Who doesn’t think of Maurice Ravel as French to his fingertips? In fact, he hailed from Basque country and was a proud speaker of Euskara, a linguistic isolate known to drive foreign students to despair. Of countless tributes on the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth, none can match the cachet of this 11-day celebration in and around the fishing port of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, scarcely a mile across the water as the crow flies from his native Ciboure. Eight beautiful historic churches, gardens, cellars, and other venues will host some two dozen events. (Don’t miss the stupendous polychrome-and-gilt Baroque carved-wooden altar at Saint-Jean-Baptiste, where Louis XIV married the Spanish princess Maria Theresa of Austria in 1660.) Marquee names on the concert schedule include the pianists Kirill Gerstein and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, the soprano Barbara Hannigan, and the maestros Thomas Adès, Philippe Jordan, and Tarmo Peltokoski. Hot tip: On August 30, the Ensemble Intercontemporain premieres the new chamber opera La Main Gauche, based on the best-selling French novel Ravel, by Jean Echenoz. And just in case, here are some useful Basque phrases: Kaixo (hello), agur (goodbye), dose naix (I’m hungry), eskerrik asko (thanks), and maite dut zure musika (I love your music). Ongi etorri! (You’re welcome). —Matthew Gurewitsch