Host and Co-Curator, Alya Howe
The Salon is an award-winning performance series featuring contemporary, classical, jazz, folk, world, spoken word, multimedia, dance and performance arts. Founded in Philadelphia by composer Andrea Clearfield in 1986 and in Aspen by Andrea and Michele Kiley. The Salon has celebrated 5+ years in Aspen with co-curator and host Alya Howe.
The Salon’s magic is in its diversity, bringing to our community a wide array of performers celebrating life through the arts. This “local’s favorite” series has been inspiring and touching the hearts of our community; connecting the audience to the artist and their art in an intimate and personal setting.
Tickets are $25
Contributing Artists
AJ Finney
AJ Finney is an eclectic midwestern comedic storyteller, with a passion for the psychedelic scene of the 60's. He currently resides in Denver and is a paid regular at the world famous Comedy Works.
“I love making people laugh, as a person who has always felt just outside of every group, when I make people laugh I'm overwhelmed by a feeling of acceptance. I believe this is also why I enjoy the art of storytelling, it's a unique opportunity to be vulnerable and connect with others in a deep way. By connecting with people we can increase the feeling of love and oneness, and this is how we plant the seeds of progressive change in the world.”
Cynthia Giannini
“My devotion to tango has turned into my lifestyle. I find tango in relationship to everything I do. I must first show up, then open up, breath, see, feel, listen, respond, hold, support and then allow the moments between experiences to be filled with gratitude and stillness. I witness the beauty and perfection of intimacy in harmony. Tango is a conversation within a musical overlay that allows and inspires our connection. I believe the connection is Universal. We connect to our senses in a way that reminds us of our humility, humanity and for me, my spirituality.”
Natalie Spears
Natalie Spears brings listeners in touch with the warmth of community, the quiet awe of wild places, and the intimate corners of humanity. Inspired by her father's English Folk heritage and her own collaborative explorations, Natalie carries a deep love for musical tradition and evolution. Drawing on these roots and pulling from a quiver of instruments (banjo, piano, and guitar), her performance is dynamic as she navigates between tonal worlds.
She is currently recording her first solo album, “The Hymn Of Wild Things.” The songs are stories woven together like concentric rings, sharing a common center but wildly different orbits. Many were born out of the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado and celebrate the spirit of this place.
Dominic Bridge
“My life in Tango has taken me around the world many times. After nearly 20 years of doing little else, I find myself as enraptured by the dance and inspired by the teaching process as ever. My personal goal is to achieve mastery of the dance, teaching, and myself.”
Tracey Harris
A Realist, Tracey Harris challenges gender roles and social norms in her still lifes and works featuring the human figure. Harris showcases her mastery of tonality and draughtsmanship to create three-dimensionality in her hyperrealist works.
She applies thin layers of oil paint to create her lustrous hyperrealistic images. Harris studied at the Kansas City Art Institute and received a postgraduate diploma of art at Goldsmiths, University of London. She now resides in Marble with her dogs, Sprite and Natalie.
Chris Phillips
“My artistic goal is to present guitar music in a moving and multidimensional way. I perform a diverse repertoire of music that I lovingly and painstakingly arrange for the guitar. In a live setting, my guitar is amplified and delivered to the audience in a swirling, stereophonic sound bath that I have engineered through a variety of pedals with customized settings. This high-tech twist on an ancient instrument brings joy and vibrancy to the music, and transports the listener to the magical space I inhabit whenever I’m playing the guitar.”