Newport Classical will present the world premiere of a new violin work inspired by one of Newport’s most celebrated historical documents when violinist Yevgeny Kutik and pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner take the stage Friday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Newport Classical Recital Hall, 42 Dearborn St.
The program features the premiere of Scattered Light, composed by Jonathan Leshnoff and commissioned by Newport Classical. Leshnoff wrote the work in response to George Washington’s 1790 letter to the Newport Hebrew Congregation, a landmark statement of religious liberty in which Washington affirmed that the new United States would give “to bigotry no sanction” and “to persecution no assistance.” Rhode Island Historian Laureate Keith Stokes will read the letter aloud before the performance.
“The fact that the title of this work is taken from Washington’s letter is just the beginning of the text-to-music bond,” Leshnoff wrote in a note about the piece.
The concert marks Kutik’s Newport Classical debut. Praised by The New York Times for his “dark-hued tone and razor-sharp technique,” Kutik pairs with Sánchez-Werner, who returns to the Recital Hall following a sold-out appearance in 2024. The San Francisco Chronicle has called Sánchez-Werner “a gifted virtuoso.”
In addition to the Leshnoff premiere, the program includes Debussy’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Minor, Prokofiev’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Achron’s Hebrew Dance, and Grieg’s Sonata No. 3 in C Minor.
Doors open at 7 p.m. with complimentary wine provided by Gold’s Wine and Spirits. Tickets and information are available at newportclassical.org.
The Chamber Series continues May 8 with pianist James Zijian Wei, first-prize winner at the 2024 Cleveland International Piano Competition, and concludes June 5 with flutist Amir Hoshang Farsi and pianist Chelsea Wang. Newport Classical’s summer Music Festival runs July 2-19, with the full schedule set to be announced March 24.
For more information and tickets, visit newportclassical.org.