1. 1. Caramoor Music Festival

   Katonah, N.Y.

   Diverse, excellent programming, from vivid works by (and starring) Paquito D’Rivera in the “Sonidos Latinos” series to Verdi’s Il Trovatore in the “Bel Canto at Caramoor” series. The gorgeous gardens they’re set in are a bonus.

2. 2. Bard Music Festival of the Hamptons

   Various locations, Long Island

   Intimate Hamptons sites host above-average classical offerings; try the American Symphony Orchestra’s concert exploring the origins of Romanticism, in Wainscott, or the Daedalus String Quartet playing virtuosic chamber works at Old Whalers Church in Sag Harbor.

3. 3. Bard SummerScape

   Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.

   The festival will explore Elgar’s music later in the summer. Right now, head for the Fisher Center’s very own Spiegeltent to hear transfixing avant-garde violinist Iva Bittová in a setting just as madcap as her music.

Related:

• Archive: “Music Features”
• Articles by Rebecca Milzoff
• Table of Contents: Jul 16, 2007 issue of New York | Subscribe!