A very classical musical summer in Philly featuring football, rap, and movie music

It’s been a tough few months. Now go outside, listen, and exhale.

Not all of Philadelphia’s classical summer concerts are outdoors, but many are. And the sum total of the music + nature equation is almost always greater than its parts.

Summer repertoire is also generally lighter, which pitches it toward the classical curious. Chances are there’s something on a program this summer you didn’t realize you knew but really do — Piazzolla’s Libertango, for instance, or a tune from Carmen.

Other works might be unfamiliar, but you’ll be glad to have taken them away as members of your new personal playlist. Think of them as souvenirs of a summer well spent.

Hisaishi’s music weaves a sense of amity and wonder through Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and other films by Hayao Miyazaki. Here the composer leads the Philadelphians in his Suite from Spirited Away, Symphony No. 2, and Saga for viola and orchestra. (No film is being shown as part of the program.) ensembleartsphilly.org, 215-893-1999

School’s out, but Curtis is still offering performances via a summer broadcast series on its YouTube channel Wednesdays at 6 p.m. There are works for piano and strings one week, horn students in various combinations the next. curtis.edu

Works by Ginastera, Piazzolla, Falla, Gabriela Ortiz, and others are performed by the Kennett Symphony on a program entitled “Fiesta.” A likely high point: Rodrigo’s soulful Concierto de Aranjuez with guitarist Ana Vidović. Michael Hall conducts. longwoodgardens.org, 610-388-1000

Countertenor Reginald Mobley sings and leads the ensemble in Handel and Purcell, as well as “Deep River,” “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” and other works. Performances are at Bartram’s Garden on the 26th, Esperanza Arts Center on the 27th, and Stoneleigh (in Villanova) on the 28th. chamberorchestra.org, 215-893-1999 for June 26 and 28; esperanzaartscenter.us, 215-324-0746 for June 27

Opera Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Museum of Art copresent three Friday evening mini-concerts in the Rodin Museum garden (accompanied by pop-up bar). Baritone Brandon Bell and tenor Fran Daniel Laucerica perform arias with piano on June 27. Eight singers from the Opera Philadelphia Chorus are led by Elizabeth Braden in “Happy, Happy Shall We Be” from Handel’s Semele, the “Habañera” from Bizet’s Carmen, “Libiamo” from Verdi’s La traviata, and other pieces on July 25. On Aug. 22, a string quartet drawn from the opera company’s orchestra plays works of Mendelssohn, Haydn, Debussy, and others. Performances start at 6:30 p.m., and are brief (20-30 minutes) and free. operaphila.org/rodin

The thrill of hearing the most patriotic of tunes against the most patriotic of backdrops — Independence Hall — disappeared after 2022 along with the Philly Pops. But now the No Name Pops is slated to take on the Philly Pops name and, with it, the resumption of this free concert. Pops music director Chris Dragon leads a program with singer-songwriter Ben Folds, who was artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra from 2017 until earlier this year when President Donald Trump took control of the Kennedy Center. The Pops is doing patriotic pieces, Broadway songs, movie favorites, and classic pops; and Folds will perform his own material. Seating is limited, so bringing a blanket or chair is recommended. nonamepops.org, july4thphilly.com

The sonic purity of the British vocal ensemble seems to strip music down to its essential elements. Each voice is distinctive and has a character all its own, occupying a spectrum of registers (two countertenors, two tenors, a baritone, and bass). Here in the open-air Mount Gretna Playhouse, the group wraps its meditative vibe around works of Orlando Gibbons, Josquin des Prez, Charles Villiers Stanford, and others. gretnamusic.org, 717-361-1508

The orchestra reaches back into its collective consciousness in a program recalling Leopold Stokowski with his orchestration of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor; the orchestra’s championing of William Grant Still with the composer’s “Mother and Child”; the ensemble’s starring role in Fantasia with Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice; and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2, popularized by an interpretation for the ages by Eugene Ormandy. Philadelphia Orchestra assistant conductor Naomi Woo is on the podium. manncenter.org

You can never tell what might happen when the Philadelphia Orchestra and Eagles meet, but Jason Kelce once showed up and broke out his saxophone. No special guest players this time have been announced, but at the very least, the audience can expect adrenaline-producing NFL Films footage and heroic orchestral music conducted by Anthony Parnther as the coda to a season that made both orchestra and Eagles fans proud. Merrill Reese, “voice of the Eagles,” is host. manncenter.org

Billboard called the rapper’s debut album Illmatic in 1994 “a quintessential hip-hop opus that transcended the genre and became the Holy Bible for every budding lyricist.” The Philadelphia Orchestra’s soundprint tends to be subtle, but also saturated and forceful. Steven Reineke, a veteran pops personality and arranger who has worked with Nas before, conducts. What this musical meeting produces in a show entitled “Nas — Illmatic: Live” is one of the more intriguing questions of summer. manncenter.org

Violinist Kendall Isadore, violist Dawn Johnson, and cellist Élise Sharp are String Queens, a Washington-based group that spans genres from baroque to the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This is the ensemble’s Longwood debut. longwoodgardens.org, 610-388-1000