July 12: Newport Music Festival presents first commissioned work - Beacon of the Bay by Stacy Garrop - performed by The Boston Trio at Castle Hill Inn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Christina Jensen | Jensen Artists
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Newport Music Festival Presents
World Premiere of Beacon of the Bay by Stacy Garrop
Performed by The Boston Trio

 

First Piece Commissioned as Part of New Festival Initiative
53^rd Newport Music Festival Runs July 4-20, 2021 

Monday, July 12, 2021 at 7pm
Castle Hill Inn | 590 Ocean Avenue | Newport, RI
Ticket and waitlist information: www.newportmusic.org

Newport, RI – The Newport Music Festival will present the world premiere of Beacon of the Bay by Stacy Garrop, performed by The Boston Trio on Monday, July 12, 2021 at 7pm, at Newport’s quintessential landmark Castle Hill Inn on The Chalet Terrace (590 Ocean Avenue). Beacon of the Bay is the first piece created through Newport Music Festival’s new commissioning initiative – each year, the Festival will commission a new work by a Black, Indigenous, person of color, or woman composer as a commitment to the future of classical music. The concert also includes Fauré’s Piano Trio in D minor and Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major.

Chicago-based composer Stacy Garrop’s music is centered on dramatic and lyrical storytelling. Beacon of the Bay is inspired by Castle Hill’s iconic lighthouse and its role in keeping Newport safe for over 130 years. This performance will be the first in an annual tradition of world premiere performances of works commissioned to celebrate a historic venue or location in Newport, eventually resulting in a compilation of recordings that tell the unique story of the Festival and the city.

“When the Newport Music Festival commissioned me for a piano trio in honor of their 2021 season, I looked for a topic that would celebrate an aspect of the Newport community,” Garrop says. “I became fascinated with the lighthouse on the property of Castle Hill Inn, located at the opening of the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay, erected in 1890 on a very picturesque spot right at the water’s edge. Lighthouses link the past with the present, and will endure long into the future, with their beacons serving the same purpose for every generation.”

“The Castle Hill Lighthouse has been a Newport icon for well over a century, and we couldn’t be more proud to know it is the inspiration behind the very first commissioned work created for the Newport Music Festival,” said Brian Young, Managing Director, Castle Hill Inn. “It’s an incredible honor for us to host Stacy Garrop and The Boston Trio as the venue for the world premiere of Beacon of the Bay here at Castle Hill Inn, and we very much look forward to the performance and continued partnership with the Newport Music Festival.”

Beacon of the Bay will be premiered by Festival favorite violinist Irina Muresanu along with fellow Boston Trio musicians, cellist Jonah Ellsworth and pianist Heng-Jin Park. “Whenever this trio plays, drop everything and go hear them!” raved The Boston Globe on the occasion of the Trio’s Tanglewood debut at Ozawa Hall. Acclaimed for their superb sense of ensemble and wondrous balance, these virtuosic and profound musicians are committed to creating exceptional and daring performances of standard and contemporary repertoire.

Stacy Garrop shares stories by taking audiences on sonic journeys – some simple and beautiful, while others are complicated and dark – depending on the needs and dramatic shape of the story. She is a full-time freelance composer living in the Chicago area, and has received numerous awards and grants including an Arts and Letters Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Fromm Music Foundation Grant, Barlow Prize, and three Barlow Endowment commissions, along with prizes from competitions sponsored by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Omaha Symphony, New England Philharmonic, Boston Choral Ensemble, Utah Arts Festival, and Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble.

This concert is generously supported by June and Ryle Robinson, Suzanna Robinson Laramee and John Laramee, Patricia and Torre Peterson and Maureen and Bruce Holland.

The Newport Music Festival, recommended as a summer highlight by both The New York Times and The Boston Globe this year, celebrates its 53^rd season with seventeen concerts from July 4-20, 2021. All concerts will be held outdoors at historic mansions and venues in Newport, Rhode Island including The Breakers, Bellevue House, Castle Hill Inn, The Chanler at Cliff Walk, King Park, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, Norman Bird Sanctuary, and Rough Point. The full schedule is included below and available at www.newportmusic.org. 

