Celebrations in Song
By Bob Curley
Newport swells with the sounds of the season this December
The Bible encourages believers to celebrate with a “joyful noise,” and few places are more melodic or jolly than Newport around the holidays. A town with a strong musical tradition exemplified by the world famous folk and jazz festivals, Newport’s well-preserved history also evokes a mood for any holiday celebration: Victorian-era buildings set the stage for Dickensian parlor music; Gilded Age mansions splash the glitz and glitter for orchestral maneuvers; and the city’s historic chapels and churches swing open their doors for celebrations of faith in song.
From choral groups to carols and concerts, these are the Newport musical events to harmonize with your holiday calendar this year:
A Boatload of Cheer
Founded by a group of Navy wives in 1953, the Newport Navy Choristers has been performing Christmas songs in Newport since 1960 and was the opening act of the first “Christmas in Newport” celebration in 1971. The tradition continues this year when the group, comprised of active duty, reserve and retired military personnel, civilian employees of the Department of Defense, and service members’ spouses and children, presents “Christmas in Song” on Friday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at Middletown’s OceanPointe Christian Church.
“Newport is a magical place to experience Christmas, and the Choristers have deep-rooted ties to the community,” says spokesman Francis M. Molinari. “Singing on ships is as old as time, so it’s natural that we continue this spirit by sharing our love of Christmas with our neighbors.”
Tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for seniors (65+ years), and $10 for children 12 and younger. Proceeds benefit the Orion Military Scholars Program, a nonprofit that provides merit scholarships and financial aid to children of U.S. military families to attend boarding schools, including St. George’s School and The Portsmouth Abbey School.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at www.orionmilitary.org/concert-tickets.
St. George’s Gets Medieval on Christmas
The Gilded Age was in full glory when St. George’s School in Middletown hosted its first Medieval Christmas Festival. A few months after John Jacob Astor IV scandalously wed 18-year-old socialite Madeleine Talmage Force at his Beechwood mansion, the first of the boarding school’s Saturnalia-inspired holiday celebrations was staged and has remained essentially unchanged ever since.
The ceremony, which traces its roots back to Roman times, celebrates the incarnation of Christ with hymns and a procession featuring the infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and a host of shepherds, kings, and angels. The 114th annual service will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the school chapel. It’s free and open to the public, but seating is extremely limited and available on a first-come basis, so show up early if you want to experience this unique holiday celebration.
For more information, visit www.stgeorges.edu.
Celebrate Salvation at Salve
Salve Regina University goes all in on Christmas with four different holiday concerts this season.
On Thursday, Dec. 4, and Friday, Dec. 5, it will host the Holiday Choral Concert, featuring the university’s Chorus, Madrigal Singers, and a cappella groups, highlighting major works and holiday favorites. The Friday concert will showcase Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass.” Each concert, with orchestral accompaniment, will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Ochre Court mansion.
On Saturday, Dec. 6, Salve’s Symphonic Band and Jazz ensembles will present a concert featuring holiday favorites by Gioachino Antonio Rossini, Randall Standridge, Duke Ellington, Leroy Anderson, and more. The show will start at 7:30 p.m. at the Casino Theatre on the campus of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The 295-seat theater, housed in a building designed by Stanford White, also will feature a holiday performance on Sunday, Dec. 7, by the Newport County Orchestra featuring the music of Bizet, Rossini, Verdi, and Anderson.
General admission tickets cost $10, and $8 for seniors and members of the military. For more information, visit www.events.salve.edu.
Nutcrackers and Messiahs
Newport Classical welcomes the return of the ensemble Frisson for two concerts featuring selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Vivaldi’s Winter, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, and the Carol of the Bells. Billed as a “joyful journey through some of the season’s most beloved works,” it will be staged in the English Gothic Revival confines of Emmanuel Church, circa 1902. The concerts will take place on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Then, on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 1 p.m., Newport Classical will host a performance of The Messiah at Rosecliff mansion. The chamber version of Handel’s oratorio, including the angelic Hallelujah Chorus, will feature Rhode Island’s Ensemble Altera alongside the Professional Choristers of The Choir School of Newport County.
This chamber version of the timeless classic has become a cornerstone of Newport’s vibrant holiday celebrations. Whether you’re a classical music aficionado or experiencing Messiah for the first time, it promises to be an unforgettable highlight of the season, celebrating the joy and spirit of the holidays with a bold reimagining of a beloved masterpiece.
Tickets for “Classical Christmas with Frisson” cost $35 to $55, and tickets for “Messiah at the Mansion” cost $60 to $75. For more information, visit www.newportclassical.org.
Christmas Puddingstone
Puddingstone Music will hold its annual Holiday Soirée at the Redwood Library on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 6 p.m. The show features carols and seasonal favorites as well as a dance duet.
“Newport lends itself beautifully to presenting holiday music because of its rich history, its many festive venues, and the strong cultural enthusiasm within our community,” says Clemens Teufel, Puddingstone founder and director.
Tickets cost $25 and are available at www.puddingstonemusic.org.
Ensembles Assemble!
The mission of Newport Sings and its five ensembles is “to provide opportunities for youth and adults to discover the joy and power of singing in community with others,” an especially festive endeavor this time of year. The ensembles include: the Newport County Youth Chorus, featuring singers in Grades 1 through 6; Aquidneck Singers, a multigenerational treble chorus; Quorus, the first and only LGBTQIA+ chorus in Newport; Community Sing, a weekly singalong program offered in collaboration with Looking Upwards and Creative Communities Collaborative; and Luminous Voices, whose vocalists perform for and sing with community members in assisted living, memory care, and hospice care programs. All five ensembles will perform in the group’s annual Winter Concert, which will be staged at Middletown’s Calvary United Methodist Church on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 4 p.m. A suggested donation of $20 per person or $40 per family will be collected at the door.
For more information, visit www.newportsings.org.
Christmas Tenor
Tenor Michael DiMucci takes the stage at the historic Carriage House Ballroom at the Linden Place mansion in Bristol on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m., as well as on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 3 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for Linden Place members, and $25 for all others.
For more information, visit www.lindenplace.org.
