Newburyport Chamber Music Festival

Newburyport Chamber Music Festival https://www.newburyportchambermusic.org/about-us/news
Chamber Music Concerts in the Newburyport area. Additional events are programmed throughout the year.

Newburyport Chamber Music is a community-based series of chamber music concerts and events in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The summer Festival format is a 12 day series that takes place each year in August.

Milestone 25th Anniversary Summer Festival TICKETS ON SALE NOW!The Newburyport Chamber Music Festival (NCMF) proudly ann...
06/19/2026

Milestone 25th Anniversary Summer Festival
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

The Newburyport Chamber Music Festival (NCMF) proudly announces its 2026 Summer Festival, marking 25 years of bringing world-class classical music to the North Shore. Running from August 5 through August 15, the milestone season features a repertoire balancing canonical masterpieces by Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Shostakovich with the contemporary creative brilliance of Composer-in-Residence Jon Deak.

The milestone season features a distinguished roster of guest artists, including the Grammy Award-winning Miró String Quartet, legendary Metropolitan Opera soprano Lucy Shelton, and elite classical pianist Kenny Broberg, laureate of both the Tchaikovsky and Van Cliburn international competitions.

Festival highlights include: Opening Night concert by award-winning pianist Kenny Broberg, which headlines a classic, virtuoso recital featuring Mozart, Haydn, Shostakovich, and concludes with Liszt’s notoriously demanding Mephisto Waltz No 1,

The Return of Jon Deak & Lucy Shelton presents a theatrical night of music highlighting a cartoon-score performance of Cathy Berberian’s Stripsody, Aaron Copland folk classics, and a highly anticipated reprise of Deak’s The Jury, based on a poem by local icon Rhina P. Espaillat. The 25th Anniversary Finale concert marks a long-held directorial vision by staging Mendelssohn’s breathtaking Octet in Eb Major (the "Mocktet"), paired dynamically with Shostakovich’s Two Pieces for string octet (the "Shocktet"). The performance features a world premiere by Composer-in-Residence Jon Deak and Poet-in-Residence Rhina P. Espaillat, performed by Lucy Shelton and the Miró String Quartet.

This year features a fundraising Salon concert in an elegant private home with an informal opportunity to meet the musicians, enjoy drinks and snacks, and hear amazing live music “up close and personal”. Tickets are limited.

In addition, there are two Hausmusiks that offer unscripted sight-reading parties in local living rooms, where the audience chooses the music and musicians perform "without a net." Nachtmusik, a concert held in complete darkness in St. Anna's Chapel: no lights, no analysis, no applause - just music in an immersive and deeply spiritual experience. Plus, Storytelling for the family in collaboration with Theater in the Open, open rehearsals, a panel discussion with the artists, and so much more. These events sell out, so purchase your tickets now!

Tickets are on sale now at https://www.newburyportchambermusic.org. Pay-as-you-can tickets for all major concerts. Questions? Call 978-701-4914.

Check out Artistic Director David Yang's blog, "Recent Musings", for information about all the concerts and events. Subscribe at newburyportchambermusic.org.

Q:  What is better than a string quartet?A:  Two string quartets! For 25 years I’ve wanted to perform the Mendelssohn Oc...
06/18/2026

Q:  What is better than a string quartet?
A:  Two string quartets!
 
For 25 years I’ve wanted to perform the Mendelssohn Octet (double quartet)—affectionately referred to as the Mocktet — and this summer we will. IT IS SO GOOD! At our final concert in August, we'll also play Shostakovich's octet, referred to, of course, as the Shocktet.

The Miró Quartet, one of the world’s great string ensembles, will join the other festival artists in this performance of double double string quartets on Saturday, August 15th. Tickets go on sale tomorrow!

https://www.newburyportchambermusic.org/tickets


We are less than 2 months away from the 25th anniversary season of the Newburyport Chamber Music Festival! One of the ma...
06/16/2026

We are less than 2 months away from the 25th anniversary season of the Newburyport Chamber Music Festival! One of the many highlights will be the world premiere of “Just Stopping” for soprano and string quartet, a collaboration between three artistic titans: poet Rhina P. Espaillat, composer Jon Deak, and soprano Lucy Shelton. Here’s the poem in full!

