Summer Arts Festivals
CALIFORNIA
Stern Grove Festival
June 16-Aug. 18
At the 65th annual free concert series (Sundays), visitors can enjoy eclectic music from singer/songwriter Michelle Shocked, Afro-Cuban funk band Yerba Buena, jazz pianist Kenny Barron, and South African dance group Mahotella Queens.
(415) 252-6252
SummerFest La Jolla
Aug. 2-18
For the festival's 17th season, Los Angeles Philharmonic music director Esa-Pekka Salonen will lead a performance of Stravinsky's 'L'Histoire du Soldat' Aug. 10. Other highlights include the Orion String Quartet's world première performance of a quartet by John Harbison Aug. 3.
(858) 459-3724 or www.ljcm.org
Aspen Music Festival
June 20-Aug. 18
World-class music in a small-town setting. The nine-week festival features more than 200 events, including chamber music, opera, lectures, and kids' programs. Talented musicians from the Aspen music school will perform Haydn's London Symphony, Beethoven's Symphony No. 2, and Brahms's Symphony No. 2, among others.
(970) 925-9042
Shakespeare Festival
June 14 Nov. 3
The event will feature Shakespeare's "Two Gentlemen of Verona," "The Merry Wives of Windsor," "The Taming of the Shrew," and Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" at The Conant Performing Arts Center for classic theater at Oglethorpe University.
(404) 264-0020
Grant Park Music Festival
June 14-June 28
On opening night, internationally acclaimed soprano and opera star Dawn Upshaw joins the Grant Park Orchestra for an evening of classical and popular favorites, including Sondheim, Bernstein, Weill, and Gershwin.
(312) 742-4763
www.grantparkmusicfestival.com
Ravinia Festival
June 7-Sept. 8
This summer-long festival of pop, rock, jazz, and classical music will feature artists and musical groups such as The B-52s; Blues Traveler; Itzhak Perlman; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; the Apollo Chorus of Chicago; Milwaukee Symphony Chorus; Willie Nelson; Peter, Paul & Mary; the Doobie Brothers; and Dar Williams.
(847) 266-5100 or www.ravinia.org
International Arts Festival
June 7-9
The 16th annual International Arts Festival (IAF) features South African dancers, storytellers, artists, and sculptors hailing from Durban, South Africa. While listening to live music, visitors can enjoy Cajun and Caribbean food and exotic juices.
Jacob's Pillow
June 15-Aug. 25
Mikhail Baryshnikov and the White Oak Dance Project open Jacob's Pillow's 70th anniversary season (the longest-running US dance festival) with amazing dancers and new contemporary works by Lucinda Childs, Erick Hawkins, and the edgy British choreographer, Sarah Michelson.
(413) 243-0745
Tanglewood Jazz Festival
Aug. 30-Sept. 1
Features Grammy winner Diana Krall, Marian McPartland, Sir Roland Hanna, Cuban trumpet star Arturo Sandoval, and other jazz artists.
(888) 266-1200 or www.bso.org
Michigan State Fair
Aug. 20 Sept. 2
You'll find activities including children's theater, parades, racing animals even cow milking at this oldest state fair in the United States (1849). There are also livestock shows, home and fine art competitions, sample tastings of Michigan products, and daily concerts.
313-369-8250
www.mda.state.mi.us/statefair/
The Sante Fe Chamber Music Festival
July 12-Aug. 19
Jazz legend and Grammy-award winning Chick Corea kicks off the music festival's 30th season. The season features chamber masterpieces by Johannes Brahms, world music from Duquende and Anoushka Shankar, and trumpet playing from award-winning jazzman Terence Blanchard.
(505) 983-2075
Central Park SummerStage
June 14-Sept. 14
This summer festival in the park features a variety of entertainment, from New York Grand Opera's performance of Puccini's "Manon Lescaut" to funky urban tap dance and an already-sold-out concert from singer-songwriter John Mayer.
Lincoln Center Festival 2002
July 8-28
More than 75 performances of music, theater, dance, puppetry, and film highlight the festival. Artists are from countries such as Algeria, China, Egypt, France, Japan, Iran, Israel, Morocco, Russia, and the US. The event features a revival of Stephen Sondheim's 1976 musical "Pacific Overtures," and performances by the Kirov Ballet.
(212) 875-5000
Caramoor International Music Festival
June 22-Aug. 11
The brochure describes the festival as a "garden of great music." Amid fragrant gardens and towering trees, festivalgoers can listen to world-renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman, the Eroica Trio, Latin jazz by Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and the Emerson String Quartet, who will perform Beethoven and Bartók. Caramoor also houses a large collection of Renaissance, 18th-century, and Eastern art objects at The House Museum.
(914) 232-1252
Parade the Circle Celebration
June 8
University Circle, Cleveland's cultural hub, is the vibrant setting for this daylong Carnevale-inspired parade sponsored by the Cleveland Art Museum. Audiences can look forward to human-powered floats, music ensembles, giant puppets, dancers and stilt dancers, and flamboyant handmade masks and costumes.
(888) 262-0033
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Through Nov. 3
This year's season features plays such as "Julius Caesar," "Macbeth," "The Winter's Tale," "Titus Andronicus," and "As You Like It." Non-Shakespeare offerings include "Noises Off" by Michael Frayn and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" by Edward Albee.
(541) 482-4331
The Kutztown Pennsylvania German Festival
June 29-July 7
A celebration of Pennsylvania Dutch culture, the festival will feature more than 200 folk artists and traditional American craftsmen, handmade quilts, antiques, and six stages of music and storytelling. Children will enjoy hands-on activities, such as singalongs, story times, a magician, and pony rides. Also on hand will be Pennsylvania Dutch food, including shoofly pie and ox-roast sandwiches.
(888) 674-6136
Newport Folk Festival
Aug. 2-4
Bob Dylan, Shawn Colvin, Dar Williams, and The Blind Boys of Alabama are just a handful of the talented performers scheduled for the Newport Folk Festival.
J.V.C. Jazz Festival
Aug. 9-11
Jazz fans can look forward to performances from Tony Bennett, Dave Holland Quintet, Oleta Adams, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
(401) 847-3700
Dallas International Festival
June 18-20
With the theme Unity for Peace, this event showcases a wide range of global arts groups in north Texas. Activities include a Parade of Nations, poetry readings, and performances by Mariachi Rayos de Guanajuato, the Olin Tontitzin Aztec dancers, and the Sufi Drummers.
(972) 661-5145
Garth Newel Chamber Music Festival
June 29-Sept. 1
Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains provide a beautiful backdrop for this series of concerts every Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. On Aug. 11, the Tango Quintet with Rablo Ziegler and Nicky Danielson will set the night on fire as they perform tangos by Argentinian composer Astro Piazzola.
(540) 839-5018
Fremont Summer Solstice Parade and Fair
June 2223
This is one of Seattle's largest arts and crafts fairs. Festivities include a people-powered parade complete with 20-foot-high puppets, 28 ethnic food booths, and six stages with a wide variety of music, dance, and a new interactive drumming area.
(206) 726-2623
www.fremontfair.com/index.html
Chamber Music Society's 2002 Summer Festival
July 1-26
At the Lakeside School in north Seattle, the festival will feature more than 34 internationally acclaimed violinists, cellists, and pianists.
(206) 283-8808
Festival International de Jazz de Montreal
June 27-July 7
Thousands of people from around the world will gather to listen to nearly 500 concerts (350 are free) in the heart of Montreal. The lineup includes jazz legend Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, and Lauryn Hill.
(888) 515-0515
