Classical Music to Enjoy This July

Take in the sweet sounds of four classical festivals

Sorry, spring concert season and Christmastime performances; the best month for classical music in New Hampshire is July. A quartet of music festivals this month will fill the Granite State with the sounds of world-class chamber music, from Portsmouth to Plymouth.

New Hampshire Music Festival, July 5-August 4

The 64th season of the New Hampshire Music Festival begins on July 5 and plays on the theme of wanderlust. Festival concerts at the Silver Center for the Arts and other venues in the Lakes Region explore classical music from around the world, from European greats like Handel and Haydn to the modern tunes of Latin American composers such as Heitor Villa-Lobos.

Historic Portsmouth Chamber Music, July 10

The annual Historic Portsmouth Chamber Music series, sponsored by the Portsmouth Athenaeum, will continue well into the fall, but it gets its start this month. St. John’s Episcopal Church will play host to the series’ first concert, a performance of Mozart, Fauré and Turina piano quartets by Central4 and festival returnee Meredith Crawford.

Lettvin Chamber Music Series, July 15-16

A homegrown festival moves into the Bradford Center Meetinghouse mid-month with the Lettvin Chamber Music Series. The festival, named for noted pianist and Bradford resident Theodore Lettvin, welcomes Lettvin students-turned-accomplished virtuosi Laura Kargul, Ronald Lantz and the Goldenberg Duo back to New Hampshire for a pair of classical performances.

Halcyon Music Festival, July 20-30

Venues around the Seacoast will play host to the third annual Halcyon Music Festival (halcyonmusicfestival.org). The 20-plus participating musicians (including Abel Pereira, principal horn of the National Symphony Orchestra, and Wendy Warner, winner of the elite Rostropovich Cello Competition) live and rehearse together for the duration of the program, in addition to providing seven intimate chamber concerts open to the public.