The Aspen Music Festival and School has received a $25 million gift — the largest in its history — for a total overhaul of its 23-acre campus.
The donation came from Matthew and Kay Bucksbaum, who have been supporters of the festival and school for more than three decades. Matthew Bucksbaum joined the board in 1985 and served as chairman in 1999-2002 and 2005-06 and was made a life trustee in 2002.
The campus will be named in the couple’s honor.
“It is a truly transformational gift,” Alan Fletcher, the festival and school’s president and chief executive officer, said in a press statement. “A gift of this magnitude will impact not only the festival, but the entire classical world, as it will catapult this institution to a new level of excellence and international influence.”
The project was recommended for approval by the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 6. Construction could begin as early as the fall of 2008 and is expected to be completed in phases over three to five years.
