From Little Island to Long Island, the classic arts scene in New York is never quiet. Here is just a sampling of some of the classic arts events happening this week.

The Metropolitan Opera’s annual Summer HD Festival will kick off August 22 with a screening of the 2023 Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, starring Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan. The week and a half of free screenings on Lincoln Center Plaza will continue with Verdi’s Aida (August 23), Beethoven’s Fidelio (August 24), Richard Strauss’ Salome (August 25) and more operas from the Met’s Live in HD catalog, primarily from the most recent season of Live in HD broadcasts.

Pianists Jeremy Denk and Conor Hanick kick off a week of performances at Little Island running August 21-28. Throughout the week Denk and Hanick will give recitals of works for four-hand piano with a variety of guest artists including Alexei Kenney, Alex Agate, Ryan Jung, and Nichols Phan. All the performances will take place in The Glade on Little Island and be free to attend. Seating will open 30 minutes before the show time.

Hong Kong Ballet will present The Butterfly Lovers at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theatre August 22-24. The ballet, which features sets and costumes by Academy Award winner Tim Yip, tells the story of an heiress who disguises herself as a boy in order to study at an academy, and meets a fellow student with whom she embarks on a tale of forbidden love. Lio Kuokman will lead the New York City Ballet Orchestra in Tian Mi’s score.

The Semplice Players will be joined by violinist Mark Peskanov at BargeMusic August 24 for a concert including Rossini’s String Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, and Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen.

The Dimenna Center for Classical Music presents the International Contemporary Ensemble at Mary Flagler Cary Hall August 22. The ensemble will perform Ashkan Behzadi’s Carnivalesque, Tebogo Monnakgotla’s Wooden Bodies for string quartet, Corie Rose Soumah’s Tossed Parachutes of Lilacs and Lungs, Marcos Balters Arvore, and Thierry Pécou’s Méditation sur la fin de l’espèce. The collection of chamber works are written for a variety of eclectic ensembles, including both acoustic and electric instruments.

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