Newport Classical Reveals 2025-2026 Chamber Series

Following its successful 56th annual summer festival, Newport Classical presents its fifth full-season Chamber Series held on select Fridays at 7:30pm, featuring twelve concerts held between September 2025 and June 2026, at the organization's air-conditioned home venue, Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn St.). Tickets will go on sale to the public on July 29 at www.newportclassical.org.

Newport Classical Director of Artistic Planning Trevor Neal says, "We are thrilled to be announcing our fifth Chamber Series, held in our intimate concert venue, the Newport Classical Recital Hall. Newport Classical is thriving, and we are proud to be bringing world-class musicians from around the world – both celebrated performers and rising stars – offering our community twelve evenings of extraordinary artistry, in addition to free community concerts, special events, and our holiday programming, to be announced later this year.”

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 reaffirms Newport Classical's commitment to year-round classical music programming. Audiences are invited to enjoy performances by world-class classical musicians in a relaxed setting, with complimentary wine generously provided by Gold's Wine and Spirits served during intermission. Both performers and audience members alike have described these concerts as some of their favorites. “Beautiful concert, high artistry and exciting programming . . . a deeply moving and soulful experience, with a rousing and brilliant virtuosity that kept you on the edge of your seat,” raved one attendee.

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 will also go into the Newport-area public schools to perform for and speak with students, through Newport Classical's Music Education and Engagement Initiative.

Newport Classical's Chamber Series opens this fall on September 12 with the Poiesis Quartet, 2023 Grand Prize winner of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and lauded as "an ensemble to watch" by Hyde Park Herald. Their program features bold contemporary works including Kevin Lau's String Quartet No. 7, commissioned by the ensemble, alongside Prokofiev's vibrant String Quartet No. 2 and recent works by Michi Wiancko and Billy Childs. On October 3, celebrated violinist Blake Pouliot, praised for his "radiant sound and high-powered virtuosity" (Los Angeles Times), performs with acclaimed pianist Henry Kramer in a Romantic program featuring Schumann's stormy Violin Sonata No. 1, Chausson's sweeping Poème, and Dvořák’s spirited Ziguenerleider. Trio Zimbalist makes their Newport Classical debut on October 17 with what EfSyn calls "precision and feverish intensity," presenting Beethoven's beloved "Archduke" Trio alongside works by Smetana and George Xiaoyuan Fu. Taiwanese American pianist Charlotte Hu, celebrated as a "first-class talent" (The Philadelphia Inquirer) with "superstar quality" (Jerusalem Post), embarks on a compelling journey through Chopin's expressive world on November 7. Saxophonist Valentin Kovalev, Gold Medal winner at the Jean-Marie Londeix International Saxophone Competition, brings his electrifying technique and soulful depth to his Newport Classical debut on November 21 with a program culminating in Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

The Chamber Series continues in 2026 with cellist Jonathan Swensen making his highly anticipated return on January 23 following his memorable 2024 festival debut. Honored with the 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant and joint First Prize at the 2024 Naumburg International Cello Competition, Swensen is described as "a musician of charisma and thrilling physicality" (BBC Music Magazine). The Verona Quartet, celebrated by The New York Times as an "outstanding ensemble... cohesive yet full of temperament," makes their Newport Classical debut on February 20 with a program tracing a vivid stylistic arc from Scarlatti to Beethoven. On March 13, baritone Benjamin Appl, whose voice “belongs to the last of the old great masters of song” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), whose artistry has been described as “unbearably moving” (The Times), presents Schubert's hauntingly beautiful Die Winterreise with his frequent collaborator, pianist James Baillieu. Ars Poetica, an ensemble of acclaimed musicians with a passion for historical music, explores "Dance and Transfiguration" on March 27 with their colorful array of Baroque instruments. Violinist Yevgeny Kutik, praised for his "dark-hued and razor-sharp technique" (The New York Times), makes his Newport Classical debut on April 10 alongside returning pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner in works by Debussy, Prokofiev, and Grieg. Rising-star pianist James Zijian Wei, first-prize winner at the 2024 Cleveland International Piano Competition, makes his highly anticipated Newport debut on May 8 with a program featuring Ravel, Liszt, and more. The Chamber Series concludes on June 5 with flutist Amir Hoshang Farsi and pianist Chelsea Wang, both Carnegie Hall Ensemble Connect alumni, presenting a program of sparkling impressionism featuring works by Fauré, Lili Boulanger, and contemporary composers Reena Esmai, Ian Clarke, and Yuko Uebayashi.

Single tickets start at $45 and packages are available. AARP members and their guests receive discounts on Chamber Series tickets and packages, and thanks to a generous grant from the Gruben Charitable Foundation, a limited number of free student tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

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