Classical music in a thrilling atmosphere: a modern open-air stage, Austria's most eminent historistic castle, and a breathtaking landscape garden. Each summer this surrounding hosts the most famous orchestras of the world. Grafenegg has become an international musical hub just one hour from Vienna.

Grafenegg Castle, Grafenegg, Austria

August 14 - September 6, 2026

Rudolf Buchbinder

Classical

€15 to €180

Telephone: +43 (0)1 5868383

Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival combines an award-winning chamber music series with two intensive programs for solo and chamber music study that host 220+ serious young string players.

Elley-Long Music Center, Colchester, Vermont

June 30 - July 25, 2026

Elizabeth Chang, artistic director; Amanda Stenroos, general manager

Classical

$35 to $50

Telephone: 802-503-1220

Amanda Stenroos , general manager

Fall 2025 for summer 2026

Unique baroque events at authentic venues in the city of Handel's birth; multiple baroque opera productions staged in only 10 days; the entire spectrum of Handel's oeuvre is presented in a dialogue with jazz, classic rock, and electro sounds within the framework of bridge-building events.

Halle (Saale), Germany

June 5-14, 2026

Florian Amort

Classical

€0 to €75

Telephone: +49 345 500 90 103

A small North Carolina town brings world class musicians and repertoire to a discerning audience for a six-week festival. Special off-campus events, salons, and feasts make for an exceptional summer season of outstanding music.

Highlands and Cashiers, North Carolina

July 5 - August 9, 2026

William Ransom

Classical

$40 to $200

Telephone: 828-526-9060

Spring 2026 for summer 2027

The festival has highlighted chamber music in the countryside since 1946. The festival's motto: "Tradition and Today. A Step Ahead since 1946." Or, as the critic for the North German Broadcasting Corporation put it, "Hitzacker is and remains to be a place for discovery, experiment, intensive debate. Fantastic!"

Hitzacker (Elbe), Germany

July 25 - August 2, 2026

Oliver Wille, violinist

Classical

€21 to €54

Telephone: +49 (0)5862 / 941 430

Summer 2026 for summer 2028

One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the Hollywood Bowl has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922 and plays host to the finest artists from all genres of music.

Los Angeles, California

June 13 - September 27, 2026

Gustavo Dudamel

Classical • Pop/Folk • Jazz • World/Ethnic

$1 to $289

Telephone: 323-850-2000

Honens Festival draws and thrills its audiences every year with its vision for cultivating the "complete artist"—performers who not only shine as technically proficient musicians but also as pianists with artistry. The Festival lineup features, among many, the talents of past and present laureates.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

September 10-13, 2026

Jon Kimura Parker, artistic director; Winston Choi, festival curator

Classical • Pop/Folk • Jazz • World/Ethnic

CAD$0 to CAD$66

Telephone: 403-299-0130

Spring 2026 for fall 2027

IKIF participant students have the opportunity to hear their teachers in performance. The Institute's master classes in 2026 will be given by the performing faculty on a limited all-scholarship basis; classes will be held at Klavierhaus in New York.

New York, New York: Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center and Klavierhaus

July 7-12, 2026

Jerome Rose

Classical

$10 to $20

Telephone: 212-501-3330

Julie Kedersha , festival director

Fall 2026 for summer 2027

The Max-Littmann-Saal is one of the greatest historic concert halls found anywhere and is a major draw for artists and audiences alike to experience the unique atmosphere of one of the most important spa towns in Europe, recently crowned with the UNESCO world heritage distinction.

Bad Kissingen, Bavaria, Germany

June 11 - July 18, 2026

Alexander Steinbeis

Classical

€15 to €167

Telephone: +49 (0) 971 8048-444

Summer/fall 2026 for 2027

The Kusatsu is one of Japan's oldest classical music festivals as well as an academy where master classes led by top-tier artists can be observed. The hall, nestled within a national forest, was designed by Japanese architect Junzo Yoshimura. After enjoying music in this rich natural setting, visitors can relax in the onsen hot spring with heated geothermal water.

Kusatsu and Nagano, Japan

August 17-31, 2026

Michael Haefliger

Classical

¥2,000 to ¥5,000

At the Lake George Music Festival, our primary focus is to bring together a group of like-minded peers, energized by the opportunity to work, play, and perform together in a tight-knit and nurturing community.

Lake George, New York

May 31 - June 11, 2026

Barbora Kolarova and Roger Kalia

Classical

$0 to $30

Telephone: 518-791-5089

Two years in advance

Lucerne Festival offers a chance to experience many of the finest international orchestras in rapid succession in a superb concert hall, starting with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Contemporary music and developing the emerging generation through the Lucerne Festival Academy are other essential components, as well as programming for young listeners.

