In 2024, South County, Rhode Island, will welcome the 36th annual Kingston Chamber Music Festival. This festival will feature a series of classical concerts held on six different nights in July and August, giving attendees the opportunity to experience some of the best-known instrumentals in history at Edwards Hall at the University of Rhode Island.
You can purchase the entire six-concert series for $190 plus fees, any five concerts for $160 plus fees, or single concert tickets for $35 plus fees, depending on how many shows you want to take in. Students and attendees under 25 are free, as well.
While the Kingston Chamber Music Festival is a little different from most music festivals and doesn’t have much hype surrounding it, the event is an outstanding place to listen to some classical music from some of Rhode Island’s most talented musicians in an intimate setting. Here’s a look at what’s in store for 2024.
Concert 1 – Chopin and Schumann
The first event at this festival will take place on Wednesday, July 24, at 7:30 PM. This concert will feature songs by modern composer Aaron Jay Kernis, in addition to Frédéric Chopin’s Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op.65, and Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op.44.
This concert will primarily emphasize the cello and violin, but Kernis’s compositions also have the flute. If you love Chopin, this show is an excellent option to attend.
Concert 2 – Shades of Blue
Next, on Friday, July 26, at 7:30 PM, Shades of Blue will take the stage. This concert features music from a wide variety of composers, including Valerie Coleman, Erwin Schulhoff, Charlie Parker, Pee Wee King, Astor Piazzolla, George Gershwin, Dana Suesse, and Paul Schoenfield.
Some of the arrangements at this show might be new to you and are worth checking out for that reason alone. This performance is bound to be one of the festival’s most popular because it features so many wonderful composers.
Concert 3 – Mediterranean Plectrum and Strings
The third concert in this series starts a bit earlier in the day. On Sunday, July 28, the music begins at 4:00 PM, making it a great place to stop for a performance before dinner.
This concert will feature the music of excellent composers like Victor Kioulaphides, Ittai Rosenbaum, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Masud Jamil, with most arrangements focusing exclusively on string instruments. You won’t want to miss this early show at the Kingston Chamber Music Festival, especially if you don’t like staying up late.
Concert 4 – David Kim and Friends
The fourth concert doesn’t necessarily focus on the composers but rather the performers. Namely, violinist David Kim, concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra, will be coming to South County to perform some of his favorites.
Kim will be joined by Natalie Zhu, Juliette Kang, Che-Hung Chen, Burchard Tang, Priscilla Lee, and Clancy Newman as he performs classics by Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, and Johannes Brahms, helping take this year’s festival to the next level. The show starts at 7:30 on Tuesday, July 30.
Concert 5 – Dover Returns
This year’s fifth concert is a two-part event on Friday, August 2, that kicks off with a Young Artist Mini Recital at 6:30 PM. This performance will feature South Kingstown’s own Ian Lin performing Franz Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy in C Major, Op.15, which is sure to delight the crowd.
Then, at 7:30, The Dover Quartet will take the stage, performing songs by Jessie Montgomery, Pura Fé, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, and Antonín Dvořák. This show will be a little more contemporary than the rest of the festival, so it might be worth your time if you’re interested in modern arrangements.
Concert 6 – Natalie’s Favorites
The final concert of the 2024 Kingston Chamber Music Festival will feature songs chosen by artistic director Natalie Zhu. Zhu will also perform in two of these arrangements – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, K.493, and Felix Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D minor, Op.49 – bringing her piano skills to the stage.
The festival will conclude with Franz Schubert’s String Quintet in C Major, D.956, as we wrap up what’s sure to be another successful event in South County. This show starts at 4:00 PM on Sunday, August 4, so it’s another evening where you can get out of there early.
A Classical Music Festival in South County
Although this classical music festival at the University of Rhode Island doesn’t get much attention, attendees come from all over the state and beyond because of the talent it attracts. If you’re looking for a way to spend an evening or two, don’t hesitate to book your tickets as soon as possible.