and Akira share an Aspen history of their own, further cementing the idea that this festival is a living room for these artists rather than just a venue.

Meanwhile, Gil’s wife, violinist Adele Anthony, is not performing with him directly this week but holds her own significant slots. She appears in a sonata by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, an Italian-born composer who fled to Hollywood in 1939, aligning with this season’s emphasis on American composers. She also tackles Kurt Weill’s 1924 violin concerto, conducted by clarinetist Joaquin Valdepeñas. This piece pairs woodwinds with percussion and four basses, offering a platform for the jazz influences that permeate Weill’s work.

Orli Shaham is also featured in a sextet written for her by Israeli composer Avner Dorman, an unusual mix of piano, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, and contrabass. The collaboration highlights the creative exchange that defines this festival, where composers write specifically for the musicians they know.

As the week progresses, locals will hear not just polished performances but the echoes of decades of practice, family dinners, and community building. The music feels lived-in, textured by the memories of those who play it. You can feel the weight of tradition in the bow strokes and the lightness of joy in the interplay between brother and sister.