THE 2024 GUIDE TO SUMMER FESTIVALS

The Musical America Guide to Festivals
Cover: The Edinburgh International Festival lights the city of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Photo credit: Daniel James Clarke
2024 Summer Festivals
The Musical America Worldwide Guide
This year’s Guide is packed with more than 120 national and international listings of everything from intimate chamber music concerts in the 430-seat Luigi Rasi Theater in Ravena, Italy, to full Bruckner-size symphonic blowouts by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the Hollywood Bowl, capacity 17,500.
Come festival season, the Cincinnati Symphony becomes the pit band for the Cincinnati Opera and the May Festival, just as the Saint Louis Symphony does for Opera Theater of Saint Louis. The Gershwins and their librettist (the oft-uncredited DuBose Heyward) posited that the "livin’ is easy" in summertime, and this year's Guide is certainly the place to start.
download the Guide
or
scroll for the festivals

GUIDE TO SUMMER FESTIVALS 2024

FEATURED FESTIVALS

 
Bucharest, Romania
Once every two years, the George Enescu International Festival features the most important artists and orchestras in the world, supporting the young performers and composers by giving them the opportunity to be heard and seen on one of the most important Festivals stages of the classical music industry.
 
 

 
 
Kean University, Hillside, New Jersey
Starting in 2021, Kean University president, Dr. Lamont Repollet, created the Jazz & Roots Music Festival as a "Fun" raiser to give back to the surrounding community for their support of Kean University in Union, NJ.
 
 

 
 
New York City, New York
TIME:SPANS is dedicated primarily to the presentation of twenty-first century music. The festival is produced and presented by The Earle Brown Music Foundation (EBMF); the artistic director for TIME:SPANS is Thomas Fichter.
 
   

Bach Choir of Bethlehem: 116th Bethlehem Bach Festival The Colorado College Summer Music Festival
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
The Bethlehem Bach Festival is America's oldest Bach festival. The Mass in B Minor remains our centerpiece, performed by the 95-voice professional-quality volunteer choir, professional Bach Festival Orchestra, and world-renowned soloists under the direction of Dr. Christopher Jackson.
Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Fellows work closely with the faculty, who spend many hours coaching small ensembles, private lessons, and master classes. The faculty teach sessions and discuss strategies for practice, improvisation, and how to perform and relate to colleagues in chamber ensembles and orchestra. The faculty to student ratio is 1-2.
John Coltrane International Jazz & Blues Festival Eastern Music Festival
Oak Hollow Festival Park, High Point, North Carolina
An integral part of the organization's mission is to preserve and celebrate the life and music of John Coltrane in his hometown of High Point, North Carolina. Importantly, this mission includes the enrichment of lives through jazz and other musical genres .
Dana Auditorium, Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina
EMF's young artists, teaching artist faculty, and featured guests present concerts, master classes, and events each summer in Greensboro, NC -- with three symphony orchestras, two chamber music series, and recitals, workshops, and special events, the Festival covers remarkable territory in five short weeks.
Grand Teton Music Festival Killington Music Festival
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Ranked as a Top 10 Classical Music Festival by The New York Times, the Grand Teton Music Festival unites the country's best musicians for eight weeks of symphonic and chamber music. Acclaimed Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles leads the festival, with the world's most talented soloists and conductors.
Killington, Vermont
KMF brings together musicians and world renowned faculty in a program of chamber music study, masterclasses and frequent performances. With the beauty of the Green Mountains as a backdrop, personal attention and collegial atmosphere, KMF 2023 could be the musical experience of your lifetime.
La Jolla Music Society SummerFest 72nd Ljubljana Festival
The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, La Jolla, California
Against San Diego's ocean backdrop, La Jolla Music Society's SummerFest is a nationally recognized chamber music festival established by the local community in 1986. Each August, SummerFest assembles an outstanding roster of renowned musicians to perform a rich variety of presentations, and carries forward a legacy of commissioning new works.
Locations in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Ljubljana Festival has strengthened its position among the most important and influential festivals in Europe; it is recognised by its long tradition, well-curated programme, excellent performances, and affordability to a wide range of visitors. Ljubljana Festival significantly contributes to the cultural vibrancy of Ljubljana.
Mann Center for the Performing Arts Minnesota Beethoven Festival
Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
For nearly five decades, The Mann Center for the Performing Arts has served as Philadelphia's premier outdoor performing arts summer festival, presenting a wide array of cultural programming and popular events.
Winona, Minnesota
Now in their 17th season, the Minnesota Beethoven Festival presents a full concert schedule of internationally acclaimed classical artists each summer in Winona, MN. 2024 concerts include Joshua Bell, the Minnesota Orchestra, Steven Isserlis, and more.
Music in the Vineyards Opera in the Ozarks
Locatons in Napa Valley, California
With breathtaking views of the Napa Valley, this unique combination of wine country ambiance and world class talent allows artists and audiences alike to experience chamber music in uniquely intimate settings, as it was intended to be performed.
Inspiration Point, Eureka Springs, Arkansas
With more than 70 years of experience running a young artist festival and with over 3,000 alumni, many of whom are now singing on the world's greatest stages, Opera in the Ozarks is the only summer opera festival of its kind in the south-central United States.
Oregon Bach Festival Ravinia Festival
Eugene, Oregon
Grammy-winning Oregon Bach Festival has presented world-class music for more than five decades. Drawing audience and artists from all corners of the globe, and set against a beautiful backdrop of Oregon's natural landscape, OBF is a destination for music lovers of all kinds.
Highland Park, Illinois
Ravinia believes in the power of shared, live-music moments to inspire ourselves and the world. Beyond presenting outstanding performances by the world's greatest musicians, the not-for-profit's mission is to develop broader, more diverse audiences and performers in the music industry.
Summit Music Festival Sunriver Music Festival
EF Academy, Thornwood, New York
Internationaly recognized as the premier summer institute for intensive chamber music and instrumental training, also featured are: the Mary Smart Concerto Competition; world-renowned faculty; master classes; and students and faculty concerts. Financial aid is available.
Sunriver and Bend, Oregon
Sunriver Music Festival is a year-round nonprofit presenting world-class orchestral performances and supporting music education throughout Central Oregon. Through a commitment to excellence, collaboration and innovation, the Festival seeks to foster a lifelong love of classical music in its many diverse forms.
Tippet Rise Art Center
Fishtail, Montana
Tippet Rise celebrates the union of music, art, architecture, and nature. Set against Montana's Beartooth Mountains on a 12,500-acre working ranch, Tippet Rise presents concerts—indoors and out—by internationally acclaimed chamber musicians and soloists and exhibits large-scale sculptures by some of the world's foremost artists and architects.

