When most people think about music in Newport, they imagine the storied folk and jazz festivals. But in the houses of Newport in July, the mansions that line the streets around Bellevue Avenue, the Newport Music Festival has earned a place among the world’s premier chamber music festivals. From its recent history, when members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra partnered with the Preservation Society of Newport County in 1969 to the Malkovich years (1975 to 2017), the festival has flourished.

Now, Pamela Pantos, an internationally acclaimed opera singer with vast experience in theater and business, assumes the executive directorship. Pamela joined me today at noon on The Open Forum on AM 1540 WADK, here you’ll get to know the new director, hear her vision, and get a glimpse of this year’s festival.

For more information on Newport Music Festival, visit www.newportmusic.org.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...