The Kingston Chamber Music Festival Kicks Off July 23

The Kingston Chamber Music Festival kicks off two weeks of concerts July 23 on the University of Rhode Island Campus. Photo courtesy of the Kingston Chamber Music Festival.

In 1986, after David Kim’s father accepted a position at the University of Rhode Island, the Juilliard-trained violinist felt only one thing was missing from picturesque South County: music.

He approached the then-dean of URI’s College of Arts and Sciences and asked for $6,000, half of the necessary funding. After that, it was up to him to go door to door at the nearby Kingston Emporium, selling ads for the program.

Nearly four decades later, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival is gearing up for its thirty-seventh season of making chamber music accessible for all with six concerts — plus a bonus concert at the Jamestown Arts Center — panel discussions and special events held on the URI campus July 23–Aug. 3.

This year’s theme, “Where Coast Meets Cadence,” was developed by Clara Chen, the fifteen-year-old daughter of Artistic Director Natalie Zhu.

“The festival embodies both meanings of the word, as musicians come together, some from across oceans, to enjoy making music with one another in Kingston,” Chen says. “This blends with the theme’s reference to a musical ‘cadence,’ a full or partial resolution of harmony or melody. In the case of the festival, the resolution here is the connection musicians build with each other and the community through music.”

Kingston Chamber Music Festival’s Artistic Director Natalie Zhu. Zhu’s daughter, fifteen-year-old Clara Chen, thought up this year’s theme, “Where Coast Meets Cadence.” Photo courtesy of the Kingston Chamber Music Festival.

The first concert, “A Celebration of Latinx Music,” starts at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Edwards Hall, with performances by Natalie Zhu and Henry Kramer on piano, the Hashi Duo and a septet of musicians performing “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.” At 6:30 p.m., attendees can attend a pre-concert Q&A with members of the Alexandrov-Skliar Duo.

The festival wraps up Aug. 3 with a 4 p.m. concert featuring diverse musical styles. It opens with Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s “Rattle Songs,” usually performed by Native American oral musicians, followed by Brahms’ “Clarinet Quintet” and Mendelssohn’s “String Octet.” Students from the URI Summer Music Academy will hold a showcase before the concert at 2:45 p.m.

Community members are invited to two free rehearsal concerts in Edwards Hall during the festival: on July 29 from 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and Aug. 2 from 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

Single-concert tickets for the festivalstart at $40, with a six-concert season pass selling for $215. Students twenty-five and younger are free with a student ID. For more information, visit kingstonchambermusic.org.

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