Enjoy the vibrant collaboration of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw and the innovative Sō Percussion in an electrifying program blending voice and percussion quartet as they share the music from their newest album Rectangles and Circumstance. Co-written by Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion, the genre-blending songs use verses from nineteenth-century poems by Christina Rosetti, Emily Brontë, Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein, and William Blake. Chamber music meets singer-songwriter storytelling in this extraordinary performance showcasing vital, expressive, and imaginative music-making.
Set against the picturesque backdrop of the City-by-the-Sea, the Newport Classical Music Festival presents 27 concerts held in 11 historic venues over 18 days from July 4-21, featuring a total of 120 musicians from around the world. Patrons can easily craft a Festival itinerary tailored to their preferences – be it the discovery of a new composer, the rhythm of percussion, or revisiting a beloved work with a fresh perspective. The Festival celebrates its 55th anniversary this year. For 55 years, Newport Classical has been a beacon for artistry, drawing in countless concertgoers to revel in exceptional performances within unique and intimate settings.
Highlights include Opening Night with the dynamic Sphinx Virtuosi and cello soloist Thomas Mesa; a sensational recital by acclaimed violinist Anne Akiko Meyers; the return to Newport of Chanticleer, Canadian Brass, and A Far Cry; the Music Festival debut of the storied, Boston-based Handel and Haydn Society; two enchanting evenings with Tony Award-winning Broadway star Laura Benanti; plus performances by star pianists Lara Downes, Joyce Yang, Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner, Drew Petersen, and Daniel del Pino; and appearances by numerous celebrated chamber ensembles including the Isidore String Quartet; PUBLIQuartet; Duo Kayo; Lincoln Trio; Fenway Quintet; and Poulenc Trio with accordionist Hanzhi Wang.
The American pianist and cultural visionary Lara Downes returns to Newport after a sold-out performance on the 2021 Festival to present THIS LAND, a concert capturing 100 years of American transformation, celebrating the spirit of innovation and imagination, resilience and resistance, and reflecting a wide diversity of voices to illustrate the beauty that grows at the crossroads of our American journeys. THIS LAND features music by Scott Joplin, Arturo O’Farrill, Florence Price, Kian Ravaei, William Grant Still, Angelica Negrón, Jake Heggie, Margaret Bonds, George Gershwin, and more.
Set against the picturesque backdrop of the City-by-the-Sea, the Newport Classical Music Festival presents 27 concerts held in 11 historic venues over 18 days from July 4-21, featuring a total of 120 musicians from around the world. Patrons can easily craft a Festival itinerary tailored to their preferences – be it the discovery of a new composer, the rhythm of percussion, or revisiting a beloved work with a fresh perspective. The Festival celebrates its 55th anniversary this year. For 55 years, Newport Classical has been a beacon for artistry, drawing in countless concertgoers to revel in exceptional performances within unique and intimate settings.
Highlights include Opening Night with the dynamic Sphinx Virtuosi and cello soloist Thomas Mesa; a sensational recital by acclaimed violinist Anne Akiko Meyers; the return to Newport of Chanticleer, Canadian Brass, and A Far Cry; the Music Festival debut of the storied Handel and Haydn Society; two enchanting evenings with Tony Award-winning star Laura Benanti; plus performances by star pianists Joyce Yang, Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner, Drew Petersen, and Daniel del Pino; and appearances by numerous celebrated chamber ensembles including the Isidore String Quartet; PUBLIQuartet; Duo Kayo; Lincoln Trio; Fenway Quintet; Poulenc Trio with accordionist Hanzhi Wang; and Sō Percussion with vocalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw.
Newport Classical presents Empire Wild as part of their spring Community Concerts. Empire Wild brings a genre-bending musical experience to Newport Craft Brewing, where audiences can purchase beer and bites during the performance. Empire Wild channels their love for musical exploration into their sound, fusing pop, folk, jazz, and more. In this program, the group puts its own spin on music by composers whose work has endured the test of time. Hear classics by Beethoven, Ravel, Bach, and more brought to new life in the trio’s unique arrangements. This is a free concert – fun for listeners of all ages.
These free concerts are generously presented as part of the BankNewport Community Concerts Series with additional support from the NewportFed Charitable Foundation, RISCA, and a Rhode Island Foundation Community Grant. Newport Classical is a premier performing arts organization that welcomes people of every age, culture, and background to intimate, immersive musical experiences. The organization presents world-renowned and up-and-coming artistic talents at stunning, storied venues across Newport, an internationally sought-after cultural and recreational destination.
