Opera and Symphony concerts (even jazz) in Europe question

Orchestras tend to have concerts in the winter, and they go on vacation in the summer.

A lot might depend on when your "in a few months" actually is.

There are frequently Vivaldi recitals in Venice, year round.

We we'll be in Amsterdam on April 17 and leave Paris on May 11 am.

http://www.classictic.com/en/
This is a commercial agency but has helpful information even if you do not use it to buy tickets.
The Metropolitan Opera's Opera News includes a calendar with a long list of opera performances in Europe. It is useful because it includes many links which can help you buy tickets http://www.operanews.com/operanews/templates/departments.aspx?type=dateline
Big-city tourist authorities often feature concert and nightclub information. Jazz clubs show up too, so crank up your Google search skills.

http://www.bird-rotterdam.nl/ Excellent spot for Jazz in Amsterdam. Look at Timeout Magazine online for all the cities you've mentioned. You'll find all types of musical concerts listed. http://jazzfests.net will placate your husband wish list.

Lastly, when I'm researching places to go and things to see I favor reading blogs. For classical music in and around London I scour http://jessicamusic.blogspot.com. For Rome, http://www.classictic.com/en/special/rome-concerts/219/. I also find that church bulletin boards in any country are a way to discover local concerts. Enjoy.

I went to see this group in Venice and they played with such passion! You do not need to buy tickets ahead of time and your hotel may have them on sale as well. Line up early for good seats.

http://www.interpretiveneziani.com/en/index.php

Also went to the Sainte-Chapelle Vivaldi concert in Paris. It was so amazing I went twice. Again, you do not need to buy before you get there, but you do need to buy the day before or earlier in the day of. It is possible that your guide can make reservations for you in Paris, ask when you get there. The acoustics are amazing in the chapel! There are usually 2 presentations per evening. Go to the earlier one where you might still have some daylight left for the stained glass. Again, line up early for good seats. You line up at the same door where you go thru for the security, but they lead you in to the chapel a different way so you come in upstairs.

Claudia's suggestion is also good. I was able to go to an organ concert at Bath Abbey by looking at the notices posted outside the church as well as attending a Men's Choir concert in Wales by doing the same thing.

Claudia above mentioned classic tic and I had an unfortunate experience with them for a Paris concert a few years ago. The concert was supposed to be at Eglise de la Madeleine, but when we got to the church it was an entirely different concert and we were refused entry. Classictic would not refund our money, Visa did credit the charge, but guess what ... classic tic charged us a second time. It took tons of aggravation to get it all put right and I have yet to forgive them.

In Amsterdam, try the Concergebouw Orchestra.

There's unlikely to be any classical performances in Baccarach, but if you want to sample some Schlager, a somewhat cheesy but enjoyable genre of music that's specific to northern Europe (particularly Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands), head up-river to Rüdesheim. Many of the restaurants here offer live Schlager performances, particularly on the weekends. You will see alcohol-soaked bachelor/ette and post wedding parties moving from restaurant to restaurant, which makes the atmosphere even more lively.

Reutte... for Rick Steves completists only. Please, with all the great towns in the Bavarian-Tyrolian Alps, don't limit yourself to the most ho-hum.

My favorite place in Europe to see opera is the Roman Colosseum in Verona, between Milan and Venice. The performances are on a grand scale and the atmosphere is unmatched!

We did a concert at St. Chapel and it was fabulous. We bought our tix through classictix and everything went fine. That said, they told us when we went to pick up our tix ahead of the concert that they just add chairs to accommodate additional people. So, you could wait until you get there to buy them, since even if you buy ahead, you still have to pick up your tix ahead of the concert.