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Powerhouse literary couple Geraldine Brooks and Tony Horwitz didn’t start their careers writing books. The two were war correspondents covering events like the Gulf War in the 1990s. In this episode, Brooks and Horwitz are onstage for a lecture series held by Aspen Words, the literary organization of The Aspen Institute.
Song is an artform that is memorialized in a moment, draws on threads from the past, and grows in power as its message resonates through the future. Join Joe Henry — singer, songwriter, producer, and poet — as he examines how the process of songwriting has everything to do with discovery: discovering the past, discovering tradition, discovering influences, and discovering...
Where does classical liberalism come from? What comfort and lessons are we to take from our forebearers? In the aftermath of the 2016 election, acclaimed author and essayist Adam Gopnik traced the moral and philosophical trajectory of liberalism as a way to contextualize the election for his daughter. Gopnik takes the audience on a tour of the great places and people who c...
No one knows the restorative power of music better than the musicians who make it (although brain scientists keep learning more). In collaboration with Jazz Aspen Snowmass, well-known artists performing at the June festival talk about the history and origin of the music they perform, share personal stories about their own relationship to music, and riff on its link to heal...
Wynton Marsalis is an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader, educator and a leading advocate of American culture. He is the world’s first jazz artist to perform and compose across the full jazz spectrum from its New Orleans roots to bebop to modern jazz. Jon Batiste is a New Orleans-bred, New York-based musician, educator, and humanitarian, and the new b...
Born out of gospel, R&B, and jazz in late 1950s America, soul has permeated music culture so thoroughly that its influence can be heard everywhere from modern country music to rock and hip-hop. So what is it about soul, and how did it become a soundtrack to some of our nation’s most defining moments? The New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik and Grammy Award-winning artists share —...
Art historian Sarah Lewis (Harvard University) and architect Michael Murphy (MASS Design Group) discuss the art and architecture of social justice in America. How do our artistic works create the fabric of national memory both cherished and shameful? How do our structures provide the framework of collective conscience? How does culture help us learn from history and inform...
At the 2020 Aspen Ideas Festival, five of America's premier artists in classical music, jazz, and ballet bring virtual audiences works of art intended to deepen thought.
Storytelling, music, animation, and podcasts! Watch the magic of innovative content being born as creatives pitch their ideas to a panel of Planet Media judges, each hoping to launch short-form content aimed at helping kids understand climate change.
When late-night funnyman Jimmy Kimmel tried to broker a debate between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, the entertainment element of modern politics became undeniable. And as the line has continually blurred between entertainment and news, a full 10 percent of young adults lost their most trusted sources of political news in Jon Stewart's version of “The Daily Show” and St...
Is the English language deteriorating before our ears?
More than one-third of the world’s girls and women have experienced some form of violence in their lives, leading the World Health Organization to highlight “a global health problem of epidemic proportions.” In this year of unprecedented attention to women’s safety, we are increasingly aware of their vulnerability to sexual violation, trafficking and other forms of abuse....
Musician Jon Batiste has a long history of appearing at the Aspen Ideas Festival, not only playing his unique form of jazz but also musically commemorating the greats of the genre. This thoughtful young talent, who at age 33 has already received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Jazz Museum, shares a special performance from his empty studio in New York City....
Music can lift the spirits and help heal the body. No musician demonstrates that better than Jon Batiste, a “crowd-thrilling rebel bandleader,” according to Rolling Stone magazine. Viewers of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" know him best for the exuberant music he conducts with Stay Human. Accomplished pianist, artistic director at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem,...
We are often told great art speaks for itself. In practice, though, helping visual art find an audience usually requires a skillful narrative. How should we understand this use of storytelling, and who does it best? Does surging interest in contemporary art present special opportunities and responsibilities for developing appreciative audiences? What are key strategies and...
“Self-care” is the buzzword of the moment. But far before face masks and digital detoxes, ancient philosophers were thinking of ways to enhance human flourishing. How do their ideas match up to today? Yale philosophy professor Tamar Gendler sits down with author Bruce Feiler, who traveled across the U.S. collecting stories on how we deal with life’s transitions. From mille...
Wonder what you ever did before Hamilton came along? So do we! Join us for a lively and informal behind-the-scenes look at all things "A.Ham" with the show’s producer and the host of the Hamilton fan podcast The Room Where It’s Happening. We’ll explore how it came to be, what the creation process was like, challenges the producers faced, and whether the team that made it h...
HBO’s hit show “Succession” is the latest example of how well the themes of tragedy, betrayal, ambition, and love — which Shakespeare depicted for the stage centuries before even the most basic technology — are capable of being magnificently transformed for the screen. Brian Cox, renowned Shakespearean actor and star of “Succession,” and Simon Godwin, Shakespeare Theatre C...