This is the first festival programmed by new Executive Director Gillian Friedman Fox, who came to Newport in January from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra where she was Director of Contemporary and SOLUNA Programs. Fox has renewed a commitment by the Festival to both preserving tradition and embracing artistic innovation. She says, “Our programming for 2021 celebrates the diversity of expression and artistic interpretation within classical music. This season represents a significant inflection point for the Newport Music Festival as we embrace the genre of classical music as a living artform and invite audiences of all backgrounds to experience the magic of chamber music in unique and intimate settings.”

Newport Music Festival Schedule

For ticket and waitlist information visit www.newportmusic.org or call the Box Office at 401-849-0700.

NMF will determine concert capacities in accordance with current governmental guidelines and safety recommendations. For venue addresses and parking and accessibility information, visit www.newportmusic.org/venues. 

 

Redline Brass Quintet: A Salute to America
Sunday, July 4, 2021 | 7:30 pm | King Park | FREE

Sponsored by: AARP Rhode Island
With additional support from BankNewport and NewportFed Charitable Foundation

After a hiatus in 2020, the tradition continues. Join one of the Boston area’s most talented ensembles in a special open-air concert at King Park to kick-off the Fourth of July celebration. Repertoire for this concert will be announced from stage. This free concert requires advanced registration and seating will be provided.

 

Redline Brass Quintet at Rough Point
Tuesday, July 6, 2021 | 6:00 pm | Rough Point | FREE

Support provided by BankNewport and NewportFed Charitable Foundation
Special thanks to the Newport Restoration Foundation 

PREVIN Four Outings for Brass

MAURER Three Pieces

BERNSTEIN Westside Story Suite (arr. Gale)

MONTEVERDI Madrigals (arr. Mase) - Si ch’io verrei morire; Non piu Guerra, pietate; Ah, dolente partita; Quel augellin che canta

JONES Four Movements for Five Brass

EWALD Brass Quintet No. 1

Enjoy a beautiful summer evening of music with exquisite seaside views from the lawn at historic Rough Point. Boston’s own Redline Brass Quintet will perform a varied program ranging from early classical works to well-known favorites. Perfect for both families and couples seeking a unique concert experience. This free concert requires advanced registration and seating will be provided.

 

A Far Cry: Opening Night
Thursday, July 8, 2021 | 7:30 pm | The Breakers Lawn

Sponsored by: Kari and Craig Shapero 

GRIEG Holberg Suite

JOSEPH BOLOGNE, CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGE Sinfonia Concertante in Eb Major

JESSIE MONTGOMERY Strum

ARVO PÄRT Silouan’s Song

TERESA CARREÑO Serenade for Strings in Eb Major

Experience “world-wide phenomenon” and Festival favorite, A Far Cry, while taking in the endless natural beauty of Newport’s coastline. This GRAMMY^®-nominated Boston-based chamber orchestra will present a striking program that celebrates a diverse array of voices within classical music, for a truly memorable opening night performance.

 

Sunrise Concert with Members of A Far Cry
Friday, July 9, 2021 | 5:15 am | Norman Bird Sanctuary

This concert is made possible thanks to the generous support of Robert Connell and Michelle Duffy

JOSEPH BOLOGNE, CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES Six Concertante Quartets, No. 4 in F Major

BARTOK String Quartet No. 3

BEETHOVEN String Quartet Op.18 #5 in A Major 

Experience the stunning seaside sunrise during this inspiring and joyful concert with members of GRAMMY^®-nominated, Boston-based chamber orchestra A Far Cry. Following the performance, you are invited to explore Norman Bird Sanctuary on a self-guided tour through the nature preserve.

 

Third Coast Percussion: MLK Center Family Concert
Friday, July 9, 2021 | 4:15 pm | Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center | FREE
Sponsored by: Betsy Blair and Jim Van Winkle
with additional support provided by BankNewport and NewportFed Charitable Foundation 

IVAN TREVIÑO 2  1

DEVONTÉ HYNES "Press" from For All Its Fury (arr. by TCP)

JLIN Derivative, Duality

DAVID SKIDMORE Ritual Music and Torched and Wrecked

STEVE REICH Music for Pieces of Wood

Newport Music Festival welcomes the community to redefine the classical music experience with GRAMMY^® Award-winning Chicago-based quartet Third Coast Percussion at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center. This extraordinary performance is a dynamic celebration of energy that is not to be missed. This free concert requires advanced registration and seating will be provided.

