Previews

Iolanthe, or the Peer and the Peri may not be the most famous or most remembered show by Gilbert and Sullivan, but it is one of their best. Lamplighters Music Theatre is, of course, the local specialist in this repertoire.

The Cabrillo Festival opens with its usual bang, behind the powerhouse Christopher Rouse whose vibrant, propulsive (and loud) music is made for opening festivals.

George Cleve’s Midsummer Mozart festival will be graced by violinist Mayuko Kamio in its second concert set.

Sometimes it’s good to venture out to the boundaries, find out what’s going on on the wild side of music. The annual Outsound Festival of experimental and improvisational music is as good a time as any to do this exploration. 

A day after their appearance at the America’s Cup stage, the San Francisco Symphony brings some of the same repertoire to a completely free concert in Dolores Park. 

Amid all the fabulous concerts that are part of the Music@Menlo 2013 festival, “Through Bach”, don’t overlook this one, in which Soovin Kim will cut a swath through four centuries of violin repertoire in one astonishing program.

The Turn of the Screw is one of Benjamin Britten’s tautest, most gripping operas. And, unlike much of the repertoire that the local, small-budget companies take on, this chamber opera is conceived on a scale that emphasizes the virtues of West Edge Opera.

The evergreen classic Bye, Bye, Birdie gets the teen treatment.

Genre-bending musical forms invade this year’s Carmel Bach Festival in Monterey, which promises a range of delights.

You might not expect new compositions at the Carmel Bach Festival, but you should. Director Paul Goodwin has commissioned works for the past three years, this time from Thea Musgrave.