Just Stopping
By Rhina P. Espaillat

‍The god in whom I once believed
showed up last night beside my bed,
and sat down at the foot. I said,
“What a surprise! Lord, I’m relieved
that you’re not dead!”

He shrugged. “I have good days and bad.
When I was Zeus, what clout I had!
These days, it’s all about complaints.
What thanks we get—it makes me mad—
goes to the saints
‍
for curing stuff and granting things,
as if Creation were a mall
where every merchant has his stall.
And arguments: You’re made of strings,
you’re a big ball
‍
of motion, you’re a state of mind,
you’re mathematics… on and on."
Now I could see his face was lined
like that of some old Mafia don
whose turf is gone.

And he looked tired, which, truth to tell,
He’d have to be by now, and bored,
unlike his counterpart in Hell,
and only fitfully adored.
He wasn’t well.

I told him, “Look, you need some sleep;
lie down; I’ll wake you when it’s day,
and make you breakfast, if you stay."
But mumbling “…promises to keep…,”
he paled away.

When light returned, I knew I’d done
less than I should. But then, he’d run
too soon to hear what or how much
I might have said: Thanks for the sun,
or Stay in touch.


In honor of ⁠, here is a recap of our ride from Philly to Newburyport to raise money for the festival:✅ 476 miles✅ 13,8...
06/03/2026

In honor of ⁠, here is a recap of our ride from Philly to Newburyport to raise money for the festival:

✅ 476 miles
✅ 13,871’ elevation
✅ 47 hours, 31 minutes riding time
✅ Six states (PA, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA)
✅ $17,000 raised 🥳
✅ 158 contributors (thank you!!)

The custom jerseys were perfect for the ride, and you can still get yours with all proceeds going to the festival!


❤

Arrivé! Day 7 of the fundraising ride for Newburyport Chamber Music Festival—from Framingham, MA to Newburyport, MA. Joh...
05/30/2026

Arrivé! Day 7 of the fundraising ride for Newburyport Chamber Music Festival—from Framingham, MA to Newburyport, MA. 

John and Ted joined us on the last leg from Framingham. When we first hit local roads that I am familiar with near Newburyport, I thought, “holy mackerel, I freaking biked up here.” The cheer we heard from the 30-strong greeting party as we came around the corner...I get chills thinking about it, I was so moved.  So many of you came out. I didn’t know what to say, how to thank each of you. The NCMF board, of course – Laurel Grassin-Drake, Bronson de Stadler, Steve Hamilton, Jenny Nelson, Paula Quann, Pat Temple. Thank you, Mayor Reardon, for welcoming us in. Thank you to all my friends who read the posts and sent me encouraging words. 

This trip seemingly took us back in time as we experienced this country before the advent of Eisenhower’s interstate highway system. This is how people used to experience America: slower, one small town after another, many of them now Hispanic–Salvadorans, Peruvians, Mexicans, Brazilians. As a classical musician, this isn’t where my work usually takes me. Sticking to the highway, one bypasses such communities. But while meandering on a bicycle looking for a café, you can wind up in a panadería in Port Chester or a churrascaria in Lowell. It is the diversity of America up close and real. 

People were curious and they were kind. There was a diner in Willimantic where we rolled in, caked in mud. They were preparing to close but the waitress welcomed us warmly to a well-earned breakfast and hot coffee. There was the gleaming Yemeni coffee shop in New Haven where they asked about out trip and politely looked past the filthy puddles we were making all over their marble floor. There was the man getting coffee with his wife at a café in Plantsville who wanted to tell us all about his bike. 

