Newport Classical continues its fourth full-season Chamber Series with a performance on Friday, January 24, 2025, by the Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello), a group praised by The New York Times for being, “full of elegance and pinpoint control,” and the San Francisco Chronicle for its, “soulfulness [and] tonal beauty.”
The concert is among twelve concerts being held on select Fridays at 7:30 pm at the organization’s home venue, the Newport Classical Recital Hall, located at 42 Dearborn Street in Newport.
For its Newport debut, the Telegraph Quartet presents music rarely experienced by its creators: Rebecca Clarke’s Poem for String Quartet; Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 74 (“Harp”); and Bedřich Smetana’s String Quartet No. 1 in E minor, From My Life. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept… with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet has received the prestigious Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. The ensemble has performed across the country including at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, at San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Interlochen Arts Festival, and the Emilia Romagna Festival, and is currently the Quartet-in-Residence at The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.
Rebecca Clarke wrote her Poem for String Quartet – a serene work rooted in rhythmic and melodic repetition – in 1926. However, she would never see the work published and disseminated before her passing in 1979. Beethoven had begun losing his hearing by his late 20s and by the time the good-natured “Harp” Quartet was composed in 1809, its cheery quality belied the composer’s 11-year-long struggle with hearing loss that inevitably kept him from fully experiencing this work. Similarly, Smetana would not have been able to even hear his own first string quartet at all, as he fell victim to severe hearing loss in 1874. His own autobiographical string quartet, for all its joy and enthusiasm, ends with a piercing e-string note that denotes the onset of that hearing loss two years prior to the quartet’s creation.
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 continues with 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. Oboist James Austin Smith, hailed by The New York Times as “virtuosic,” and for his “dazzling” and “brilliant” performances, joins forces with acclaimed pianist Gloria Chien in music by William Grant Still, Clara Schumann, Camille Saint-Saëns, and more, on March 21. 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 to 22, 2025, and programming will be announced at the end of March.
