TANNERY POND CONCERTS Christian Steiner's distinctive festival, situated in an old Shaker village, has an almost private ambience.
November 1 and 2, for two days It's not every day you get to party with the dead, but on the first two days in November, all of Mexico does just that, as everything stops for the most distinctive festival on the calendar, a nationwide communion with the departed, known as the Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
It's hard to tell what makes it distinctive from other festivals or concert series.
And the programs presented by visiting groups were fresh and distinctive, including the festival's first fully staged opera, "Il Re Pastore" by Mozart, directed by Mark Lamos, with Nicholas McGegan conducting the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.
OTHER distinctive works in the festival included two original dramas about contemporary life in urban India.
Award-winning author Sherry Ashworth, whose novel, Revolution, was published in May, said that the integration of children's voices was one of the things that made the festival so distinctive.
A distinctive feature of this festival, which attracts a few thousand attendees, are its three stages with no overlapping sets so music lovers don't have to miss a beat.
"Respighi's trilogy Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome and Roman Festivals also feature distinctive Roman landmarks, including Villa Borghese, the Trevi and Triton fountains, and the Piazza Navona".
It wanted to be provoked, was eager to laugh and fought to be heard: as the microphones went around for questions, eager hands snatched at them.The vastness, youth and exuberance of the crowd is by far the most distinctive thing about the Jaipur festival, which is by far the biggest of the many literary festivals launched in India in recent years.
