Newport Classical Music Festival presents timeless music for today in 26 concerts this July
Today is the day! I couldn’t be more thrilled to share the incredible line up of musicians we are bringing to Newport this summer, for the 2023 Newport Classical Music Festival. From July 4 to 23, we will be presenting 26 concerts, 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, Redwood Library & Athenæum, and more. We are announcing the schedule today so that you can begin marking your calendars – tickets will go on sale on Monday, April 3.
This year’s Newport Classical Music Festival really encapsulates the full range of expression within classical music. From solo piano and string recitals to large chamber ensembles and vocal performances, each concert draws upon varied instrumentation to offer interpretations of repertoire from the Baroque period all the way to today. I want audiences to come away from this summer feeling inspired – having had musical experiences that were unexpected, that perhaps turn them on to a new composer or performance style.
There are almost too many highlights of this year’s festival to mention here, but one not-to-miss performance will certainly be Broadway and opera star Kelli O'Hara, currently starring in HBO’s The Gilded Age, performing at The Breakers on July 20. She’ll be giving a vocal recital celebrating her illustrious and varied career with pianist Dan Lipton. We’ll also be welcoming back New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist Anthony McGill for a return performance at Redwood Library and Athenæum, in Concert and Cocktails: A Musical Soirée on July 21. This summer we’ll be presenting two chamber orchestras – San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra on July 15, performing entirely on period instruments; and New York’s adventurous orchestral collective The Knights in our closing night concert at The Breakers on July 23. In addition, I’m excited to welcome the riveting low-voice acapella ensemble Cantus, hailing from the Twin Cities and known for their trademark warmth and blend, who will perform at The Breakers on July 8.
Our popular Opera Night at The Breakers returns on July 9, this year with Così fan tutte in a bold new un-staged production of Mozart's 1790 Italian opera buffa. Under the musical direction of acclaimed pianist Charles Kim, and reimagined by Newport Classical’s own Trevor S. Neal, this beloved opera, sung in gossamer Italian, is a probing look into romantic relationships through the collaborative genius of Mozart and his brilliant librettist, Da Ponte.
Another very special evening will be the world premiere of The Gilded Cage, a new work commissioned by Newport Classical from three-time GRAMMY®-nominated violinist/composer Curtis Stewart, on July 22 at The Breakers. This is a continuation of our initiative to commission a new work by a Black, Indigenous, person of color, or woman composer each year, as a commitment to the future of classical music. Curtis’s piece is inspired by his father’s time living in Newport and growing up within the Baptist AME church, as well as the history of The Breakers and the Newport residents who have taken care of the space over its many years. The Gilded Cage will be premiered by Newport Classical’s young professional Festival Artists, who come together for an intense period of music making during the festival. This summer’s cohort are Ariel Horowitz, violin; Lun Li, violin; Edwin Kaplan, viola; Titilayo Ayangade, cello; and Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, piano. They will be giving nine performances throughout the festival.
We are proud to be presenting three astounding and singular pianists this summer – Simone Dinnerstein in our Opening Night Concert at The Breakers on July 6, Hélène Grimaud at The Breakers on July 13, and Charlie Albright at Castle Hill Inn on July 18. In addition, we will be bringing four celebrated chamber ensembles including Sinta Saxophone Quartet on July 5 outdoors in the private gardens of Bellevue House, Aizuri String Quartet at The Breakers on July 7, festival favorites the Hermitage Piano Trio in a Rachmaninoff 150th Birthday Celebration at The Breakers on July 16, and the all-women Excelsis Percussion Quartet on July 22 at Colony House. Our string soloists this summer are internationally renowned Israeli cellist Amit Peled on July 11 at Newport Art Museum; Zlatomir Fung in the Bach Cello Suites at The Breakers on July 12; and the charismatic Norwegian violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, performing at The Breakers on July 14.
Other annual festival favorites that we will again present this summer include Sunrise Meditations concerts (July 14 and 21), a concert inspired by nature at Norman Bird Sanctuary (July 9), and our free Fourth of July concert by Boston’s Fenway Brass Quintet at King Park, part of the 2023 BankNewport Community Concert Series.
Although we are looking ahead to this summer, we still have three performances to go in our spring Chamber Series, held in our home venue, Newport Classical Recital Hall located at Emmanuel Church in downtown Newport. The powerhouse duo of Thomas Mesa, hailed as one of the most charismatic cellists of his generation, and Ilya Yakushev, known for his pyrotechnics on the piano, come together on April 21. The remarkable saxophonists of the Kenari Quartet, described as “polished” and “intense” by the Wall Street Journal, perform on May 19. And the Chamber Series Finale concert on June 9 will feature American violinist Stella Chen, winner of the 2020 Avery Fisher Career Grant and 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award, with pianist Henry Kramer.
Last summer, we learned that almost a third of our audiences were coming to their first Newport Classical concert that year. We hope that trend continues, and look forward to welcoming back many familiar faces as well as those who have never been to a classical music concert before. Our mission to welcome all to immersive, inclusive classical concerts continues. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Tickets for the Newport Classical Music Festival will go on sale on April 3, 2023 and will be available at www.newportclassical.org/music-festival or by calling the Box Office at 401-849-1133 x1. Be sure to join Newport Classical’s mailing list to be the first to know about upcoming concerts and events: www.newportclassical.org/email-sign-up
Gillian Friedman Fox is the Newport Classical executive director. Newport Classical's column appears monthly in The Newport Daily News and newportri.com.
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Newport Classical Music Festival returns in July with 26 concerts
