Emmylou Harris begins Lampedusa: Concerts for Refugees with Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, and The Milk Carton Kids in Boulder tonight; Robert Plant will join starting October 12. The tour, which benefits Jesuit Refugee Service/USA's educational programs for refugees around the world, will stop in Kansas City, Lincoln, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, and DC. "After witnessing firsthand the work of JRS in Ethiopia this past June, I have never been more inspired to champion such a critical cause," said Harris. "The better angels of our nature call upon us to act with compassion and not with fear in the face of so much suffering."

The initial music line-up for the 2017 Big Ears Festival has been announced, and among the artists are Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields, performing the forthcoming Nonesuch Records album 50 Song Memoir, and Shye Ben Tzur and the Rajasthan Express, performing music of their 2015 Nonesuch album, Junun. The Big Ears Festival will return to Knoxville, Tennessee, expanding to four days, March 23–26, 2017. Among the other performers are Wilco, Glenn Kotche, Punch Brothers' Chris Eldridge, and composer/pianist Frederic Rzewski. Weekend passes are on sale now.

Conor Oberst, Emmylou Harris play free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco … John Adams conducts LA Phil New Music Group, Timo Andres … Sam Amidon, The Staves play Berlin festival … David Byrne headlines Roots Picnic in NYC … Kronos Quartet performs in Oregon … Lianne La Havas hits Midwest with Leon Bridges … Lake Street Dive takes US tour east … Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau are in NYC, LA … and more …

Conor Oberst will mark the release of his new album, Ruminations, by performing the record in its entirety for an audience of contest winners at NYC's Housing Works Bookstore Cafe on release day, Friday, October 14. NPR Music will webcast the show live on its site and Facebook page as part of the First Listen Live series. Ruminations will be available to stream in full beginning this Friday, September 30, as part of NPR Music's First Listen series. Conor Oberst will be the musical guest on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! on October 24 and begins a tour of intimate solo shows this week.

Robert Plant has confirmed that he will join Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, The Milk Carton Kids, and more for select dates on the previously announced Lampedusa: Concerts for Refugees tour, October 12–21, 2016. Lampedusa is an eleven-stop concert tour intended to raise awareness of the unprecedented worldwide refugee crisis. Funds raised by Lampedusa will support educational programs for refugees around the world.

Kronos Quartet, Rhiannon Giddens join forces in Austin … Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass collaborate in California … The Arcs play Pilgrimage Music Festival in Tennessee … Devendra Banhart gives album release show in Brooklyn … Jeremy Denk continues UK tour … Lianne La Havas is in California … Lake Street Dive tours Midwest … Pat Metheny plays home state of Missouri … Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau launch tour in Midwest … Caetano Veloso, Teresa Cristina perform in Rio … and more …

Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau embark on a two-month world tour in support of their new album, Nearness. The duo tour starts in the US this week, making stops in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, NYC, and LA, before a four-night run at SFJAZZ with an orchestra performing Mehldau's album Highway Rider. The international leg of the duo tour begins in Tokyo, Seoul, and Shanghai, then heads to Australia for shows in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, and to Europe for dates in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France, Netherlands, and the UK.

John Adams turns 70 on February 15, 2017, and performances are in place around the world to celebrate this landmark anniversary throughout the 2016–2017 season, beginning with the German premiere of Scheherazade.2, in which he leads the Berliner Philharmoniker and violinist Leila Josefowicz this weekend, and culminating with the world premiere of his Girls of the Golden West staged by San Francisco Opera in November 2017. Here are some of the highlights.

Joshua Redman is the showcase artist at Monterey Jazz Fest, where Pat Metheny also performs … John Adams leads Berlin Philharmonic, violinist Leila Josefowicz in Scheherazade.2 German premiere … The Arcs play Palomino Festival in Minneapolis … Devendra Banhart takes part in Wired Next Fest in Florence … Teresa Cristina headlines in São Paulo … Michael Daves plays back-to-back duo shows in the South with banjoist Tony Trischka … Jeremy Denk gives two UK solo recitals … Lianne La Havas tours the South with Leon Bridges … Lake Street Dive is in Canada … and more …

Steve Reich’s 80th birthday is celebrated by San Francisco Symphony, Kronos Quartet … Laurie Anderson hosts advance screenings of the Italian-language version of Heart of a Dog in Milan … Jeremy Denk joins Lansing Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven; performs Bach, Beatles at Bard … Lianne La Havas tours with Leon Bridges ... Pat Metheny opens SFJAZZ season … Chris Thile plays two nights with banjoist Béla Fleck … Rokia Traoré performs in Paris … and more …

Pat Metheny begins a US tour with drummer Antonio Sánchez, pianist Gwilym Simcock, and bassist Linda Oh with Opening Night/Week concerts of SFJAZZ Center's 2016–17 concert season, tonight and through the weekend. They perform five more shows in California, including a concert at UCLA's Royce Hall and a set at the Monterey Jazz Festival; two in Colorado; a stop in Kansas; and two in Metheny's home state of Missouri. The musicians will tour the East Coast in early 2017.

Lianne La Havas kicks off her US fall tour with a headline show at Webster Hall in NYC tonight. It's one of four headline shows she will play this fall—also including LA, New Orleans, and Atlanta—while in the US for an 18-concert tour as special guest of R&B artist and singer, songwriter Leon Bridges. Their first show together is this Thursday at the Flynn Center in Burlington, VT, followed by shows throughout the country in the month ahead.