Banlieues Bleues
March 9 - April 7
For one month, the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb grooves to a soulful beat during the annual Banlieues Bleues festival. Eighteen towns in the department will play host to 35 concerts: Everything from contemporary jazz to gospel and blues—35 good reasons to venture north of the périphérique.
Various venues, see www.banlieuesbleues.org for details

Padmâvatî
March 14 – 24
Well-known for his Bollywood musicals, Indian film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is at the helm of this new production of Albert Roussel’s Orientalist opera. Inspired by a local tale he heard whilst voyaging in India and Sri Lanka in 1909, Alauddin, sultan of the Mogul, demands the hand of the wife of his ally, the Prince of Chitoor, and high drama ensues. €10-120.
Théâtre du Châtelet, 1 place du Châtelet, Paris 1. Mº Châtelet. 01 40 28 28 40. www.chatelet-theatre.com

Zbigniew Preisner
March 19
Best known for his collaborations with director Krzysztof Kieslowski (Three Colors trilogy), Zbigniew Preisner is a celebrated contemporary composer. Besides film soundtracks, the Polish musician pursues his own work. His vast and romantic symphonies seem made to resonate in modern cathedrals, but the historic Le Grand Rex makes an admirable substitute. €38.50-78.
Le Grand Rex, 1, boulevard Poissonnière, Paris 2. Mº Bonne Nouvelle. 08 92 68 05 96. www.legrandrex.com

Wozzeck
March 29 - April 19
Considered the first 20th century avant garde opera, Alban Berg’s Wozzeck follows a soldier’s descent into paranoia and violence upon discovering his girlfriend’s affair. British baritone Simon Keenlyside in the eponymous role does justice to Berg’s potent atonal score. €5-130.
Opéra Bastille, place de la Bastille, Paris 12. Mº Bastille. 01 40 01 19 70. www.operadeparis.fr