Here is our pick of the best classical music festivals taking place across the USA and Canada in 2025. Don't forget to also check out our useful guides to the UK's best classical music festivals and the best festivals in Europe in 2025.
Best USA classical music festivals in 2025
Here are the best classical music festivals across the States for 2025, broken down month by month.
Best USA classical music festivals: May 2025
May Festival
Cincinnati, OH, 16-24 May
mayfestival.com
It’s all change at Cincinnati’s choralfest, as soprano Renée Fleming takes the artistic helm. She revisits her Grammy Award-winning disc Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene and joins baritone Rod Gilfry for Kevin Puts’s The Brightness of Light. Massed choirs are ‘Chasing the Dawn’ in works by Richard Strauss and Lili Boulanger, while the opening night features Verdi’s Requiem.
Spoleto Festival USA
Charleston, SC, 23 May – 8 June
spoletousa.org
Charleston’s multi-faceted festival is an omnivorous affair, welcoming Manual Cinema’s bold take on Macbeth as well as the aerial wizardry of Australian company Gravity and Other Myths. But, founded by composer Gian Carlo Menotti, music remains its beating heart, and Britten’s opera The Turn of the Screw spooks Dock Street Theatre; cellist Alisa Weilerstein pairs Bach with new commissions; and marking its Spoleto debut, the Kronos Quartet introduces a new piece by Charlton Singleton.
Best USA classical music festivals: June 2025
OSL Bach Festival
New York, 3-24 June
oslmusic.org
The Orchestra of St Luke’s has a busy summer ahead at Caramoor, but first the Big Apple takes a bite out of Bach. The composer’s German arrangement of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater is directed by Lionel Meunier at the start of a festival that concludes with the complete Brandenburg Concertos. Pianist Angela Hewitt mixes Bach with Mozart, while violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte injects a French Baroque perspective.
Ojai Festival
Takes place in Ojai, CA, 5-8 June
ojaifestival.org
2025’s Ojai director is flautist Claire Cooper, who steps into shoes previously occupied by Pierre Boulez, John Adams and Aaron Copland. ‘Landscape’ underpins a programme which, she suggests, conjures ‘thinking forests, liberated rivers, endangered charms… and reimagined communities’. Terry Riley’s The Holy Liftoff and the West Coast premiere of Pulsefield celebrate the composer’s 90th birthday, and in another West Coast premiere, Liza Lim’s Sex Magic combines Chase’s fearsome contrabass flute and electronics.
Ravinia Festival
Highland Park, IL, 6 June – 31 August
ravinia.org
North America’s veteran music festival turns 125 next year and has embarked on an ambitious programme of renewal at its Highland Park home. First in line for a makeover is the iconic Pavilion, which should be ready in time for the upcoming season. Conductor Marin Alsop undertakes the lion’s share of the resident Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s concerts; new and recent works by Joan Tower, Malek Jandali and Joel Thompson rub shoulders with Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony; and, semi-staged, Handel’s Alcina works her potent operatic magic.
Boston Early Music Festival
Boston, MA, 8-15 June
bemf.org
‘Love and Power’ supply the propulsion for this year’s biennial festival, both combined in a new production of Reinhard Keiser’s 1705 opera Octavia. And as well as a Telemann double bill, bolstered by a lively fringe and trade fair, 18 concerts assemble The Tallis Scholars twice over, Ensemble Castor and Trio Medieval, who forge an Anglo-German alliance between Hildegard of Bingen and Leonel Power.
Music Academy of the West
Santa Barbara, CA, 15 June – 9 August
musicacademy.org
Early faculty members included Lotte Lehmann, Otto Klemperer and Arnold Schoenberg. Quite the pedigree! And the legacy continues with pianist Jeremy Denk and the Takács Quartet. Denk leads an exploration of Beethoven’s chamber music; Mozart’s Don Giovanni seduces; a percussion extravaganza showcases new work; and, marking the film’s 50th anniversary, ‘Jaws in Concert’ revisits John Williams’s chilling score.
Bravo! Vail
Vail, CO, 19 June – 31 July
bravovail.org
Not content with its customary four orchestras-in-residence – The Chamber Orchestra of Europe making its Bravo! Vail debut alongside flagship stalwarts from Dallas, Philadelphia and New York – there’s a fifth: Mexico’s Sinfonica de Minería. More than 70 concerts enrich a Colorado summer including Brahms’s piano concertos performed by Yefim Bronfman. And (following a new work by Jessie Montgomery and the Stravinsky Violin Concerto performed by Patricia Kopatchinskaja), Brahms’s First Symphony concludes Jakub Hrůša’s opener with the New York Philharmonic. At Vail Golf Clubhouse, ‘Classically Uncorked’ raises a convivial glass or two.
