Newport Classical celebrates the holiday season with a pair of festive concerts
With Thanksgiving coming later this week, I want to take the opportunity to express Newport Classical’s gratitude for the support we have received this year from the Newport community – through record ticket sales, generous donations, the dedication of our board members and our wonderful volunteers, fruitful partnerships with local businesses, and more. It’s truly inspiring to see how Newport continually comes together to celebrate classical music as a living art form. We couldn’t do this without our community.
For those who are new to Newport Classical, our mission is to bring timeless music for today to the city all year long through the one-of-a-kind Newport Classical Music Festival, which takes place each summer in Newport’s historic mansions and open-air venues across Aquidneck Island, the monthly Chamber Series at Newport Classical Recital Hall downtown on Dearborn Street, the Community Concerts Series which brings free performances to residents right in their own neighborhoods, and our Music Education and Engagement Initiative which has inspired over 1,000 students ranging from 3 to 12 years old since 2021.
Up next, we are celebrating the holiday season with two weekends of festive concerts in December. These special holiday programs provide another way for us to welcome and engage with the Newport-area community through music.
Returning for the third year in a row, we will present Messiah at the Mansion in two performances at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 3, in the spectacular setting of the Rosecliff mansion. This annual tradition is perfect for the whole family. Handel’s iconic oratorio, The Messiah, was written in 1741 and quickly became one of the most-performed classical choral works, remaining popular ever since. You’ll recognize the famous “Hallelujah Chorus'' in this boldly reimagined chamber version of the timeless classic. Rhode Island’s own fast-rising chamber choir Ensemble Altera, praised for its “seamless ensemble perfection" by The Boston Musical Intelligencer and led by internationally renowned countertenor (and Johnston native) Christopher Lowrey, will perform The Messiah with the Professional Choristers of The Choir School of Newport County, led by founding executive director Peter Berton.
On Dec. 16 at 3 p.m., Newport Classical presents Classical Christmas, a community holiday celebration held in the English Gothic Revival architecture of Emmanuel Church. Classical Christmas is a delightful afternoon of holiday chamber music including works from the classical repertoire, traditional carols, and a grand finale featuring selections from Vivaldi’s Gloria. A memorable holiday experience for audiences of all ages, the concert will be led by Emmanuel Church Director of Music and Events Randy Elkins and will include performances by Newport Classical Board President Suzanna Laramee, piano; Cheryl Bishkoff, oboe; Graham Shultz, organ; Alison Hosford, soprano; and the Emmanuel Church Festival Chorus. Following the concert, ring in the holidays with a festive reception graciously hosted by the Vestry of Emmanuel Church. As of the time of publication, this concert is at capacity. If tickets become available, we will update our website: www.newportclassical.org.
In the new year, we welcome you to join us as our Chamber Series at the Newport Classical Recital Hall continues in January. We’ve been thrilled to hear from audience members that attending our monthly concerts in the winter is a cozy, local night out with world-class talent performing in a beautiful recital space, right here in Newport. It’s not too late to purchase a package that includes a ticket to each of the six remaining concerts between January and June 2024, and makes a great holiday gift!
Our Chamber Series continues on Jan. 26, when rising star pianist Eric Lu, who has been described by The Guardian as “a veritable poet of the keyboard,” makes his Newport Classical debut in a program featuring music by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Bach, and Chopin. The Galvin Cello Quartet, which burst onto the scene after capturing the Silver Medal at the 2021 Fischoff Competition and the 2022 Victor Elmaleh Competition, will perform on Feb. 23. Bassoonist Eleni Katz and pianist Evren Ozel take the stage on March 22 in a program celebrating the many facets of the bassoon, featuring music by Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, Coleridge-Taylor, and more. On April 26, the award-winning Balourdet Quartet, which recently won the Grand Prize at the 2021 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, will present a program featuring Hadyn, Kurtág, and Schubert. Polish-American soprano Magdalena Kuźma, praised as a "standout" with "star quality" by Opera News, performs a program spanning from Chopin to Rachmaninoff to Rodgers and Hammerstein on May 17. On June 7, pianist Asiya Korepanova concludes the Chamber Series with music by Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky, Beach, Chopin, and more.
Tickets for Newport Classical 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 on newportri.com.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Newport Classical presents Messiah at the Mansion this holiday season
