The Washington Bach Consort and Sanctuaries add a twist to the summer jazz series.

We always tell you where the free concerts are, but just because a concert is free does not mean that it will be good. This week, we are leading with the free concerts because they are so good. Other than the free stuff, there is so much to hear, we have selected a few options from what is less expensive, not sold out, and likely to be good. FREE, FREE, FREE: >> The Washington Bach…

Usually I recommend concert experiences I have actually heard or at least of which I have a fairly good idea what to expect. However, sometimes I recommend things that sound interesting but may be even stranger than I could have foreseen. This week I am leading with one of those. COLLEGE PARK: THE OPERA >> The interdisciplinary art collective called Squonk Opera got its start in Pittsburgh. Their latest project is Put Your Hometown’s Name…

Well, now that you’ve (hopefully) finished your tax return, you can clear your mind with some classical music. Blogger Drew McManus, at Adaptistration, has dubbed April Take a Friend to the Orchestra Month. If you like the symphony, buy a ticket for a friend who has never heard an orchestral concert. Drew is running articles by music critics and other readers who have done just that. Here are some concerts to which you can take…

There is little doubt about the major event in classical music this week in Washington. On Tuesday (April 4, 8 p.m.) renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma will play a recital in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Not only that, but he will be playing three of the solo cello suites by J. S. Bach, works with which he is widely identified, to the point that when he appeared on The West Wing, he was playing one…

Last week, we announced the beginning of Washington’s orgy of Christmas and non-specific winter holiday concerts, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. However, there are some good concerts this week that are not specifically for the holidays, and that’s where we’ll start. WE LIKE FREE: >> We have three good free concerts for you this week. On the first Tuesday of most months, the Washington Bach Consort performs a noontime cantata, at…

One of Washington’s musical treasures is the Washington Bach Consort, a group of singers and instrumentalists directed by J. Reilly Lewis. The group began, in 1977, with local musicians who were devoted to the performance of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. After three European concert tours, beginning in the 1980s, and countless critically praised concerts culminating in a landmark appearance at the Library of Congress last April, the WBC has become an institution,…

Before we point you to our concert picks for this week, make sure you go check out the Six Points Festival lineup. The festival features performances from dozens of area bands at venues throughout Arlington and D.C. MONDAY: >> Sticky-sweet Japanese punksters Shonen Knife play the Black Cat tonight. $12. TUESDAY: >> If you feel like a blast from the past (or, rather, the mid-90s), female rocker Lisa Loeb (at right), she of the black-framed…