July 9–25

The Newport Music Festival 2004 will celebrate its 36^th season July 9–25, continuing its tradition of presenting unique chamber music programs, American debuts, world-class artists and special events in the Gilded Age “summer cottages” of Newport, Rhode Island. Beginning his thirtieth season as General Director, Dr. Mark P. Malkovich, III, researches and selects works from the 19^th century chamber music, vocal repertoire and the Romantic-era piano literature, to create one of the most extraordinary festivals in the world. In its thirty-five year history, the Newport Music Festival has become celebrated for presenting over one hundred and thirty-five artists and ensembles in their American debuts.

The Festival will present sixty-four concerts—three, four and even five per day—in the famous Newport Mansions with American and international artists participating. Morning concerts are at 11 am, afternoons usually at 4 pm or 6 pm and evenings at The Breakers, the queen of the Newport Mansions, at 9 pm. The Yamaha Corporation of America, Lufthansa, and Champagne Louis Roederer continue as the major Festival sponsors. The Festival was again selected for “America’s Elite 1000—the Ultimate List,” the very best American luxury goods, shops, services and special events, and named one of the “Top 50 Outstanding Festivals & Events” in North America by Leisure Group Travel magazine.

The popular retrospectives of major composers will continue with a cycle of afternoon “Composer Series” concerts, featuring the complete piano, vocal and chamber music output of French composer Maurice Ravel and select chamber music, including the fifteen quartets, of the inimitable Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Four midnight concerts at Marble House will feature intermission-free works and are preceded by Champagne Louis Roederer receptions. Several box lunch concerts are planned as well as two concert cruises and buffet on Narragansett Bay aboard the Vista Jubilee. Also scheduled are several popular twilight concerts at 7 pm.

Making their American debuts are Estonian soprano Aile Asszony, Japanese violinist Atsuko Sahara, winner of the Second Uralsk Violin Competition, and the Georgian University’s Men’s Chorus from Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia. Making their Newport debuts are Russian-born pianist Sergey Schepkin, Georgian oboist Giorgi “Gia” Kobulashvili, Italian pianist Francesco Libetta, Israeli cellist Amit Peled and Canadian pianist Richard Raymond. Hungarian violinist Barnabás Kelemen, first prizewinner of the prestigious Indianapolis Violin Competition, will also make his Newport debut. Superstar violinist and conductor Dmitry Sitkovetsky will perform in recital at the Festival Gala, July 21^st, in celebration of the 25^th anniversary of his American debut in Newport. Elmer Booze has been the Festival page-turner extraordinaire for thirty-three years.

Returning American artists include cellist Julie Albers, violinist Laura Albers, tenor John Aler, pianist John Bayless, pianist Frederic Chiu, pianist Thomas Hrynkiw (who also serves as vocal director), violinist Nai-Yuan Hu, bassoonist Peter Kolkay, violist Scott Lee, mezzo-soprano Mimi Lerner, oboist Katherine Needleman, French hornist Eric Ruske and violinist Livia Sohn. International artists include Austrian baritone Peter Edelmann, French pianist Alain Jacquon; Canadian pianists Bernadene Blaha, Kevin Fitz-Gerald and Valerie Tryon; Swedish flutist Göran Marcusson and clarinetist Carl-Johan Stjernström; Italian contrabassist Alberto Bocini and guitarist Sandro Torlontano; Czech cellist Jiří Bárta; Bosnian pianist Pedja Mužijević; Spanish pianist Daniel del Pino; English pianists Hamish Milne, Piers Lane and John Lenehan; Israeli violist Gilad Karni; and Hungarian pianist Gergely Bogányi. The Amernet String Quartet, cellist Javier Arias-Flores, violinists Marcia Littley de Arias and Misha Vittenson, and violist Michael Klotz, will be featured on a cruise concert and perform the quartets of Mozart. Young Georgian pianists Aleksandre Tsomaia and Giorgi “Guga” Chikvadze will also return as do Rhode Island assisting artists harpist Hjunjung Choi, trumpeter Gene Crisafulli, clarinetist Margo McGowan, flutist Susan Thomas and bassoonist Susan Wood.

For further information and brochure requests, kindly write the Newport Music Festival, Post Office Box 3300, Newport, RI 02840-0992, or phone 401-846-1133. Newport County tourist information is available at the Newport County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 23 America’s Cup Avenue, Newport, RI 02840, or by phoning toll-free to 800-976-5122 or 401-849-8098. The Rhode Island Division of Tourism may also be reached toll-free at 800-845-2000. Informational websites include GoNewport.com and VisitRhodeIsland.com. Current Festival information is also available on the official Festival website www.newportmusic.org. Or you may e-mail your request to staff@newportmusic.org.

Newport Music Festival ▪ Post Office Box 3300 ▪ Newport, Rhode Island 02840-0992

401-846-1133 ▪ FAX: 401-849-1857 ▪

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