Condoleezza Rice attended the Aspen Music Festival during a summer break from her music studies, and the experience changed her life. At the festival, she watched twelve-year-old prodigies sight-reading complex music that took her weeks to learn. This 'dose of reality' convinced her she lacked the raw talent for a top-tier concert career and triggered her dramatic career pivot from classical piano to international politics. She subsequently enrolled in Josef Korbel's international politics course at the University of Denver. Without the Aspen Festival experience, Rice might have pursued music instead of becoming Secretary of State.