Newport Classical Celebrates the Holiday Season with Two Programs in December
Newport Classical Celebrates the Holiday Season
with Two Programs in December
Messiah at the Mansion
Featuring The Choir School of Newport County and Ensemble Altera
Sunday, December 3, 2023 | 1pm and 3:30pm
Rosecliff | 548 Bellevue Ave. | Newport, RI
Classical Christmas
Saturday, December 16, 2023 | 3pm
Emmanuel Church | 42 Dearborn St. | Newport, RI
Tickets & Information: www.newportclassical.org
Newport, RI – Newport Classical celebrates the season with two weekends of holiday programs in December – Messiah at the Mansion featuring The Choir School of Newport County and Ensemble Altera in two performances on Sunday, December 3 at 1pm and 3:30pm at Rosecliff (548 Bellevue Ave.), and Classical Christmas on Saturday, December 16 at 3pm at Emmanuel Church (42 Dearborn St.), which brings together talented musicians from the community.
Messiah at the Mansion on December 3 features Handel’s iconic oratorio Messiah performed by Rhode Island’s Ensemble Altera, led by Christopher Lowrey, and the Professional Choristers of The Choir School of Newport County, led by Peter Berton, surrounded by the splendor of Rosecliff mansion. Described by the Boston Musical Intelligencer as “seamless ensemble perfection,” Ensemble Altera offers a boldly reimagined chamber version of Handel’s timeless classic with The Choir School of Newport County, including the famous “Hallelujah Chorus.” Newport Classical is proud to present the third year of this annual holiday tradition, perfect for the whole family. Messiah at the Mansion is sponsored by Cynthia Sinclair through her generous support of The Choir School of Newport County.
Classical Christmas on December 16 is a community holiday celebration held in the English Gothic Revival architecture of Emmanuel Church. Newport Classical presents 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 is followed by a festive reception graciously hosted by the Vestry of Emmanuel Church.
Newport Classical’s Chamber Series at Newport Classical Recital Hall continues on November 3, when violinist William Hagen, hailed as a “brilliant virtuoso…a standout” (The Dallas Morning News), performs with pianist Orion Weiss. On January 26, rising-star pianist Eric Lu, who has been described by The Guardian as “a veritable poet of the keyboard,” will make 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 February 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 closes the Chamber Series with music by Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky, Beach, Chopin, and more.
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. and previously known as Newport Music Festival, 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 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.
Newport Classical is proud to be an essential pillar of New England’s cultural landscape, and to invest in the future of classical music as a diverse, relevant, and ever-evolving art form. Newport Classical’s 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 – illustrate the organization’s ongoing commitment to presenting “timeless music for today.”