Seattle Chamber Music Festival
Seattle, WA, 20 June – 1 August
seattlechambermusic.org
From Benaroya Hall to public parks and more than a dozen concerts dispensed from a truck, violinist James Ehnes’s celebration of chamber music likes to put itself about. Specially commissioned works are stitched into a programme summoning international artists returning and new. And alongside open rehearsals as well as lectures, for the fearless there are sight-reading parties!
Tanglewood
Lenox, MA, 21 June – 31 August
tanglewood.org
From Barenaked Ladies to star-studded Beethoven, the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summertime home is the model of inclusivity – whether sporting a contemporary music festival-within-a-festival or signing off in the company of Bonnie Raitt. Daniil Trifonov is part of a distinguished cohort of pianists including Emanuel Ax, who premieres a new piano concerto by John Williams, and, scaling Ravel’s complete solo piano music, Seong-Jin Cho. There’s more Ravel, too, as L’enfant et les sortilèges vies for the operatic crown with Puccini’s Tosca. Among festival newcomers are The Sixteen, Brooklyn Rider and intrepid Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto.
Caramoor Festival
Katonah, NY, 21 June – 3 August
caramoor.org
In a Spanish Courtyard, Venetian Theater and a magnificent Music Room, from folk and classical to world music and jazz, multi-tasking Caramoor has a perfectly tailored space for all eventualities. Beethoven sounds an ‘Ode to Joy’ to launch the festival; there’s operatic Monteverdi and Telemann; and, as well as Sō Percussion and The Knights, the piano trio dream team of Leonidas Kavakos, Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma.
Bard Summerscape and Music Festival
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY,
27 June – 17 August
fishercenter.bard.edu
Beethoven meets dance plus composer Caroline Shaw as architect Frank Gehry’s inspiring arts centre lifts the lid on Summerscape ’25. Visuals by Sarah Crowner complete choreographer Pam Tanowitz’s response to Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony; and following Jean-Romain Vesperini’s new production of Smetana’s Dalibor, Martinů is the subject of this year’s festival deep dive which concludes with a semi-staged Julietta.
Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe, NM, 27 June – 23 August
santafeopera.org
In 1957, John Crosby launched Santa Fe Opera, now a destination festival that lures visitors from far and wide to savour opera under a New Mexico night sky. Luring them this year is a new production of Puccini’s La bohème and, conducted by James Gaffigan, Wagner’s Die Walküre in a festival first. Director Louisa Muller stages Britten’s Henry James-derived The Turn of the Screw, which joins Verdi’s Rigoletto and a revival of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro.
Maverick Concerts
Hurley, Woodstock, NY,
28 June – 14 September
maverickconcerts.org
Maverick marks Ravel’s 150th birthday and the 60th of Russell Platt (whose Clarinet Concerto is premiered in a new chamber ensemble guise). Its woodland ‘chapel’ also resonates to the sound of women composers, most particularly that of Hudson Valley doyenne Joan Tower. A Woodstock summer ends with the world premiere of her String Quartet No. 6, and she’s the soloist for her 2022 Love Letter for piano. Clara Schumann is fêted, Joan Baez celebrated, and, in ‘Fauré at Sunset’, Michael Stephen Brown plays the complete piano Nocturnes.
Best USA classical music festivals: July 2025
Aspen Music Festival and School
Aspen, CO, 2 July – 24 August
aspenmusicfestival.com
Aspen is a Mecca for the musically curious and boasts over 400 events each season. Soprano Renée Fleming joins conductor Robert Spano as co-artistic director, and headlining this year is the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’s opera Siddhartha, She. There’s also the US premiere of Thomas Adès’s The Origin of the Harp and new music by Anna Clyne, Nico Muhly and Matthias Pintscher. Among Aspen debutants are pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, conductor Stéphane Denève, and duos from violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja and cellist Sol Gabetta.
Grand Teton Music Festival
Jackson Hole, WY, 3 July – 23 August
gtmf.org
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has been absent from Wyoming’s spectacularly sited festival for almost a decade, but that gets put right when music director Donald Runnicles conducts the Festival Orchestra on opening night. The recently introduced operatic strand continues with a semi-staged performance of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, the Gateway Series includes crack vocalists Chanticleer, and mezzo Sasha Cooke premieres a song cycle by Alex Turley.
Colorado Music Festival
Boulder, CO, 3 July – 3 August
coloradomusicfestival.org
Eclecticism and risk-taking are conductor Peter Oundjian’s twin ambitions for the festival he’s curated since 2019. Against the majestic Rockies, Chautauqua Auditorium is home to a handpicked Festival Orchestra of players from across two continents. A chamber strand invites the Dover and Brentano string quartets, while ‘Music of Today’ includes the world premiere of Joan Tower’s new sax concerto Love Returns.
