By Ted AYALA

4th of July weekend is coming up, and with it is no shortage of outdoor concerts with booming music accompanied by the even bigger booms of the obligatory fireworks show. Locals looking for a subtler musical experience that can still blow them out of their seats without leaving them in a smoky haze at the end of the concert are in luck.

Over in Silverlake this Saturday, cello trio Splntrd Wood – which consists of Ian Gottlieb, Matthew Park, and Pierre Derycz – will be performing a program of classical works at the Silverlake Lounge.

The ensemble was founded last year and performs a broad range of repertoire: from the 17th century to the contemporary. The concert takes place from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Admission is free, but a donation of $5 – $10 is encouraged. For more information, go online to http://splntrd.weebly.com/concerts.html.

The official end of the Britten centennial celebrations in Los Angeles was some months ago, but its legacy lives on in the increased awareness and performances of the British composer’s music. Independent Opera Company, one of many local ensembles taking the composer’s cause to its heart, is mounting an ambitious performance of his Shakespeare opera, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” this weekend.

Britten’s opera dates from 1960 and met with mixed reactions from critics and audiences. Though the work isn’t exactly a stranger on stage, it also hasn’t been able to yet achieve the renown of some of the composer’s other operas, such as “Billy Budd,” “The Turn of the Screw,” “Death in Venice” or “Peter Grimes.”

Independent Opera Company’s production, under the music direction of Galina Barskaya, will take place at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church (11555 National Blvd., Los Angeles) this Saturday, July 5 at 7 p.m. Another performance follows the next day, July 6 at 4 p.m. For tickets and more information, please visit http://www.independentoperacompany.com.

  Ted Ayala