Paul Simon

He helped define folk rock alongside Art Garfunkel, shook up the music industry with Graceland and even convinced Chevy Chase to call him Al. Few entertainers have been as influential, inventive or durable—his soft voice sounds just as it did during his heyday. This marathon performance resurrects a half-century of poetic, fingerpicked gems like “The Boxer” and “The Sound of Silence.” June 21. $78–$168. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E., 1-855-985-5000.

smart bit of programming, the TSO pairs this work with Carl Nielsen’s nearcontemporaneous violin concerto; its piquant early modernism highlights the lushness of Ravel’s impressionist palette. Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto is the soloist, and Juanjo Mena conducts. June 1 and 2. $33.75–$148. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., 416-593-4828.

James Ehnes Plays Elgar It’s hard to believe that Edward Elgar’s Violin Concerto and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring are only about a century old, given the late-romantic swooniness of the former and the primitive Russian, pre-Christian rituals of the latter. Here, Manitoba-born violinist James Ehnes shows impressive command of Elgar’s ingratiating and challenging solo work. June 9 to 11. $29.50– $148. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., 416-593-4828.

The Pencil Salesman The pretty little Trent Hills town of Campbellford holds a well-regarded music festival each summer. The current season opens with the world premiere of a new opera by artistic director Brian Finley, a family saga that explores the pleasures and dangers of holding too tightly onto the past. June 25 to July 3. $55. The Westben Barn, 6698 County Rd. 30 N., Campbellford, 705-653-5508.