Evening Classical Concerts in Venice and Rome

In 2008, we went to a shoe-string budget production of La Boheme in Venice at the Scuola di San Giovanni Evangelista and absolutely loved it. It was put on by chorus members from La Fenice. The soprano (Mimi) was absolutely world class and could have been on stage at the Met. We've also gone to the Puccini concerts in Lucca. We saw one outstanding baritone and two really crappy tenors over the course of three nights. But we plan on going to more concerts when we return to Italy this May. I do remember one tip that Rick Steves gives about symphonic concerts: The musicians who are NOT dressed up in costume tend to be better than those who are. You'll find lots of both in both Venice and Rome.

My daughter and I attended a Vivaldi concert in Venice last Christmas that we both loved. It was held in San Vidal Church (the church Vivaldi attended) and the performers were stellar musicians. They are called Interpreti Veneziani (Venetian Master Interpreters)and they sometimes tour in other parts of the world but are mainly found in Venice. Great performance, wonderful acoustics and a lovely ambiance with a small audience. We also went to Musica a Palazzo in Venice. It's a performance of highlights of selected operas in an intimate setting in a private palazzo. We went to La Traviata and while I enjoyed it my daughter decided that she does not like opera. It was a bit pricey to have someone along who was bored out of their mind. I would do both again and will actually be taking my mother to hear Interpreti Veneziani later this year.

Agree with previous poster that Interpreti Veneziani at San Vidal are excellent. Another group is I Virtuosi Italiani. I saw them last May at Chiesa Pieta. I don't see any concerts scheduled there for May. They may have objected to the departing cruise ships sounding their horns right outside the front door of the church during delicate solos. It brought a smile to the violinist's face and he didn't miss a note. IVI are located in Verona, but do regular concerts all over north Italy. Put on the Ritz and see what's playing at La Fenice.

I've found this site, Classic Tix to be useful. You can search by city and date.

I also use classictic.com for our trips to Europe. You can search by city & dates, book & print your tickets before you go. It really works great. We especially loved having the tickets in advance to avoid lines. We booked a wonderful 6:30 pm concert at St Agnese de Arone in Piazza Navona in July 2011which also included a brief guided tour (in English) of the church itself. NOTE: If you do pay for your tickets in advance from home, make sure you advise your credit card company regarding your forthcoming foreign transactions. Sometimes the transaction doesn't go thru unless you've pre-authorized such charges. Also, check Rick Steves guide books for evening concerts in the cities you'll be visiting. Many churches have evening concerts. Good luck!

Thank you for sharing all your wonderful ideas.....reading about it is one thing but then being able to back that up with personal insight is just so nice. I can't wait to check out that ticket site! Grazie, ancora!