Summertime is the right time for music — or at least it certainly can be. And New York has plenty to offer, especially if you include environs. Here are some highlights of the coming months.

The New York Philharmonic has a “Summertime Classics” series, led by Bramwell Tovey, a British conductor. I always call him “your genial host,” because he talks his way through this series, with great charm.

One of his soloists will be James Ehnes, the often-brilliant Canadian violinist. On June 27 he will play the Tchaikovsky Concerto. On July 1 and 2 he will play beloved pieces by Saint-Saëns and Sarasate. If he’s on — it’ll be fun.

Mr. Tovey not only conducts and talks, he composes. And we will hear some of his music on July 3 and 4. On those dates, the Philharmonic will play its Fourth of July program. And the orchestra will be joined by the U.S. Military Academy Band. They ought to know a Sousa march.

The Lincoln Center Festival is presenting an opera called “Die Soldaten,” by Bernd Alois Zimmermann. It comes from 1960. Festival literature says that the opera is “so complex and demanding” that “stagings are rare events.” We’re also told that “Die Soldaten” is a “modern classic,” “seminal,” and so on. If you’re curious, performances start on July 5.

Glimmerglass is a festival held in Cooperstown, site of the Baseball Hall of Fame. You can kill several birds while attending the festival. There is always a lineup of operas, and this year’s is very appealing.

On July 6, Glimmerglass will start Handel’s “Julius Caesar” — worth hearing any year, anywhere, for it is one of the greatest works of music ever written. On July 19, they will start a rarity by Wagner. A rarity by Wagner? Yes, “Das Liebesverbot,” or “The Ban on Love,” an early comic effort.

Also in the lineup is Bellini’s “Romeo and Juliet” opera, called “I Capuleti e i Montecchi.” That starts on July 26 — and it is an exquisite example of bel canto. As a special treat, Glimmerglass is doing Cole Porter’s “Kiss Me, Kate” (beginning July 5). This is one of the best of all musicals — and when it’s done well, you smile till you hurt.

Bard College, in Annandale-on-Hudson, has a summer music festival, always devoted to a theme. This year it’s “Prokofiev and His World.” The dates are August 8-10 and August 15-17 (with a spillover in October: the 24th and 25th). The festival’s programs are very intelligently arranged, and some of the music-making is bound to be good.

Yet another festival is Caramoor, found in lovely Katonah. Caramoor will provide two opportunities to hear Alisa Weilerstein, the superb young cellist. On June 21, she will play with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. And on July 11, she will appear in recital with Lera Auerbach, a composer and pianist.

On July 12 and 18, Caramoor will stage (actually, semi-stage) Rossini’s “Barber of Seville.” Singing Count Almaviva will be Barry Banks, an excellent and underrated tenor. And on July 17, the Daedalus Quartet will play a concert. They are one of the finest chamber ensembles around.

How about the Mostly Mozart Festival, now in its 42nd year? There are 60 — count ’em, 60 — events to choose from.

There will be two opportunities to hear Christiane Oelze, a most worthy German soprano. On July 30, she will sing Berg songs. On August 1, she will sing Webern and Mozart (in a program to be repeated the next night). On July 31, there will be an opportunity to hear Christian Gerhaher, a most worthy German baritone. He will sing Mozart — specifically, he will sing arias from “The Marriage of Figaro.”

On August 5, New York will have its first opportunity to see and hear Lionel Bringuier, the young French conducting phenom. He will conduct the festival orchestra (and that program will be repeated on August 6).

Janine Jansen is participating. On August 12 and 13, the wonderful young Dutch violinist will be joined by violist Maxim Rysanov for Mozart’s “Sinfonia concertante.” That will be part of the festival orchestra’s concert. After the concert of the 12th, there will be a late-night event. At 10:30, Ms. Jansen and Mr. Rysanov will play arrangements of Bach’s Two-part Inventions. If the performance is as good as their recording, they will give much satisfaction.

Osmo Vänskä, the Finnish conductor, will lead two programs: August 15 and 16, and August 19 and 20. He can be counted on for energy — extraordinary energy — and he can usually be counted on for ample musicality.

The Mostly Mozart Festival will end with a program to be carried out on August 22 and 23. The featured work is Mozart’s Mass in C minor. The conductor, orchestra, solo singers, and chorus all have merit. But let me single out one of the soprano soloists: Britain’s Sally Matthews. She is one of the best singers you’ve never heard. And if you have — you’ll want to hear her again.