Newport Classical Presents April and May Chamber Series Concerts in Downtown Newport
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Newport Classical Presents
April and May Chamber Series Concerts in Downtown Newport
Violinist Bella Hristova performs Bach and Grieg
Friday, April 25 at 7:30pm
Pianist Orion Weiss performs Bach’s Goldberg Variations
Friday, May 16 at 7:30pm
Newport Classical Recital Hall | 42 Dearborn St | Newport, RI
Tickets and Information
Newport, RI – Newport Classical continues its fourth full-season Chamber Series, featuring twelve concerts held on select Fridays at 7:30pm at the organization’s home venue the Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn St.), with internationally renowned Bulgarian-American violinist Bella Hristova performing on Friday, April 25, 2025 at 7:30pm and one of the most sought-after soloists and chamber music collaborators of his generation, pianist Orion Weiss performing on Friday, May 16, 2025 at 7:30pm.
Bella Hristova, who has won acclaim for her “expressive nuance and rich tone” (The New York Times), performs frequently with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York, and has given recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and Boston’s Isabella Gardner Museum. She is a recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and many other awards, including First Prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. In collaboration with returning pianist Anna Polonsky, Hristova will make her Newport debut in a compelling program that includes favorite works by Bach, a transcription of a movement from Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, Grieg’s thrilling second violin sonata, and folk songs from the childhood of Indian-American composer Reena Esmail. The Washington Post has praised Bella Hristova’s “impressive power and control.” She has distinguished herself on the world stage as a performing artist with a remarkably diverse repertoire and a bold approach to programming.
Pianist Orion Weiss, known for his “powerful technique and exceptional insight” (The Washington Post) returns to Newport for a solo recital of Bach’s beloved Goldberg Variations, the composer’s most popular keyboard work, consisting of an aria and 30 variations. Weiss is widely regarded as a “brilliant pianist” (The New York Times), and has performed with all of the major orchestras of North America, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the New York Philharmonic. As a recitalist and chamber musician, Weiss has appeared at venues and festivals including the Ravinia Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Edinburgh International Festival, Hong Kong Premiere Performances, the Lucerne Festival, Bravo! Vail, and many others. He recently released his latest album, Arc III, the final album in his recital trilogy, which he describes as an exploration of "our resilience, our rebound, our irrepressibility.”
Newport Classical's Chamber Series takes place at Newport Classical Recital Hall in downtown Newport, known for its striking architecture and excellent acoustics. The Chamber Series, newly expanded to twelve concerts held between September and June, reaffirms Newport Classical’s commitment to offer year-round classical music programming. Audiences are invited to enjoy performances by world-class classical musicians in a relaxed setting, with a complimentary glass of wine from Greenvale Vineyards and homemade treats by Newport Classical volunteers.
As part of Newport Classical’s desire to create connections between classical music, the artists who perform it, and the Newport community, all musicians performing on the Chamber Series also visit Newport-area schools to perform for, speak with, and inspire students, through Newport Classical’s Music Education and Engagement Initiative.
Up next, Newport Classical presents two Community Concerts – Ji Su Jung’s Percussion Playground on April 27 at the historic Great Friends Meeting House, and Rasa String Quartet with percussionist Brian Shankar Adler on May 18 on the Newport Craft Brewing Lawn. Audiences can look forward to enjoying these casual, engaging, and welcoming concerts right in their Newport neighborhoods. Newport Classical’s Community Concerts Series is free and open to the community; advanced registration is requested but not required for both performances.
The Newport Classical Chamber Series at Newport Classical Recital Hall concludes on June 13 with the GRAMMY®-nominated Norwegian Trio Mediaeval, who captivate audiences with their crystalline voices, in an enchanting evening of Norwegian and Swedish traditional songs, hymns, fiddle tunes, and ballads.
Tickets are now available for the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival, which takes place from July 4-22, 2025. Highlights include Opening Night featuring Two Pianos with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung; two evenings with Broadway star Jessica Vosk, best known for her lead role in Wicked; performances by extraordinary pianists Inon Barnatan, Sara Davis Buechner, and Wynona Wang; celebrated soprano Karen Slack's African Queens project co-commissioned by Newport Classical with a national consortium; the US premiere of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang co-commissioned by Newport Classical with an international consortium; performances by world-class artists including violinist Leila Josefowicz, The Westerlies, Third Coast Percussion, harpist Emily Levin, guitarists Ziggy and Miles, Palaver Strings, Attacca Quartet, Twelfth Night, The Gesualdo Six, Tallā Rouge, Empire Wild, and more; Opera Night: An American Tapestry; and Closing Night with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and violinist Stefan Jackiw. For the fifth year in a row, Newport Classical has commissioned a brand new work to be premiered at the Festival. This year's Composer-in-Residence is Cris Derksen, a Juno-nominated Indigenous cellist and composer, who has written a new work for the Galvin Cello Quartet.
About Newport Classical
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.
Originally founded in 1969 as Rhode Island Arts Foundation at Newport, Inc., Newport Classical has a rich legacy of musical curiosity having presented the American debuts of hundreds of international artists and is most well-known for hosting three weeks of concerts in the summer in the historic mansions throughout Newport and Aquidneck Island. In the 56 years since, Newport Classical has become the most active year-round presenter of music on Aquidneck Island, and an essential pillar of Rhode Island’s cultural landscape, welcoming thousands of patrons all year long.
Newport Classical invests in the future of classical music as a diverse, relevant, and ever-evolving art form through its four core programs – the one-of-a-kind Music Festival; the Chamber Series in the Newport Classical Recital Hall; the free, family-friendly Community Concerts Series; and the Music Education and Engagement Initiative that inspires students in local schools to become the arts advocates and music lovers of tomorrow. These programs illustrate the organization’s ongoing commitment to presenting “timeless music for today.”
In 2021, the organization launched a new commissioning initiative – each year, Newport Classical will commission a new work by a Black, Indigenous, person of color, or woman composer as a commitment to the future of classical music. To date, Newport Classical has commissioned and presented the world premiere of works by Stacy Garrop, Shawn Okpebholo, Curtis Stewart, and Clarice Assad.