I'll take fried chicken with my concerto, please

Suzanne Schaffer is the features producer for Performance Today and coordinates the in-studio performances with musicians. She went to the Aspen Music Festival in July on behalf of PT and is stepping into Fred's blogging shoes this week to share some of her experiences there.

The Aspen Music Festival has one of the coolest concert venues: the Benedict Music Tent (quite fitting for a state as outdoorsy as Colorado). Sure, you can sit inside the theater is assigned concert seats with a great view of the orchestra and soloist, but lots of people prefer to sit outside on the lawn. You can still hear the music pretty well and volunteer "shushers" walk around to keep kids, pets and candy wrappers relatively quiet. It's a beautiful way to spend an evening, unless the savory smell of fried chicken wafting to you from two blankets over creates a distraction from listening to the music. See images.

Listen to our interviews with listeners on the lawn