We will be in Lucca for 2 weeks in July and I am looking for some musical entertainment for myself and kids, ages 6 and 9, both of whom play the cello. I know that the Lucca music festival is on while we are there, but that looks more pop-oriented, and I'm sure there is a lot of opera there too, but that's not quite what I'm looking for.
Does anyone know of any small venues where we might catch a performance of a string quartet, an outdoor festival perhaps, or even a music museum that would exhibit instruments (esp. cellos) and their evolution?

There are informal opera concerts in S. Giovanni and a couple of other Lucca churches on many evenings. They are really good and last less than an hour so you will not have to sit through a three hour production. There is a theater in the park in Montecatini terme; very close to Lucca. They have a wide variety of music events in the evenings. The tourist office on viale Verdi is very well equipped and helpful. You should be able to get all the info you need there. Do not miss the funicolare to Montecatini Alto. There are often concerts in the piazza there on weekend evenings too. La Torre restaurant in M. Alto has some of the best traditional Tuscan cooking that you will encounter and the piazza is incredibly pleasant.

We were able to see the daughter of one of our friends at the Florence Youth Festival in 2007.

The music was wonderful (she was with a youth string group out of California), but the venue was not the best (was outside and a garbage truck collecting glass recycling came through during the middle of the performance).

We're planning to do the free Puccini music at Church of San Giovanni next time we're in Lucca. Check their Events page for info on upcoming events (there's something almost every night at 7:00).

Here is a great site to find entertainment in lucca or most of the world. Search Tuscany Classical Music and you can find quite a few events. http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.htm and

Riccardo Marasco is an amazing entertainer great for all ages but I'm not sure whether he tours Italy since we saw him while staying at Castello di Lamole. Check out his website. We bought two of his CDs after seeing him live. Quite the entertainer and comedian.
http://www.riccardomarasco.it/inglese/presentazione.htm

The University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music holds a summer school in Lucca in June and July, and has a number of public concerts by students.
See http://www.ccmoperalucca.org and go to Calendar.
It doesn't always specify exactly where the concerts are held, and which ones are open to the public, but last year, I got tickets (free, I think) for the final Gala concert from the Koine Language school in Lucca.
The 'Puccini e la sua Lucca' concerts in the Basilica of San Giovanni are held every evening, but the emphasis is naturally on opera.
And Patrick from Arkansas will be surprised when he is asked to stump up 15 euros for a ticket!! They are NOT free - it is very definitely a commercial enterprise. I have been to three or four of these and though they are a bit short (60-75) minutes, they are good quality.

quote:

Originally posted by Sean Boyle:
...the emphasis is naturally on opera.
And Patrick from Arkansas will be surprised when he is asked to stump up 15 euros for a ticket!!

Oops! Thanks for catching that one. We're still going, but 15 Euros is a lot different from free! But for that much money, I'm NOT dressing up.

It's a shame we're only allowed to edit faulty posts for the 1st hour after posting. Hope nobody is mislead by my error.

Patrick - I've just been reading your other post - why don't you bring along a few bottles of your excellent Arkansas wine to sell and defray the cost?

quote:

Originally posted by Sean Boyle:
Patrick - I've just been reading your other post - why don't you bring along a few bottles of your excellent Arkansas wine to sell and defray the cost?

Sell? No way. Then I'd have to pay taxes on it (revenuers, you know). The wine is free, but the catch is that you have to slow-travel to Arkansas to get it!