The Preservation Society of Newport County is debuting a new video series next month that pairs live acoustic performances with some of the nation’s most significant historic architecture.
The series, titled “Sessions,” features invited musicians recording stripped-down sets inside or on the grounds of Newport Mansions’ 11 historic properties, seven of which are National Historic Landmarks. Each performance is filmed without an audience in a single take, using one condenser microphone to highlight each location’s distinctive acoustics.
The series premieres Jan. 8 on the Newport Mansions YouTube channel with a performance by Maine-based indie-folk duo The Ballroom Thieves, recorded last summer inside Marble House, the Gilded Age mansion once home to socialite and women’s suffrage activist Alva Vanderbilt.
Additional episodes will follow monthly, including American roots trio The Wood Brothers on Feb. 12, filmed at The Breakers Stables & Carriage House, and local roots folk act Laden Valley on March 12, recorded at The Elms, the summer home of George and Bertha Russell featured in HBO’s “The Gilded Age.”
All three acts have performed at the Newport Folk Festival.
“These recordings are unique opportunities to create something beautiful and lasting, moments where the setting becomes part of the performance,” said Ashley Bard, content marketing and studio manager for Newport Mansions.
Marketing Director Kevin O’Leary said the initiative aims to reach audiences who may not typically engage with historic sites.
“Music has an ability to reframe how people experience a space,” O’Leary said. “Nothing like these sessions has ever taken place inside our properties, and we hope they inspire new interest in these remarkable places.”
Newport Mansions has partnered with Newport-based creative content agency Tandem to produce the series and is in discussions with nationally recognized artists to record additional installments throughout 2026.
A teaser video is available on the Newport Mansions YouTube channel and is available below.
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