Newport Classical Music Festival Kicks Off Its Fifty-Sixth Season

Palaver Strings will perform on July 17 as part of the Newport Classical Music Festival. (Photo by Titilayo Ayangade)

The 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival kicked off with a bang this past weekend with a free, outdoor performance of patriotic music by Fenway Brass & Percussion at King Park. The concert, which preceded the island’s fireworks show and was part of the 2025 BankNewport Community Concerts Series, was followed the next evening by a formal opening at the Breakers featuring Two Pianos with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung.

The concerts mark the start of this year’s Newport Classical Music Festival, an annual tradition comprising three weeks of classical music performances. The events take place at unique venues throughout the island, celebrating Aquidneck’s heritage while spotlighting its appreciation for the creative arts.

“We can all agree that this festival is so much more than three weeks of concerts. It’s an unforgettable celebration of artistry, community and the thrill of live performance, set against the one-of-a-kind backdrop of Newport’s iconic venues,” says festival Executive Director Gillian Fox.

“This summer’s array of programs captures the expansive range of artistic expression within classical music. We can’t wait to welcome you to the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival.”

As in previous years, this year’s lineup features a range of artists set against memorable backdrops, including the Breakers, the Elms, Newport Art Museum, the Redwood Library and Athenaeum and Castle Hill Inn. Festivalgoers can even watch a sunrise performance on the terrace at Rosecliff or catch ethereal tunes among the trees during Strings in Nature, a sold-out performance at Middletown’s Norman Bird Sanctuary.

For the fifth year in a row, the organization also commissioned a new work to premiere during the Festival. Canadian Indigenous artist Cris Derksen, a Juno-nominated cellist and composer, wrote First Light after researching the history of Aquidneck’s Wampanoag people. The piece also incorporates the story of John Anthony, an enslaved boy, as reimagined by the composer. The new work will be performed by the Galvin Cello Quartet during a performance at the Breakers on July 13.

While many of the concerts are at capacity, tickets are still available for the following:

• Pianist Sara Davis Buechner on July 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Castle Hill Inn — Sara Davis Buechner, a Festival favorite, will perform a jazz-inspired program with music by Juohn Alden Carpenter, Vernon Duke, Dana Suesse, Ravel and Poulenc. The concert is set against the backdrop of a Newport summer sunset and features complimentary desserts and coffee during intermission.
• Third Coast Percussion on July 10 at 8 p.m. at the Breakers — The Grammy Award-winning percussionists will perform music from their five albums as well as new works commissioned for the ensemble’s twentieth anniversary, featuring music by Clarice Assad, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Jlin, Jessie Montgomery and Tigran Hamasyan.
• Karen Slack: African Queens on July 12 at 8 p.m. at the Breakers — Grammy Award-winning singer Karen Slack presents an evening of music and storytelling, featuring new works by some of today’s most acclaimed composers. The collaborative song cycle, commissioned for Slack, shines a spotlight on seven fierce African Queens and elevates underrepresented voices in classical music while also celebrating living composers.
• Tallā Rouge on July 15 at 4 p.m. at the Newport Art Museum — The one-of-a-kind Cajun-Persian viola duo presents a concert celebrating living composers and reimaging classical favorites for viola. The duo is acclaimed for their “genre-defying compositions” and has performed at Carnegie Hall and Dumbarton Oaks.
• Palaver Strings on July 17 at 8 p.m. at the Breakers — The musician-led ensemble will present a program exploring folk music from around the world and addressing themes of heritage, belonging and resilience. The program features Kareem Roustom’s new work ḥawwāsh, inspired by a traditional Arab line dance, alongside Palaver’s arrangement of Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances, Kinan Azmeh’s Syrian Dances and more.
• Attaca Quartet on July 19 at 8 p.m. at the Breakers — The innovative quartet’s Newport debut will feature the U.S. premiere of daisy by Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning composer David Lang, alongside Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4 and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 4. daisy was co-commissioned by an international group of presenters including Newport Classical, La Biennale di Venezia, Kings Place, String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam, Park Avenue Armory and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

For a full list of concerts or to purchase tickets, visit newportclassical.org.

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