From the Adirondacks to the Cascades, from the Wind River Range to the Catskills, from the Sangre de Cristos to the Wasatch, mountain landscapes across the United States offer views and vistas that hold ideas of change and of what is lasting. For musicians Amy White and Al Petteway, the southern Appalachians and the Blue Ridge in North Carolina form both inspiration and backdrop for what they create.

Oh yes – Paris is well-known as a literate city. There are hundreds (!) of bookstores in Paris – and then there are the bouqinistes (book stalls) all along the Seine.

Growing up in Connecticut, eight year old Alison Brown was learning to play guitar when she heard a recording by bluegrass musicians Flatt and Scruggs. She fell in love with the banjo. "I knew I wanted to make *that* sound," she recalls.

I am a great admirer of the author Robert Caro, the pre-eminent authority on Lyndon Johnson, for his command of detail and the thoroughness of his research. In my view, Sarah Byrn Rickman is drawn from the same gene pool, for her definitive work on the WASP during WWII, entitled WASP of the Ferry Command: Women Pilots, Uncommon Deeds.

The music of Ireland: it is a source of connection, a way of celebration, a path for reaching across borders and boundaries. It can be a way of sharing and creating stories, of connecting families and welcoming strangers, remembering absent loved ones, and gaining perspective on present troubles.

The city of Savannah, Georgia, has been a place where cultures meet and mix and mingle ever since its early days centuries ago. Blues, bluegrass, country music, jazz, gospel, and Celtic music are local traditions in music that continue to flourish in Savannah. Over the years, it has also become a crossroads for classical musicians, those who work in opera, and musicians who bring their native traditions from many parts of the globe. The Savannah Music Festival celebrates and encourages all these aspects of music.

London is one of the world's great cities -- and it is one with so much going on that however many times you might visit and however long your stay might be, having a particular focus will make it easier to choose experiences and to make plans.