It’s midsummer and all good performing‑arts lovers dream of festivals.

Festivals, it is largely agreed upon by experts, are the best way to get new people interested in things like opera, chamber music, and ballet. Someone who wouldn’t think of buying a ticket to hear a symphony during the work year– too much hassle, all that driving and parking, and anyway, there’s preparation for that meeting tomorrow–is content to travel to a beautiful destination, stretch out under a canopy where a cool breeze blows,  and listen to music made by old white men who died centuries ago.

But festivals are also a godsend to those of us who can’t get enough of that old dead white man music. There may be things better than to be able to hear the Shostakovich Piano Quintet in the afternoon and a Mozart opera in the evening, but aside from sex and certain kinds of culinary experiences, I don't know what they are.

Though the summer is half gone, there’s still time to catch many festival experiences in our region of the country–and in cooler climes. Here are a few of them:

1. Santa Fe Opera/Chamber Music Festival. Two for one. I’ve missed only a handful of Santa Fe summer seasons, and I’ve always regretted it when I did. There is no more beautiful place in summer than the high desert, no more mystical environs than the old land of the Pueblo Indians. Add to this mix two of the country’s most valued summer festivals (and the local cuisine doesn’t hurt, either), and you have a recipe for summer musical bliss. Santa Fe Opera’s season this year includes Mozart's “Cosi fan tutte”; Strauss’ “Daphne”; Puccini’s “La Boheme”; Rameau’s “Platee,” and Tan Dun’s “Tea: A Mirror of the Soul.” As you can tell from the lineup, this company is no warhorse haven. Performances run through Aug. 25; call (800) 280‑4654. The chamber music festival takes place concurrently, and this year features music of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel–and Wynton Marsalis, among others. It runs through Aug. 20; call (888) 221‑9836.

2. You’ve already missed many a wonderful event at the Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, Colo., but don't despair. The beauty of being at Aspen is just, well, being there. Everywhere you go, there are young musicians performing, practicing, taking lessons. Go to lunch and hear a wind quintet playing nearby. Stroll while a string quartet serenades. Of course there are also plenty of formal events, from operas to symphony concerts. Performances continue through mid‑August; check out aspenmusic.org.

3. Is New York a little too far to travel in order to hear that icon of American orchestras, the New York Philharmonic? Well, then ... how about Colorado? Starting July 21, the Philharmonic will be in residence at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, a one‑stop destination to fulfill all your summertime orchestral wishes. If you hurry, you might also be able to catch the fabled Philadelphia Orchestra there this weekend (July 13 ‑ 14). The Philharmonic’s repertoire is enough to tempt both newcomers and experienced concertgiers: the Prokofiev Third Piano Concerto, with the estimable Garrick Ohlsson, soloist; the Elgar Cello Concerto, with young Alicia Weilerstein soloing; the Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6, “Pathetique,” as interpreted by rising French conductor Ludovic Morlot. Go to vailmusicfestival.org for details.

Cool weather is a drawing card at all these locations, of course. The lack thereof is clearly why Arizona sports no summertime classical music festivals. But if you’re patient enough to wait for September, this year’s Grand Canyon Music Festival looks like a winner. From Sept. 1 to Sept. 16 at the Shrine of the Ages on the canyon's South Rim, the festival will showcase a wide variety of music with incomparable vistas justs a short walk away. For more information, log on to grandcanyonmusicfest.org