Newport Classical's Chamber Series keeps classical music playing in the City-by-the-Sea

Autumn is upon us here in Newport! We have several concerts coming up at Newport Classical that will be perfect for welcoming the calm of cooler evenings and the excitement of the fall season in the City-by-the-Sea. We are proud to be bringing world-class musicians to downtown Newport year-round to our home venue the Newport Classical Recital Hall on Dearborn Street, which we have heard from several artists is one of their favorite places to perform. Chamber Series concerts are held monthly on Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. from September through June. Our Community Concerts, presented by BankNewport, bring casual, engaging, and welcoming performances to Newport residents right in their own neighborhoods.

Our next Chamber Series concert on Oct. 6 is a special evening featuring two internationally renowned soloists and chamber musicians – violinist Chad Hoopes and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott. Newport audiences have the rare opportunity to hear these superb artists – who regularly perform at venues such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall, and more – in the intimate setting of our Recital Hall. Violinist Chad Hoopes has blazed his way across stages worldwide as a soloist and collaborator of deep artistry and supreme lyricism. He dazzled Newport audiences with his 2022 solo appearance with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at The Breakers. The world-renowned American pianist Anne-Marie McDermott is also returning to Newport – she previously performed as a Festival Artist from 1990-97!

Chad and Anne-Marie’s program is anchored by Beethoven’s Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47, known for its technical difficulty and wide emotional range. Beethoven composed it in 1803 for his friend, the Polish/African/German/English violinist George Bridgetower, who gave the premiere that year. Fauré’s Sonata for violin and piano No. 1, Op. 13 is considered one of the composer’s early masterpieces, and opened new doors for him upon its premiere in 1877. The piece became a staple of the repertoire – the writer Marcel Proust even paid tribute to it in his novel In Search of Lost Time. Mozart’s Violin Sonata No. 27 in G Major Sonata, K. 379 was composed in 1781. Although Mozart claimed to have written the piece in just one hour, it has endured as a masterpiece for over 200 years.

As part of Newport Classical’s desire to create connections between classical music, the artists who perform it, and the Newport community, Chad Hoopes will also visit Newport-area public schools to perform for and speak with students, through Newport Classical’s Music Education and Engagement Initiative. We look forward to sharing his talent and insights with the community.

Also this month, on Oct. 8, we’ll present a free Community Concert for the first time at Newport Craft Brewing thanks to our collaboration with Audrain Hospitality. Kinan Azmeh’s CityBand, known for its virtuosic and high energy performances, strives to reach a balance between classical music, jazz, and the music of Azmeh’s homeland, Syria.

We caught up with Anne-Marie McDermott in advance of her concert on Oct. 6, to ask what she’s looking forward to and what she recalls from her time at the festival in the 1990s.

Newport Classical: This isn't your first collaboration with Chad Hoopes. What is it about this partnership that brings you back to working with each other?

Anne-Marie McDermott: Chad Hoopes and I felt a very natural musical chemistry from the first time we worked together and that doesn’t happen all that often. We have a similar aesthetic about music making and understand each others' intentions innately. We both decided that we wanted to work together more often and it is always a joy! We challenge each other and have a great trust.

Newport Classical: How do you approach programming a concert? What aspects of your program with Chad are you particularly excited about?

Anne-Marie McDermott: Chad and I love giving a lot of thought to programs that we put together. The violin and piano repertoire is so rich and thrilling and we like to make sure that a program takes the listener on a journey and involves a lot of musical story-telling. We were both very excited about playing Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata together and that was the key work on this program that we were excited about. We thought about the other repertoire to provide great variety and balance the rest of the program well.

Newport Classical: You last appeared at Newport Classical during the 1990s. Is there anything you are looking forward to doing for the first time or revisiting?

Anne-Marie McDermott: I had such transformative musical experiences in Newport back in the 90s and those feelings remain with me, so I am just so excited to be back there performing. I think it will bring back a lot of wonderful and vivid memories. The audiences in Newport have always been so embracing and enthusiastic and I can’t wait to play for this audience again!

Newport Classical: Is there a performance that you can recall from your time as a Festival Artist, or any memories or impressions from your time in Newport in the 1990s that you'd like to share?

Anne-Marie McDermott: I have so many incredible memories from my time at the Newport Festival. I remember one summer when I learned and performed 41 pieces to play over two weeks – unreal!! It was also such an amazing experience to spend so much time performing with my two sisters at the Festival for so many years. I made so many deep friendships during my years there that endure to this day. It was sheer magic!

Newport Classical: Newport Classical brings many of the artists we present to perform in the schools here, as Chad will be doing next month. Could you share your thoughts on the importance of robust music education in schools?

Anne-Marie McDermott: There is nothing more important than music education. It is fundamental to a child’s growth and to their development. There have been so many studies that show just how important playing an instrument is to a child’s brain and social development. More importantly, everyone deserves to have an artistic and creative outlet and to be encouraged to express themselves in this way. Music making is also such a fun way for kids to interact with each other and challenge each other and develop their confidence as a human being. Every child should have access to music education!

Tickets for Newport Classical Chamber Series concerts can be purchased online at www.newportclassical.org/concerts.

Gillian Friedman Fox is the executive director at Newport Classical. Her column appears monthly in The Newport Daily News and newportri.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Newport Classical's Chamber Series features Anne-Marie McDermott in October