Your classical summer in Vancouver: Monteverdi, Vivaldi and free concerts in the park

Summer has arrived in Vancouver, and the city's classical music scene is busier than the season's reputation suggests.

Early Music Vancouver's Power of Music Summer Festival takes over the Chan Centre and Christ Church Cathedral from late July through early August, opening with a fully staged production of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo — opera's founding masterwork — and closing with Rachel Podger leading Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

Meanwhile the Vancouver Symphony takes its free outdoor concerts to David Lam Park, Deer Lake Park and beyond, and Vancouver Opera returns to Burnaby for its evening under the stars. If you've never been to a classical concert and aren't sure you'd like it, the free outdoor ones are the least intimidating way to find out: bring a blanket, sit at the back, leave whenever you like.

This is the same lineup that went out in the summer newsletter, adapted here in case you'd rather browse than scroll an inbox. If you're new here, Discover is the editorial side of Allegro — a little more opinionated than the full listings. Subscribe below and I'll send the next one straight to your inbox.

See you at a concert soon.