Your Summer Guide to Classical Music 2017

The warmer days that arrived in late May are a just a taste of what promises to be a beautiful and well-deserved summer. For classical music lovers, there are some great events to look forward to over the next few months. Here’s what’s on tap for the summer of 2017:

The 2017 Music On The Hill festival presents seven concerts of chamber music from June 1 – 14 at various locations throughout the state, including Cranston, Warwick and Westerly. For more information, go to musiconthehillri.org

The Chorus of Westerly presents its free summer pops concert on Saturday, June 24 in Wilcox Park at 8pm. This family-friendly concert is always fun. For more information, visit chorusofwesterly.org

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra performs its summer pops concerts at Narragansett Town Beach, Independence Park in Bristol, and at Slater Park in Pawtucket. As of this review, dates for this series have not yet been confirmed. Visit ri-philharmonic.org for the most up-to-date information.

Now in its 49^th season, the Newport Music Festival presents over 50 concerts of chamber music from July 7 – 23. The wide variety in programming promises to keep any music fan coming back for more. For more information, go to newportmusic.org

The 29^th annual Kingston Chamber Music Festival presents a series of seven concerts July 19 – 30 at the University of Rhode Island. For more information, visit kingstonchambermusic.org

To the north, The Boston Landmarks Orchestra presents free outdoor concerts at the DCR Hatch Memorial Shell, Wednesday evenings starting on July 19. For more information, go to landmarksorchestra.org

Further north are two festivals worth considering in New Hampshire. The 51^th Monadnock Music Festival runs July 8 – Aug 6. The New Hampshire Music Festival runs July 5 – Aug 5. For anyone vacationing in New Hampshire, these festivals are a wonderful addition to your itinerary. Information on these festivals can be found at monadnockmusic.org and nhmf.org

To the south, The Talcott Mountain Music Festival featuring the Hartford Symphony Orchestra performs outdoor concerts on Fridays, from June 30 – July 28. For more information, go to hartfordsymphony.org/concerts-tickets/series/talcott-mountain-music-festival/

For die-hard classical music fans, Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Mass, remains the epicenter of classical music in New England over the summer months. The season features regular concerts by the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras, as well as various pop and jazz artists. This year’s guest artists include Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald, John Mellencamp, Emmylou Harris, Carlene Carpenter and James Taylor. For more information, go to bso.org/Home