Newport Classical Continues Free Community Concerts with Two Spring Performances in April and May
Ji Su Jung (left) and Rasa String Quartet (right). Photo of Rasa String Quartet by Titilayo Ayangade; photo of Ji Su Jung courtesy of the artist. Available in high resolution here.
Newport Classical Continues Community Concerts with Two Spring Performances
Free, Casual, and Welcoming to All
Presented by BankNewport
Ji Su Jung’s Percussion Playground
Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Great Friends Meeting House | 21 Farewell Street | Newport, RI
Rasa Quartet and Percussion
Sunday, May 18, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Newport Craft Brewing Lawn | 293 JT Connell Highway | Newport, RI
Information & Registration: www.newportclassical.org
Newport, RI – Newport Classical announces two spring concerts as part of the 2024-2025 Newport Classical Community Concerts Series featuring Ji Su Jung’s Percussion Playground on Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 2:30pm at Great Friends Meeting House (21 Farewell Street) and Rasa Quartet and Percussion on Sunday, May 18, 2025 at 2:30pm on the Newport Craft Brewing Lawn (293 JT Connell Highway). 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.
On April 27, experience the mesmerizing artistry of percussionist Ji Su Jung at the historic Great Friends Meeting House. The first solo percussionist to receive the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Jung has captivated audiences nationwide, performing with top orchestras at renowned venues including the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. Known for her depth, lyricism, and dazzling virtuosity, Jung transforms the marimba into an instrument of extraordinary expression. With a blend of traditional and contemporary music, this concert showcases the boundless possibilities of percussion in classical music and beyond. Join Newport Classical for this free, family-friendly performance in an afternoon of music and community right in the heart of Newport.
On May 18, Newport Classical welcomes the Rasa String Quartet (Emma Powell and Maura Shawn Scanlin, violin; Kiyoshi Hayashi, viola; Mina Kim, cello) and percussionist Brian Shankar Adler to Newport Craft. Enjoy a joyful outdoor concert celebrating each artists’ musical roots spanning from evocative Indian ragas and mysterious Argentine tangos to spirited Celtic fiddle tunes. This collaboration evokes the feelings of home and comfort inherent in our earliest musical memories, while also exploring the rhythmic connection across a wide array of genres. The program culminates in a brand-new work for string quartet and percussion by Brian Shankar Adler, inspired by this unique collaboration. Don’t miss this free, family-friendly concert on the lawn of Newport Craft, overlooking the Pell Bridge, where music and storytelling come together for a delightful afternoon.
These concerts are generously presented as part of the BankNewport Community Concerts Series with additional support from the NewportFed Charitable Foundation.
Up next, the Newport Classical Chamber Series continues with oboist James Austin Smith, hailed by The New York Times as “virtuosic,” and for his “dazzling” and “brilliant” performances, who joins forces with acclaimed pianist Michael Stephen Brown in music by William Grant Still, Clara Schumann, Camille Saint-Saëns, and more, on March 21. On April 25, Bulgarian-American violinist Bella Hristova, who has won international acclaim for her “expressive nuance and rich tone” (The New York Times) presents the music of Bach and Messiaen, alongside works by Grieg and Indian-American composer Reena Esmail, with pianist Anna Polonsky. 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 on May 16. On June 13, the GRAMMY®-nominated Norwegian Trio Mediaeval, who captivate audiences with their crystalline voices, closes the 2024-2025 Newport Classical Chamber Series with an enchanting evening of Norwegian and Swedish traditional songs, hymns, fiddle tunes, and ballads.
The 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival will take place from July 4-22, 2025, with programming to be announced on March 25.
For Newport Classical’s complete concert calendar, visit www.newportclassical.org/concerts
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 in Newport County, 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.