 

Harlem Quartet
Friday, July 9, 2021 | 7:30 pm | The Breakers Lawn 

JOSEPH BOLOGNE, CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES String Quartet Concertante No. 5 in G Major

WILLIAM GRANT STILL Lyric Quartette

GUIDO LÓPEZ-GAVILÁN Cuarteto en Guaguanco

ADONIS G. MATOS Fugato

GEORGE WALKER String Quartet No. 1, Molto Adagio, Lyric for Strings

WYNTON MARSALIS At the Octoroon Balls – String Quartet No. 1

"Rampart Street Rowhouse Rag"

"Creole Contradanzas"

"Hellbound Highball"

JOHN BIRKS “DIZZY” GILLESPIE A Night in Tunisia (arr. Dave Glenn and Harlem Quartet)

BILLY STRAYHORN Take the “A” Train (arr. Paul Chihara and Harlem Quartet) 

New York-based Harlem Quartet makes their highly anticipated NMF debut at The Breakers. The evening’s program advances diversity in classical music while bringing excitement to the repertoire. This eclectic concert celebrates the legacy of the string quartet and broadens the genre.

 

Third Coast Percussion: Perspectives
Saturday, July 10, 2021 | 7:30 pm | The Breakers Lawn
Sponsored by: Leslie Hogan | Kathy and Doug O’Brien | Jackie Savoie and Dr. Dennis McCool

DEVONTÉ HYNES "Press" from For All Its Fury (arr. by TCP)
PHILIP GLASS Metamorphosis I (arr. by Peter Martin)
PETER MARTIN BEND
CLARICE ASSAD Hero (arr. by Robert Dillon)
GEMMA PEACOCKE Deathwish 
JLIN “Duality” from Perspective
DANNY ELFMAN Percussion Quartet

GRAMMY^® Award-winning, Chicago-based Third Coast Percussion is known for virtuosic and energetic performances that celebrate the extraordinary depth and breadth of possibilities in classical music with an “inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune). This program includes the regional premiere of a new piece by renowned film composer Danny Elfman alongside works by some of today’s leading composers and music creators.

 

Aaron Diehl
Sunday, July 11, 2021 | 6:00 pm | The Breakers Lawn 

BACH Prelude and Fugue in D minor, BWV 851

WILLIAM GRANT STILL Seven Traceries

SCOTT JOPLIN Easy Winners & Solace (A Mexican Serenade)

DEBUSSY Passepied from Suite bergamasue

MASSENET Elegie (Arr. Art Tatum)

EUBIE BLAKE The Charleston Rag

WYNTON KELLY STONE GUESS J-Walking

JAMES P. JOHNSON Keep Off the Grass

TIMO ANDRES Wise Words

PHILIP GLASS Etude No. 16

Trained in the classical canon, Aaron Diehl is celebrated for his elite standard of playing across genres and his joyous approach to interpretation. In this solo recital, Diehl performs an opulent program that reflects an exciting collection of twentieth century music from the classical and jazz idioms. This is the perfect concert for long-time classical music lovers and the classically curious.

 

Boston Trio: A World Premiere
Monday, July 12, 2021 | 7:00 pm | Castle Hill Inn
Sponsored by: June and Ryle Robinson | Suzanna Robinson Laramee and John Laramee | Patricia and Torre Peterson | Maureen and Bruce Holland

FAURÉ Piano Trio in D minor

STACY GARROP Beacon of the Bay (World Premiere, NMF Commission)

BRAHMS Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major

Castle Hill, a quintessential landmark in the City-by-the-Sea with its breathtaking views, is the backdrop for this year’s exciting world premiere of Newport Music Festival’s first annual commissioned work, performed by Festival favorite violinist Irina Muresanu along with fellow Boston Trio musicians - cellist Jonah Ellsworth and pianist Heng-Jin Park. This historic piece by Stacy Garrop, whose music is centered on dramatic and lyrical storytelling, is inspired by Castle Hill’s iconic lighthouse and its role in keeping Newport safe for over 130 years. The new work is complemented by two stunning Piano Trios from Fauré and Brahms.