Newport Classical Music Festival
Newport, RI, 4-22 July
newportclassical.org
Whether in the historic mansions that dot Rhode Island or the al fresco delights of King Park and Norman Bird Sanctuary, Newport Classical shows there’s more to the city than its sporty golden age. Festival composer-in-residence is Cris Derksen; anniversary Ravel proliferates; and as well as visiting artists the Gesualdo Six and violinist Leila Josefowicz, the US premiere of a new work by David Lang awaits.
Festival Napa Valley
Napa Valley, CA, 5-20 July
festivalnapavalley.org
Making the arts accessible to all is a year-round mission for Festival Napa Valley. But come July, the festival ‘proper’ beckons – liberally lubricated with the local wine, fine dining and sun-soaked vistas. Versailles Royal Opera presents Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment and mezzo Joyce DiDonato seasons a flavoursome feast that includes hot jazz and Jon Batiste. Tuck in!.
Glimmerglass Festival
Cooperstown, NY, 11 Jul – 17 August
glimmerglass.org
Glimmerglass’s 50th anniversary boasts a night with Broadway superstar Bernadette Peters, which complements the staging of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George, while ‘Pipeline Talk: From Page to Stage’ charts the journey informing the world premiere of Derek Bermel’s The House on Mango Street. Other Lake Otsego temptations include Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress (a company first), and Puccini’s Tosca.
Carmel Bach Festival
Carmel, CA, 12- 26 July
bachfestival.org
As it approaches its 90th season, Carmel Bach Festival presents some 40 concerts and events in Carmel, Monterey and Pebble Beach. Under the artistic leadership of Grete Pedersen, Mozart’s Requiem and the Haydn Harmoniemesse take their place alongside Bach’s B minor Mass; route maps to Mendelssohn and Stravinsky are forged; and Nordic folklore and nyckelharpa are entwined.
Music@Menlo
Menlo, CA, 18 July – 9 August
musicatmenlo.org
‘Constellations: Ensemble Magic’ is the watchword at Menlo this year – directed, as ever with panache, by pianist Wu Han and cellist David Finckel. Cart Blanche, Café conversations and multimedia encounters illuminate, while seven mainstage recitals traverse ‘Duo Dialogues’ through ‘Trio Transformations’ to ‘Quintessential Quintets’ and beyond. Celebrating his 90th birthday, pianist Gilbert Kalish tackles Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire,not to mention Bach and Webern.
Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music
Santa Cruz, CA, 27 July – 10 August
cabrillomusic.org
California’s annual rendezvous with the new and nearly new presents over 20 composers (12 in residence) alongside its Festival Orchestra, three world premieres, four festival commissions, and an underpinning shout-out to the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ+ Pride in Santa Cruz. As well as music by Lou Harrison, John Corigliano and Jennifer Higdon, there are premieres by Jake Heggie and Darian Donovan Thomas.
Sun Valley Music Festival
Sun Valley, ID, 28 July – 21 August
svmusicfestival.org
Wreathed by mountains, Sun Valley’s Pavilion is almost as much of a draw as the festival’s astute programming. Apart from a Gala featuring pianist Yuja Wang, its concerts are free! Time for Three premiere a new triple concerto by Mason Bates; cellist Gautier Capuçon plays Elgar; and an all-Ravel evening marks the composer’s 150th birthday.
Best USA classical music festivals: August 2025
Tippet Rise
Fishtail, MT, 15 Aug – 14 September
tippetrise.org
Tippet Rise is no ordinary sheep and cattle ranch. A catalyst for the arts, its August mini-festival inaugurates a concert season stretching into September that, encouraged by ensembles such as yMusic and Brooklyn Rider, likes to push boundaries. New works by Gabriella Smith and Angélica Négron, returning pianists Stephen Hough and George Li, plus a line-up ranging from Stockhausen to Mary Poppins are heralded by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons interspersed with the sounds of nature.
Best Canadian classical music festivals in 2025
Toronto Summer Music
Toronto, ON, 10 July – 2 August
torontosummermusic.com
Toronto Summer Music’s Festival and Academy this year present a 20th-anniversary edition that bids adieu to violinist and director Jonathan Crow, as he bows out on a high. Among 2025’s artists are the Calidore, Rosamunde and New Orford string quartets, soprano Mary Bevan and pianist Roger Vignoles
Stratford Summer Music
Stratford, ON, Canada,
17 July – 10 August
stratfordsummermusic.ca
Stratford Summer Music notches up its quarter-century with aplomb. MusicBarge, a floating stage on the River Avon, hosts an afternoon series; pianist Stewart Goodyear navigates Bach’s Goldberg Variations; the SSM Jazz All-Stars are at Revival House; and Carmina Burana raises the roof on opening night.