890A Old Post Road, Charlestown, Rhode Island | 888.855.6940 | rhythmandroots.com
VERMONT
VERMONT ROOTS REGGAE FEST | JUNE 20; JULY 31 THROUGH AUGUST 2 | Now in its 28th year, this festival will host two events this summer. The first, a one-day event on June 20, brings such bands as Third Eye and John Brown's Body to Burlington's lakeside Waterfront Park. The second three-day festival, July 31 through August 2, with Mutti Lewis, Solomonic Sounds, and others, takes place at Brigham Farm, in Alburgh, where camping is allowed.
Waterfront Park, 10 College Street, Burlington, Vermont | Brigham Farm, Alburgh, Vermont | 603.290.2388 | vermontroots.org
LAKE CHAMPLAIN BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL | AUGUST 7 THROUGH 9 | In its eighth year, this open-air fest has dropped the fiddle and banjo contest, but will still host traditional sounds by the likes of Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, the Grascals, the Atkinson Family, and more. Free camping with three-day ticket.
Route 2, Alburgh, Vermont | 802.482.8100 | lakechamplainmusic.com
FARTHER AFIELD
FREIHOFER'S JAZZ FESTIVAL | JUNE 27 AND 28 | We're not sure how Patti LaBelle got top billing at a jazz fest, but the soul-pop chanteuse headlines the 32d annual Freihofer's Jazz Festival, with such bona fide jazz artists as Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Bonerama, and Dave Brubeck (doesn't that man ever rest?), plus a score of others on two stages at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
108 Avenue of the Pines, Saratoga Springs, New York | 518.584.9330 | spac.org
MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL | JUNE 30 THROUGH JULY 12 | In its 30th year, the Montreal International Jazz Festival is a citywide monster, with more than 650 concerts, 370 of them free on the 10 outdoor stages, featuring blues, Afro-Cuban, and Latin jazz, as well as reggae, electronica, and more. Headliners this year include Ornette Coleman, Wynton Marsalis, Gary Burton, Wayne Shorter, and Femi Kuti. July 3 through 5, the festival also hosts the Montreal Guitar Show.
Various locations in Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 888.515.0515 | montrealjazzfest.com
CLASSICAL
The region celebrates the season with too many classical-music festivals to list. Here are some perennial favorites.
MONADNOCK MUSIC | MAY 22 THROUGH AUGUST 16 | Founded in 1966, this festival has grown to include nearly 100 musicians who give more than 30 concerts in 18 towns around the Monadnock region. Under the artistic direction of Jonathan Bagg and Laura Gilbert, this year's programming will include a "trail" of Beethoven string quartets across the area, culminating in an August 14 performance by the Borromeo Quartet.
Various locations in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire | 800.868.9613 | monadnockmusic.org
ROCKPORT CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL | JUNE 4 THROUGH JULY 2 | Some of the world's greatest chamber-music artists will gather in Rockport for the 28th season of this festival, which hosts concerts in three locations around the Cape Ann town. Under the artistic direction of David Deveau, this year's festival will include such performers as the Biava Quartet, the Borromeo Quartet, the Synergy Brass Quintet, and the Brasil Guitar Duo.
Various locations in Rockport, Massachusetts | 978.546.7391 | rcmf.org
