Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
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74 ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZACH MAHONE ON THE MOVE THE WHEELER OPERA HOUSE ROLLS OUT A SEASON OF BIG NAMES—AND EVEN BIGGER AMBITIONS. BY CHRISTINE BENEDETTI When tickets to the Beach Boys at the Wheeler Opera House went on sale this summer, they sold so quickly that organizers hurried to add a second afternoon perfor- mance for the same day, December 28. The Grammy Award-winning legends are just one of several well-known acts slated to take the historic stage this winter, reflect- ing the leadership of Gena Buhler, who took the helm of executive director in 2015. "I think it is a testament to the desire from the Aspen community to see bigger name acts on the Wheeler stage," says Buhler. "Bigger names bring a level of trust and prestige to a venue, and with such an amazing, historic lineage of acts that have per- formed here, we are really excited to up the ante a bit on what the community will see moving forward." One of the goals of this programming, she adds, is to "bring new and different audi- ences to the Wheeler, which in the long run helps to build audiences." Among the artists helping to advance that mission this season are The Blind Boys of Alabama (December 17), comedian Kevin Smith (December 18), and the Ten Tenors (December 25). "For the first time in a long time, we'll have robust holiday-time programming, and I'm pleased with the diversity," she says. "I'm hoping that we'll be able to find a place in everyone's holiday traditions." Since taking over one year ago, Buhler has been influential in A night at the opera! The Wheeler Opera House has extended its programming under one-year Executive Director Gena Buhler to include regular concerts, such as this Queen tribute from last spring's season. SCENE ENTERTAIN