Welcome!
If you're happy enough with the hatch's looks, then I'd suggest that the STI330 would be a fantastic car to own and to drive - the hatch STIs seem to have gained generally very positive reviews to date. Impreza turbos make fine all-weather cars (severe snow excepted), which could be very useful for someone who's travelling to gigs/sessions in a variety of places, on a variety of roads, in a variety of weather conditions...
Would you really want to go front-wheel drive after the Beemer and the Merc? And jeez-oh, that's a wh*re of a lot of money for a Civic! I'm not convinced about the EVO X as a driver's car - what with its five-speed box, characterless engine and softened handling. The previous EVOs I gather were great cars, but with their very short service intervals I guess they wouldn't make much sense to a high-mileage driver like yourself - also a bit uncompromising compared to the other cars mentioned so far
Audis are always fashionable and the S-series have great engines, but what's the latest story on the handling? Certainly up until recently they had a strong rep for being 'grippy but dull', which may or may not be an issue for you.
The Golf R might be worth a hurl, although I wonder if the 4MOTION system has been improved in recent years. IIRC it was essentially a front-wheel drive system, only applying power to the rear when front traction is lost - hmmmmm ('decent' 4WD systems like the STI's are rear-biased).
I'm struggling to think of any alternatives... does it have to be brand new? With your budget I could be sorely tempted by a secondhand M3
All the best
P.S. Which instrument do you play?