Newport Classical continues its fourth full-season Chamber Series, featuring twelve concerts held on select Fridays at 7:30 pm at the organization’s home venue, the Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn St.), with a recital by oboist James Austin Smith and pianist Michael Stephen Brown on Friday, March 21, 2025.
Their compelling program features music by William Grant Still, Clara Schumann, Camille Saint-Saëns, Frédéric Chopin, Benjamin Britten, and more.
Praised for his “virtuosic,” “dazzling,” and “brilliant” performances (The New York Times) and his “bold, keen sound” (The New Yorker), James Austin Smith is a soloist, chamber musician, and artistic director. He appears regularly with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, at Carnegie Hall, on tour as Co-Principal Oboe of the conductor-less Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and as an artist of the International Contemporary Ensemble. Smith is also Artistic and Executive Director of Tertulia Chamber Music, which creates intimate evenings of food, drink, and music in singular cultural experiences in New York, San Francisco and Serenbe, Georgia, as well as an annual weekend festival of food and music in a variety of global destinations. Smith’s previous projects include Hearing Memory, an evening of performance, story-telling and archival film footage documenting politically engaged musicians in the former East Germany. Smith holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music and bachelor’s degrees in political science and music from Northwestern University. He spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar at the Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Conservatory in Leipzig, Germany.
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, the Newport Classical Chamber Series presents Boyd Meets Girl, coming to Newport for a performance on Valentine’s Day, February 14 – the impressive husband-and-wife guitar and cello duo has toured the world sharing their eclectic mix of music from Debussy and Bach to Radiohead and Beyoncé. On February 28, the acclaimed Trio Karénine, which has established itself in recent years as a key group on the French and international stage, pairs Schubert’s second piano trio with Dvořák’s rarely programmed second piano trio, filled with color, warmth, lively dance, and Slavic folk elements.
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 at the end of March.
Special Note: Newport Classical is currently hiring for seasonal roles to support the summer Newport Classical Music Festival – Operations Coordinator, Box Office Coordinator, and Production Crew. Those interested in joining a dynamic team and helping produce exceptional classical music events can view available positions at www.newportclassical.org/employment.