Churches, Luzerner Theater, and Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre, Lucerne, Switzerland

August 13 - September 13, 2026

Sebastian Nordmann

Classical

$30 to $320

Telephone: +41 (0)41 226 44 00

The Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra is home to the largest gathering of concertmasters and principal players in the country, all from North America's greatest orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Metrolitan Opera, and dozens more. "Perhaps the greatest orchestra currently performing anywhere in the world." - SD Reader

Locations in San Diego, California

June 17-27, 2026

Michael Francis

Classical

$25 to $250

Telephone: 619-239-0100 x305

Fall 2026 for summer 2027

Manchester Music Festival engages and inspires audiences through world-class classical performances while nurturing exceptional young talent in chamber music. The festival cultivates appreciation for classical artistry through concerts featuring the highest level of musical excellence.

Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, Vermont

July 7 - September 6, 2026

Philip Setzer

Classical

$15 to $80

Telephone: 802-362-1956

The New Yorker calls Marlboro "classical music's most coveted retreat" and the resident artists decide a week in advance which of the 75 to 80 works being explored have gone especially well and should be shared through public performances.

Marlboro, Vermont

July 18 - August 16, 2026

Mitsuko Uchida, Jonathan Biss

Classical

$20 to $40

Telephone: 215-569-4690 until June 21; 802-254-2394 from June 22

jloux@marlboromusic.org for audition information for outstanding young professional musicians

During the pre-festival open-call period of four weeks, distinguished panelists bring their top selections to the table. Unlike other festivals, the focus of MATA Festival is on these selected submissions, building a common place for discovery and interaction, a place to cultivate new collaborations, and spark ideas and conversations.

DiMenna Center for Classical Music, New York, New York, and Ridgewood, New York

May 20-23, 2026

Pauline Kim Harris

Classical • World/Ethnic • Contemporary Music

$45 to $150

One year from the end of the festival

More than 60 concerts take place in the historic churches of the Saanenland, Pays-d'Enhaut and Obersimmental—renowned for their exceptional acoustics—alongside performances in the elegant Festival Tent in Gstaad. A distinguished academy programme completes the experience.

Gstaad and Saanenland, Switzerland

July 16 - September 5, 2026

Daniel Hope

Classical

CHF₣30 to CHF₣235

Telephone: +41 33 748 81 82

Summer at Orchestra Hall celebrates the Minnesota Orchestra's home in the city. The festival explores a broad spectrum of musical styles from classical and film music to jazz tunes and the American songbook. Audiences may also enjoy pre-concert performances by local artists, and special dining and cocktail options.

Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota

July 16 - August 8, 2026

Grant Meachum

Classical • Pop/Folk • Jazz • World/Ethnic

$0 to $100

Telephone: 612-371-5656

Kari Marshall , director of artistic planning

The MICF is the only contemporary music festival on an international scale in the state of Missouri. At no other festival in the country can audiences hear the world premieres of eight new works by rising young composers performed by one of the most highly regarded ensembles in the country.

Columbia, Missouri

July 21-25, 2026

Stefan Freund

Classical • New Music

Free admission

Telephone: 651-468-6027

One year in advance

This 83-year old school for conductors carries on the traditions started by founder Pierre Monteux, and all conductors must also play in the orchestra, thus learning from both sides of the podium.

Hancock, Maine

June 14 - July 26, 2026

Tiffany Lu

Classical

$20 to $35

Telephone: 207-813-4914

One to two years in advance

Montreal Chamber Music Festival presents a richly diverse program featuring extraordinary artists from around the world and at home in Canada, taking place at the beautiful and intimate Bourgie Hall at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts with its closing celebration in Maison symphonique, Place des Arts.

Locations in Montréal, Québec, Canada

June 9-21, 2026

Denis Brott, C.M., C.Q.

Classical • Jazz

CAD$20 to CAD$85

Telephone: 514-489-7444

Denis Brott , C.M.. C.Q., founder and artistic director
514-489-7444

Spring 2026 for spring 2027

Internationally acclaimed musicians and promising talents playing chamber music in transitional ensembles which are unique and exclusive to the Moritzburg Festival surrounded by nature and history.

Locations in Germany: Moritzburg, Meißen, Dresden

August 7-23, 2026

Jan Vogler

Classical

€6 to €56

Telephone: +49 351 16 09 26 15