We all know Aspen is a special place. But why? Let me try to answer that by describing what happened on June 26, at 7:30 p.m., between the Music Tent and Harris Hall. The final notes of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” floated out on the warm air as the Aspen Chamber Symphony completed another wonderful performance. Sunlight slanted through the aspen trees as eager young students and AMFS fans lined up for tickets for the Emerson concert later that night.

The chatter was about many things. Some people compared notes on the streamed concerts from the previous few days, informal student groups discussed a master class from the previous night. No harsh sounds, nothing out of place, peaceful but definitely not dull.

I spoke with a young man, a pianist, who had spent the 1993 and 1994 summers here. He described those as the best summers of his life. Realizing that the world is full of brilliant pianists, he switched to Columbia Business School and is now an arts consultant for the Salzburg Festival among others. But today he’s back in Aspen. Our students may leave, but Aspen stays with them for the rest of their lives.

The reasons are myriad, ranging from the quality of the teaching faculty (the likes of the Emerson and Wu Han) to the accessibility of the teachers and the flexibility and variety of the educational programs. Alan Fletcher notes that the Emerson has been playing in Aspen for 25 years and that they are a “pillar of our artistic program.” They too return, every year, because here they can teach the best young music students in the world and play to knowledgeable and enthusiastic audiences. There is no place on the planet like Aspen. The ancient Greeks believed in sacred spaces. We are living in one.

Cita Stelzer is a member of the Aspen Music Festival and School National Council.