A huge thank you to everyone who donated any amount. The original goal was $3,000, and I wasn’t confident I’d even hit that. In the end, with donations through GoFundMe and the NCMF website, we collected $17,000!
 
I have no words. Thank you, thank you, everyone.

Welcome, David and company, after a 471-mile fundraising ride! On Wednesday, May 17th, David Yang, NCMF Artistic Directo...
05/30/2026

Welcome, David and company, after a 471-mile fundraising ride! On Wednesday, May 17th, David Yang, NCMF Artistic Director, his partner Mona, and some NCMF local bikers arrived in Newburyport. They were greeted by a crowd of supporters, including Mayor Sean Reardon, at a reception at Sea Level Oyster Bar on Market Square.

It was an amazing ride from Philadelphia, through highways, woods, gravel bike paths, state and national parks, through tunnels, much mud, and many rainy days (see David's emails).

The ride was a fundraiser for NCMF's 25th year of bringing exceptional music to the Greater Newburyport area during the Summer Festival, Spring and Winter concerts.

If you would like to make a donation at our GoFundMe site, there is one week left! Go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/471-miles-by-bicycle-philadelphia-to-newburyport-for-ncmf

Day 6 of the fundraising ride for Newburyport Chamber Music Festival—from Coventry, RI to Framingham, MA. The rain stopp...
05/27/2026

Day 6 of the fundraising ride for Newburyport Chamber Music Festival—from Coventry, RI to Framingham, MA.

The rain stopped and it was glorious! Today we passed through Providence, and then took the Blackstone River Bikeway on our way up north. As we got closer to Framingham, the beautiful Upper Charles Trail brought some more gravel, but thankfully it was all dried out. One more day, and we’re in Newburyport!

There are still jerseys for sale in-store with all proceeds going to the festival.

Day 5 of the fundraising ride for Newburyport Chamber Music Festival—from East Hartford, CT to Coventry, RI. Today was r...
05/27/2026

Day 5 of the fundraising ride for Newburyport Chamber Music Festival—from East Hartford, CT to Coventry, RI.

Today was really hard. Not only was it long—95 miles—but most of it on gravel. All that gravel + three days of rain meant we were cruising through muddy swamps. But, we wound up on some beautiful and very remote bike paths, including the Hop River Trail and the Air Line State Park Trail in Connecticut, and the Washington Secondary Rail Trail in Rhode Island.

More here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/471-miles-by-bicycle-philadelphia-to-newburyport-for-ncmf

He's almost here! David Yang, NCMF Artistic Director, cycles into Newburyport after a 471 mile bike trip from Philadelph...
05/26/2026

He's almost here! David Yang, NCMF Artistic Director, cycles into Newburyport after a 471 mile bike trip from Philadelphia, PA, on Wednesday, May 27 at 3:00 pm from his fundraising trip. Join us at Sea Level Oyster Bar on Market Square as we cheer David, His partner Mona, and NCMF Cycists to Newburyport. Our mayor, Sean Reardon, will join us and speak a few words.

Free pizza will abe availalbe while it lasts, and you'll get a first look at the 2026 Festival Calendar with a copy to take home.

Come join us, and bring a friend or relative or someone who has never attended an NCMF concert, and give a warm Newburyport welcome!

Donate to David's NCMF fundraising drive at https://www.gofundme.com/f/471-miles-by-bicycle-philadelphia-to-newburyport-for-ncmf

Day 4 of the fundraising ride for Newburyport Chamber Music Festival—from Milford to East Hartford, CT. We woke to dark ...
05/25/2026

Day 4 of the fundraising ride for Newburyport Chamber Music Festival—from Milford to East Hartford, CT.

We woke to dark skies and pouring rain. After donning every single item of clothing we’d brought, we headed out. What else could we do? 

The revelation of the day was the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, part of the East Coast Greenway, which crosses Connecticut from New Haven all the way to Massachusetts. Even through sheets of rain, we could appreciate what a great route this is. We rode on it 30 miles before peeling off for Hartford.

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