'The greatest quartet of the last century' to headline URI's 2022 Chamber Music Festival
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KINGSTON — After two years of COVID curtailments and disruptions, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival will return to a full in-person format this year at the University of Rhode Island, with seven concerts over 12 days, beginning July 20.
Despite some lingering COVID precautions, the festival, marking its 34th year, is "at the prime of its life," according to pianist Natalie Zhu, who is in her 13th year as artistic director.
When the pandemic forced the cancellation of live events in 2020, the festival was presented free online. In 2021, an in-person festival returned, but with limited seating that quickly sold out. This year, seating will not be restricted in URI's 900-seat Edwards Hall, but masks and proof of vaccination will be required for all concerts.
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The lineup will feature a number of rising stars, including the Dover Quartet, named the greatest quartet of the last century by BBC Music Magazine; 26-year-old pianist Hilda Huang; Curtis on Tour; and Arx Duo. Selections will blend works by contemporary composers, such as Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw, Vivian Fung and Grammy Award winner Steven Mackey, with traditional masterworks by Bach, Mozart and Schubert.
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The festival’s opening night on July 20 will feature the Curtis on Tour Project, from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia (Zhu's alma mater), presenting a program of Mozart, Mendelssohn and Duke Ellington.
Huang, who at age 18 was the first American to take first prize at the Leipzig Bach Competition, will present her first all-Bach performance on July 22. Huang, an advocate for modern performance of historical music, has learned the complete Bach partitas and toccatas, and she planned the one-time recital exclusively for the festival.
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A trio of concerts by classical stars the Dover Quartet
Stars of the 2020 documentary “Strings Attached,” the Dover Quartet — violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, cellist Camden Shaw, and violinists Bryan Lee and Joel Link — will take center stage for the next three concerts. On July 24, the quartet will play Shaw’s “The Evergreen,” along with works by Mozart and Ravel.
On July 26, the foursome will debut Mackey’s “Memoir,” a theatrical musical piece, with Arx Duo percussionists Mari Yoshinaga and Garrett Arney, and narrator Natalie Christa. Co-commissioned by the festival, “Memoir” is an adaptation of Mackey’s mother’s memoir, telling of her struggles with alcoholism. The concert, the only festival performance that will not take place at Edwards Hall, starts at 7:30 p.m. at the United Theatre, 5 Canal St., in Westerly.
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Back at Edwards Hall on July 27, the Dover Quartet will perform pieces by Antonin Dvorák, Anton Arensky and Frank Bridge, joined by Zhu on piano and festival newcomer Yegor Dyachkov on cello.
Memorial tribute to URI alum Zachary Friedland
On July 29, the festival will pay tribute to URI alumnus and composer Zachary Friedland, who died in October at age 31.
Friedland, who lived in Richmond, worked for years behind the scenes at the festival while attending URI, pursuing graduate degrees and penning more than 50 compositions, including commissioned works for URI’s 125th anniversary celebrations and the 30th anniversary of the chamber festival.
The July 29 concert will include Friedland’s “Riding Waves,” which was performed at the 30th anniversary celebration by Zhu and festival founder and violinist David Kim. Zhu will reprise her part on piano, with Ayano Ninomiya on violin.
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The night will open with Ernest Bloch’s “Prayer,” part of his “From Jewish Life,” followed by “Riding Waves” and Chopin’s “Fantaisie,” and will conclude with Schubert's Piano Trio No. 1, a selection with special significance, according to Zhu.
“Forty minutes of lyricism and emotion. Forty minutes of mood shifts and intriguing harmonic detours. Forty minutes of remembering Zach Friedland, who, like Schubert, passed away at the age of 31,” she said. “I have put a lot of thought into this program, and this is the least I could do to pay tribute to a wonderful friend.”
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The festival closes July 31 with Fung’s “Bird Song” and pieces by Ravel and Camille Saint-Saëns, performed by Dyachkov and festival regulars Ninomiya, Noah Geller, Clancy Newman and Reiko Uchida.
All concerts, except for the “Memoir” performance, will be held at Edwards Hall, at 64 Upper College Rd. on the URI campus. For tickets and full concert information, go to kingstonchambermusic.org.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: URI's 2022 Kingston Chamber Music Festival: What to know if you go
