The Newport Classical Festival Artists embark on a journey through touchpoints between music and nature, anchored by a string quartet reduction of Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony. Whether evoking birds and animals, rain and thunder, or the sounds of rolling waves, abundant nature is an infinite source of inspiration for composers.
The 2023 Newport Classical Music Festival presents twenty-six concerts this summer between July 4-23, 2023, bringing timeless music for today to Newport’s stunning historic mansions and venues including The Breakers, Blithewold Mansion, The Elms, Castle Hill Inn, Chinese Tea House, King Park, Norman Bird Sanctuary, and more.
Program subject to change.
Highlights include performances by Broadway and opera star Kelli O’Hara (currently starring in HBO’s The Gilded Age, filmed in Newport); Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; The Knights; renowned pianists Hélène Grimaud, Simone Dinnerstein, and Charlie Albright; New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist Anthony McGill in a return performance with pianist Anna Polonsky; riveting low-voice acapella ensemble Cantus; celebrated chamber ensembles including the Hermitage Piano Trio, Aizuri String Quartet, Excelsis Percussion Quartet, Sinta Saxophone Quartet, and Fenway Quintet; acclaimed cellists Zlatomir Fung and Amit Peled; charismatic Norwegian violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing; and the world premiere of The Gilded Cage, a new work commissioned by Newport Classical from three-time GRAMMY®-nominated violinist/composer Curtis Stewart. Other highlights include the festival’s popular Opera Night at The Breakers featuring Così fan tutte in a bold new un-staged production, Sunrise Meditations concerts, a concert inspired by nature at Norman Bird Sanctuary, a free Fourth of July concert at King Park, and this year’s young professional Newport Classical Festival Artists in nine performances throughout the festival.