Newport Music Festival started in 1969 and has grown to a month long expose with renowned artists performing at highly notable establishments throughout Newport and Rhode Island including The Chinese Tea House, The Breakers, The Elms, Ochre Point (which is now air conditioned), Blithewold Mansion, Bellevue House, Newport Arts Museum, The Casino Theatre, The Bohlin, Castle Hill, Newport Country Club & Aldrich Mansion in Warwick. Acclaimed opera singer, visionary and Executive Director Pamela Pantos speaks to the upcoming performances, artists & venues. There is music for all ages, price ranges and genres; including complimentary community performances.
Visit www.NewportMusic.org to partake in the schedule of events and participate as a sponsor
Read the Transcript
Welcome to Newport Living and Lifestyles I’m Christon and joining us today isPamela Pantos from the Newport Music Festival. This started back in 1969and has now proliferated into a whole month-long of wonderfulextravaganzas. Yes. Tell us more about that. So you’re right, it’s a wholemonth, we started with the fourth of July. We did a huge free concert on the lawnat King Park and we have two more free concerts this summer and it goes all theway through July 28th and we have as you said a myriad of all different kinds ofconcerts from classical to jazz and then we even have the swingles comingtomorrow night which is this amazing acapella group from England five-timeGrammy winners Wow coming tomorrow night performing at the breakers and they’redoing all kinds of pop too so it’s it’s everything for everybody yes you have pop, swing, what other different types of music is there?Tomorrow night we have the swingles coming atthis acapella group they’re five-time Grammy nominated pardon me, not nominatedthey are five times Grammy winning! from England and they’ll be heretomorrow night and they’re doing a real myriad they do a little bit of classicalbut a lot of pop they’re even doing Fleetwood Mac oh and a little bit of rock and roll. okay and then onSaturday night we have two concerts one of which is completely sold out which isItalian opera night which is at the breakers however we still have a coupleof tickets left from the Harlem 100 they’re from New York they’re amazingit’s the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance and so if you like authenticjazz it’s at the Bohlin tent and it’s a whole evening so you get a drink whenyou come in valet parking is part of the price and then you get dinner stationsduring intermission plus a whole evening of jazz so it’s really a good time.absolutely, now where are some of the top placesthat everybody’s performing okay well we perform all over the place so certainlythe breakers here at the Elms we have beautiful morning concerts actually nextweek there will be three of them Monday Tuesday and Wednesday we have morningconcerts at the chinese tea house which are also completely sold out we’re doingas i said something at the bohlin we’re performing four times at the light poletent right in bristol and then Monday night we have a wonderfulextravaganza at Castle Hill so all over the place what’s the price ranges for peoplesure so as I mentioned there are free concerts especially next week’s the 16thTuesday at 6 p.m. there’ll be a free concert on the lawn of the Art Museum sothank you to the Art Museum for that and we’ll be doing carnival of animals so ifyou have kids bring a blanket and come at 6 o’clock we’ll have about 20 piecesright on the lawn and you’ll be able to hear this great piece it’s also narratedin addition to that we perform at the breakers almost every night as well as Isaid here at the Elms and lots of other things going on all over the place and agala a gala oh my gosh July 28th and I almost forgotso before we get to July 28th we have July 27 ok so this year we’re going back tothe casino theater which is a great space it’s air-conditioned and we arebringing in a New York dance troupe so the evening will be dance and music soour musicians but you won’t know when our musicians are just playing and whenit’s gonna start being danced and there’s smoke and all kinds of effectsso that’s a really great theater evening if you if you have anybody who lovesdance that’s a great evening moving music on the 27th at the casino theaterand the gala at the 28th at Ochre Court. I almost forgot that we perform theretoo so this Sunday next Sunday and the 28th we have concerts there and the 28this our gala that features metropolitan opera singer Nathan Gunn absolutelyincredible and his wife Julie Dunn who’s a concert pianistit’s gonna be a wonderful evening. You have a concert built into the eveningcatering guy Russell Morin it’s just gonna be a great evening and now they’veair-conditioned Ochre court as well so you can stay cool all night in your gownIf people would like to help you sponsor or just be involved somehow howcan they find you so they can go to the website which is NewportMusic.org youcan call the office at 401-846-1133 and just ask for Pamela andif you want to leave me a message my staff would be happy to talk to you.Easily Accessible. Thank you so much and we look forward to seeing you on Newport Living and Lifestyles
