This is the last week of the traditional vacation season. I love the terms associated with vacation. To “vacate” means to “get out.”  “Relax” means to “loosen.” We also “take a break,” have “time off,” and “get away.” In all of those words or phrases is the idea of relief from everyday routine, and there are myriad ways to escape quotidian matters.

Summer has not yet officially arrived, but classical music is already decamping from the cities and heading for more bucolic settings. The Ojai Music Festival got an early start under the direction of British composer and conductor George Benjamin. 

Throughout June, Brooklyn’s Issue Project Room will host its annual Darmstadt Institute festival, which takes part of its name from the German festival and city Darmstadt. The Brooklyn festival's concerts, talk-backs, lectures and film screenings all offer a varied look into the avant-garde. Darmstadt Institute performer Allison Loggins-Hull of the composer/performer flute duo, Flutronix, talks about the group’s musical upbringing and discusses the internet’s role as a musical matchmaker.

It’s Memorial Day, the traditional start of the summer season. Elsewhere on this website is a guide to great summer music festivals in New York City, the surrounding area, across the country and around the world.  But today I’d like to highlight a few specific performances here in town this week which have the added attraction of being free of charge.

Summer is the time for engagingly mindless action movies, escapist beach novels and grilling in backyards and on rooftops. It's also a time when classical music takes to the great outdoors.

Summer is festival time, even for our hard-working WQXR hosts. Here they reveal a few of their favorite spots for your summer travel planning.

Will you be attending any music festivals this summer? Let us know which ones you will be enjoying and share your festival photos.

The spring concert season may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean the music stops. Instead, it heads outdoors. Check out our list of the top five outdoor area concert festivals this summer.