The Bay Area is a hub of artistic expression, attracting artists, writers and musicians from around the globe to live, work and create. We highlight some of the offerings here.
• Monterey Jazz Festival: The lineup is astounding — Diana Krall, Christian McBride, Bob James, Marcus Shelby, Allison Miller, the Yellow Jackets, and many, many more — the surroundings are lovely and the vibe is blissful. What’s not to love about this event, one of the country’s most popular jazz festivals? The fest runs Friday through Sunday and weekend passes ($50-$435) and single-day tickets ($20-$174) are still available. The fun takes place at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. Tickets, a schedule and info on parking and other key matters is at www.montereyjazzfestival.org.
• Round and round, they get around: Bay Area music lovers are proud to call the Grammy-winning singers in Chanticleer their hometown favorites, but the 12-man a cappella ensemble is renowned around the world. So take note of the theme of their season-opening concert series: They’re calling it “Trade Winds,” both in honor of their upcoming world travels and because they are performing the U.S. premiere of a work by that name commissioned last year from Chinese composer Zhou Tian. The group will also be singing sea shanties from the British Isles and folk songs from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Samoa and Australia, as well as works by Monteverdi, Gesualdo, Edvard Grieg and others. The fun starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and 8 p.m. Saturday at St. Augustine Church in Pleasanton. $10-$62, 415-392-4400, www.chanticleer.org.
• Some forceful fusion music: They bill themselves as hailing from the Mongolian steppes by way of Beijing. Hanggai, a six-member band of hard-charging musicians, was founded in 2004 by Ilchi, then the leader of the Beijing-based punk rock group T9, because his travels back to his Mongolian homeland convinced him that the region’s folk music needed to be preserved. And the particular blend of rock and nomadic Asian folk they produce is nothing short of exhilarating. If you can’t imagine what that combination might sound like, check out this propulsive number from their “Horse of Colors” album at https://youtu.be/KhkeqeUX4tk. The word Hanggai is a Mongolian term that conjures up a landscape of sprawling grasslands, mountains, rivers and blue skies. The show is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Bing Concert Hall at Stanford. $20-$40, www.live.stanford.edu.
• Dragon Boat Festival: The colorful, pulse-pounding sport of dragon boat racing dates back 2,000 years, and it roars back to life this weekend when teams from all over gather at Oakland’s Lake Merritt for the NorCal International Dragon Boat Festival, the largest such event in the country. Besides watching teams race the intricately designed, 40-foot dragon boats, visitors can enjoy arts and crafts, live entertainment, and lots of food and drink. The event runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and admission is free. www.sfdragonboat.com.
• ‘The Other Mozart’: The great composer Amadeus Mozart had an older sister whom many considered to be just as talented a composer and musician as he was. But women composers had a rough go of it in the 18th century and her talents were all but discarded. The hard-luck story of Maria Anna Mozart comes to life in Sylvia Milo’s solo show “The Other Mozart,” starring Sofi Lambert, which is coming to San Jose’s Hammer Theatre Center for two performances, 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Tickets are $25-$35 at 408-924-8501, hammertheatre.com.