 

Lara Downes: American Tapestry
Tuesday, July 13, 2021 | 11:00 am | The Chanler at Cliff Walk, Meadow Lawn
Sponsored by: Sue Klau

ROY HARRIS American Ballads

AMY BEACH From Blackbird Hills, Op. 83

FLORENCE PRICE Fantasie Negre No. 1

MORTON GOULD American Caprice

DANA SUESSE American Nocturne

JONI MITCHELL My Favorite Color

R. NATHANIEL DETT The Place Where the Rainbow Ends

HAROLD ARLEN Over the Rainbow

SAMUEL COLERIDGE TAYLOR Deep River

SARAH KIRKLAND SNIDER The Currents

MARGARET BONDS Troubled Water

MANCINI Moon River

GERSHWIN I Loves You, Porgy (arr. Nina Simone)

GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue

Yamaha Artist Lara Downes is among the foremost American pianists of her generation, a trailblazer on and off stage whose musical roadmap seeks inspiration from the legacies of history, family, and collective memory, and explores her own mixed-race heritage as an interpreter of diverse American traditions.

 

Sergey Antonov & Ilya Kazantsev: Russian Masters
Wednesday, July 14, 2021 | 11:00 am | The Chanler at Cliff Walk, Meadow Lawn
Sponsored by: Marilyn and Donald Malpass

VIELGORSKY Theme and Variations

ASAFIEV Scene from the ballet “The Fountain of Bakhchisaray”

DAVIDOV At the Fountain

RACHMANINOFF Cello Sonata in G Major, Op. 19

Gifted Russian instrumentalists and Festival favorites, cellist Sergey Antonov and pianist Ilya Kazantsev return to Newport for a concert of exceptional musicianship. This beautiful morning program explores Russian repertoire both familiar and unexpected.

 

Lara Deutsch: Love Stories
Thursday, July 15, 2021 | 7:30 pm | The Breakers Lawn 

REINECKE Sonata for Flute and Piano, "Undine", Op. 167

COPLAND Duo for Flute and Piano

SCHUMANN Three Romances for Flute and Piano, Op. 94

SCHUBERT Introduction and Variations on "Trockne Blumen", D. 802

This program features repertoire written to express life’s most complicated emotion: love. Often unrequited, love has played a central role in the creation of each of these works, whether inspired by poetry, mythology, or the experiences of the composers themselves. Lara Deutsch, named one of 2020's “Rising Stars” by BBC Music Magazine, is sure to dazzle in this romantic duo program with Esther Ning Yau on piano.

 

Sunrise Concert with Lara Deutsch and Rupert Boyd
Friday, July 16, 2021 | 5:15 am | Norman Bird Sanctuary

BARTÓK Romanian Folk Dances

TAKEMITSU Toward the Sea

PIAZZOLLA Histoire du Tango

RAVI SHANKAR, ed. Pierre-André Valade L’Aube Enchantée sur le Raga “Todi”

Experience the stunning seaside sunrise during this inspiring and joyful concert. Evoking musical portraits of 20th-century life around the world, this program of flute and guitar conjures images of natural landscapes, historical events, and folklore across the continents. Following the performance, you are invited to explore Norman Bird Sanctuary on a self-guided tour through the nature preserve.

 

Opera Night
Friday, July 16, 2021 | 7:30 pm | The Breakers Lawn | Tickets $90/$75
Sponsored by: Roseanne and Dennis Williams

MOZART Overture from Cosi Fan Tutti

MOZART Se il tuo duol from Idomeneo

ROSSINI Sventurata mi credea from La Cenerentola

VERDI Questa o quella from Rigoletto

PUCCINI Signore ascolta from Turandot

MASSENET Overture from Werther

GOUNOD L’amour...Ah! Lève toi soleil from Romeo and Juliet

MASSENET Toi! Vous!...N’est ce plus ma main from Manon

BIZET Je dis que rien ne m’epouvante from Carmen

LEHAR Dein ist mein ganzes herz from Das Land des Lächelns

LEHAR Lippen Schweigan from Die lustige Witwe

HEGGIE Overture from Moby Dick

HEGGIE I see from Moby Dick

FLOYD Aint it a pretty night from Susannah

A stunning evening of opera arias and duets that will inspire and excite performed by three dazzling stars from the Boston Lyric Opera: GRAMMY^® Award-nominated soprano Chelsea Basler, tenor Omar Najmi, recipient of Opera Colorado's Harold Norblom Award, and pianist Brendon Shapiro.

