North Shore  takes its music outdoors with a variety of concerts and festivals – all part of the destination’s High Notes – North Tahoe’s Summerlong Music Series, running through August.

The lake’s music campaign also has a new website, www.TahoeHighNotes.com, that covers all the weekly free events, festivals and headliners.

Visitors to the country’s largest alpine lake will find outdoor live performances – free of charge – every night of the week, except Mondays. Sundays rock out at Tahoe City’s Commons Beach, which features Hot Buttered Rum July 18. It’s Blues Tuesdays at the Village at Squaw Valley with Candye Kane July 20, and live music Wednesdays at the Truckee Regional Park and Thursdays on Commercial Row. Kings Beach is lakeside Fridays with Downbeat July 23, then Tahoe City Saturdays for Heritage Plaza’s Unplugged. The Village at Northstar also does a variety of live music on weekends.

There are also a number of ticketed musical events held throughout the region. In addition to its popular Shakespeare on the beach, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival now provides a Monday and Friday night music series, which is also at the scenic Sand Harbor Beach State Recreation Area just outside of Incline Village.

Right on the Truckee River, River Ranch Lodge has its 18th Annual Under the Stars Concert Series with reggae, bluegrass, funk and rock, with Pato Banton & The New Generation Band July 22 and Prezident Brown from Jamaica Aug. 5.

The Lake Tahoe Music Festival is set for July 22 to Aug. 7, ranging from Broadway to classical to rock to jazz and big band swing. This year the festival is taking their Orchestra Night on a swingin’ ride … straight to the “sing era” of the ’40s and ’50s with Simply Sinatra, starring vocalist Steve Lippia, who will be belting out tunes including “My Way,” “New York New York” and “Mack the Knife” July 29 at Old Greenwood. Combining R&B, jazz and pop sounds, Natalie Cole, a nine-time Grammy Award-winner, is an unstoppable force in music and will perform Aug. 5 at Northstar-at-Tahoe. The festival’s first country concert stars country legend Wynonna at Northstar July 31.

Wanderlust returns to Squaw Valley July 29 to Aug. 1 with yoga, music and nature at the festival’s forefront. The music is a mix of styles and genres ranging from indie rock to electronic to alternative world to kirtan. The impressive lineup includes the Brazilian Girls, whose latest album was nominated for a Grammy, as well as MC Yogi, who combines his loves of yoga with hip-hop music. MC Yogi made history when he released his video “Vote for Hope” in support of President Barack Obama.

In Lake Tahoe’s historic casino corridor, the Crystal Bay Club offers a host of free concerts throughout the week, as well as ticketed bands from the Bay Area.