Additional Festivals

Durham, North Carolina
Fayetteville, Bentonville, and other northwest Arkansas venues
Aspen, Colorado
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams, Massachusetts
Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
Several venues in Bergen, Norway
Various venues in Berkeley, California
Lenox and Amherst, Massachusetts; Denver, Colorado; Vienna, Austria
Great Barrington, Massacusetts; New York, New York
France: Besançon, Vesoul, Arc-et-Senans, and Dole
Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Boston, Massachusetts, and online
Brunswick, Maine
Vail, Colorado
Brevard, North Carolina
Locations in Bridgehampton and Water Mill, New York
Jacksonville, Oregon
Santa Cruz, California
Katonah, New York
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Central City Opera House, Central City, Colorado
Locations in Portland and Beaverton, Oregon
Chautauqua, New York
Music Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Chautauqua Auditorium, Boulder, Colorado
Cork City & County, Ireland
Blank Performing Arts Center, Indianola, Iowa
Dresden, Germany
Drottningholm, Sweden
Old City of Dubrovnik, Croatia
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Aix-en-Provence, France
Thiré (Vendée), France
Quebec, Canada: Joliette and churches in the Lanaudière region
Aix-en-Provence, France
Martina Franca, Italy
Locations throughout Napa Valley, California
Various locations in Michigan: Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, and East Lansing
Cooperstown, New York
Online
The Grange Northington, Alresford, Hampshire, United Kingdom
St. Michael's College, Colchester, Vermont
Gstaad, Saanenland, Switzerland
Halle (Saale), Germany
California: Kendall Jackson Winery, Santa Rosa, and locations in Healdsburg
Locations in Helsinki, Finland
Hitzacker (Elbe), Germany
Los Angeles, California
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
New York, New York: Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center and Klavierhaus
Locations in Bad Kissingen, Germany
Lake George, New York
Locations in Lucerne, Switzerland
Locations in San Diego, California
SVAC Arkell Pavilion, Manchester, Vermont
Marlboro, Vermont
Fotografiska Museum NYC, New York, New York
San Francisco, California
Columbia, Missouri
Hancock, Maine
Locations in Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Moritzburg , Meißen, and Dresden, Germany
Santa Barbara, California
Atherton, California
Breckenridge, Colorado
Norfolk, Connecticut
Libbey Bowl, Ojai, California
Moores School of Music, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
Holland Park, London, United Kingdom
Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri
Orcas Island, Washington
Locations in Oxford, United Kingdom
Locations in Oxford, United Kingdom
Shelter Island, New York
Valley Forge Military Academy and College, Wayne, Pennsylvania
Locations in Prague, Czech Republic
Locations in Ravenna, Italy
Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport, Massachusetts
Teatro Argentina, Rome, Italy
Round Top, Texas
Salzburg, Austria
New Mexico Museum of Art and The Lensic Performing Arts Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Locations in Santa Fe, New Mexico
The Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center and Sarasota Opera House, Sarasota, Florida
Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, New York
Schroon Lake, New York
Charleston, South Carolina
Stresa and Verbania, Italy
Strings Pavilion, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Lincoln Center, New York, New York
Sun Valley Pavilion, Sun Valley, Idaho
Lenox, Massachusetts
Lincoln Center, New York; Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey
Esther Short Park and downtown, Vancouver, Washington
Locations in Verbier, Switzerland
Southeastern coastal Virginia: Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Newport News, Williamsburg
Oakland Scottish Rite Center and Lake Merit, Oakland, California
Vienna, Virginia
Konzerthaus Berlin, Berlin, Germany