 

Chanticleer: Awakenings
Saturday, July 17, 2021 | 7:30 pm | The Breakers Lawn
Sponsored by: Monty and Dick Burnham | Jennie and Steve Huttler

MONTEVERDI Lauda Jerusalem from Vespers of 1610

LUSITANO Regina caeli – Et resurrexit

VECCHI Vidi civitatem

AGRICOLA Regina caeli

MACMILLAN O Radiant Dawn from The Strathclyde Motets

AUGUSTA READ THOMAS The Rewaking

ANYA WOODS close[r], now (New Commission)

ULYSSES KAY Music from Triumvirate

DE LASSUS Surge propera amica mea

PALESTRINA La ver l’aurora

PALESTRINA Surge illuminare

BYRD Laudibus in sanctis

HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS Chôros No. 3, “Pica-pau”

AUGUSTA READ THOMAS III. The bird her punctual music from Purple Syllables

JANEQUIN Le chant des oiseaux

STEVEN SAMETZ Birds of Paradise

BURTON LANE On a Clear Day (arr. Gene Puerling)

MICHELLE Sunrise (arr. Tim Keeler)

RICHARD EVANS & NORMAN GIMBEL Journey to Recife (arr. Joseph H. Jennings)

The GRAMMY^® Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer has been hailed as “the world’s reigning male chorus” by The New Yorker. Their NMF debut will be an evening to remember as the “orchestra of voices” dazzles with a program of early music vocal repertoire juxtaposed with 21^st century compositions that stir the soul.

 

Brooklyn Rider: Healing Modes
Sunday, July 18, 2021 | 6:00 pm | The Breakers Lawn

Sponsored by: James H. and Marilyn J. Woloohojian Family Foundation – in loving memory of James H. Woloohojian

CAROLINE SHAW Schisma

GABRIELA LENA FRANK Kanto Kechua # 2

DU YUN i am my own achilles’ heel

MANTANA ROBERTS borderlands...

REENA ESMAIL Zeher (Poison)

BEETHOVEN String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132

Hailed as “the future of chamber music” (Strings), the GRAMMY^®-nominated veteran string quartet Brooklyn Rider presents a thematic program about the healing properties of music, recognized from ancient Greek civilization to the field of modern neuroscience and expressed in countless global traditions. Among the most profound expressions of healing in the string quartet repertoire is the slow movement of Beethoven’s Opus 132, a “Song of Holy Thanksgiving from a Convalescent to the Deity in the Lydian mode.” This autumnal masterwork is presented in its entirety alongside five compact new commissions which explore the subject of healing from a wide range of historical and cultural perspectives. The New Yorker praised the program, writing, “juxtapositions are illuminating, the playing persuasive, and the timing almost impossibly serendipitous.” 

 

Anthony McGill
Tuesday, July 20, 2021 | 6:00 pm | Bellevue House

(Rain Date: Wednesday, July 21, 2021 | 6:00 pm)

JESSIE MONTGOMERY Peace

BERNSTEIN Sonata for Clarinet and Piano

JAMES LEE III Ad Anah?

BRAHMS Clarinet Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 120, No. 2

Clarinetist Anthony McGill is one of classical music’s most recognizable and brilliantly multifaceted figures. In addition to holding the Principal Clarinet chair at the New York Philharmonic, McGill enjoys an equally impressive international solo and chamber music career. This intimate garden concert features a compelling mix of repertoire that will leave you reflecting on the past and celebrating the future. 

Photo Credits: Stacy Garrop by Darrell Hoemann, Boston Trio courtesy of the Artists, Castle Hill Inn courtesy of Castle Hill Inn

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