April 10: Newport Classical presents Violinist Yevgeny Kutik and Pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner in World Premiere
L-R: Blake Pouliot, Henry Kramer, Trio Zimbalist. Photos available in high resolution here.
Newport Classical Continues 2025-2026 Chamber Series
Violinist Yevgeny Kutik Makes his Newport Classical Debut
with Pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner
Featuring the World Premiere of Scattered Light by Jonathan Leshnoff
Commissioned by Newport Classical
Friday, April 10, 2026 at 7:30pm
Newport Classical Recital Hall | 42 Dearborn Street | Newport, RI
Information & Tickets: www.newportclassical.org
Newport, RI – Newport Classical continues its fifth full-season Chamber Series, which features twelve concerts held on select Fridays between September 2025 and June 2026 at the organization’s home venue, the Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn St.). On Friday, April 10, 2026 at 7:30pm, violinist Yevgeny Kutik makes his Newport Classical debut with returning pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner. Their program features the world premiere of Scattered Light by composer Jonathan Leshnoff, written for Kutik and commissioned by Newport Classical. The concert will also include Debussy’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Minor, Prokofiev’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Achron’s Hebrew Dance, and Grieg’s Sonata No. 3 In C Minor.
Yevgeny Kutik’s “dark-hued tone and razor-sharp technique” (The New York Times) and “old world charm” (WQXR) have captivated audiences worldwide. A recipient of the Salon de Virtuosi Grant and the Tanglewood Music Center’s Jules Reiner Violin Prize, Kutik has moved audiences with performances that marry emotional depth and technical brilliance. For this recital, Kutik collaborates with Newport Classical favorite, pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner, who is returning after a sold-out recital in 2024. Celebrated as “a gifted virtuoso” (San Francisco Chronicle) with “mesmerizing artistry and extraordinary ability to communicate” (The Post-Standard), Sánchez-Werner partners with Kutik in a musical dialogue.
Jonathan Leshnoff composed his new work Scattered Light in response to George Washington's letter to the Newport Hebrew Congregation in August 1790 – a landmark statement of religious liberty, affirming that the new United States would give “to bigotry no sanction” and “to persecution no assistance.” The letter, which will be read aloud prior to the performance by Rhode Island Historian Laureate Keith Stokes, has come to symbolize an American ideal: that people of different faiths should be able to live in safety, dignity, and mutual respect.
Leshnoff writes, “Knowing that my music would be the next audible sound after the reading of this worthy text created a bond between the music and text so strong that the music is inextricably bound with the text, almost like the poem of a vocal song is bound with its music. The fact that the title of this work is taken from Washington’s letter is just the beginning of the text-to-music bond.”
Watch Yevgeny Kutik Perform Hebrew Lullaby, Op. 35, No. 2 by Joseph Achron
Newport Classical's Chamber Series takes place at Newport Classical Recital Hall in downtown Newport, known for its striking architecture and excellent acoustics. Audiences are invited to enjoy performances by world-class classical musicians in a relaxed setting, with complimentary wine generously provided by Gold's Wine and Spirits served when the doors open at 7:00pm and again during intermission. Both performers and audience members alike have described these concerts as some of their favorites. “Beautiful concert, high artistry and exciting programming . . . a deeply moving and soulful experience, with a rousing and brilliant virtuosity that kept you on the edge of your seat,” raved one attendee.
As part of Newport Classical's desire to create connections between classical music, the artists who perform it, and the Newport community, all musicians performing on the Chamber Series will also visit a local school or organization to present their talents and meaningfully engage with students and community members of all ages through Newport Classical's Music Enrichment and Engagement Initiative.
The Chamber Series continues with rising-star pianist James Zijian Wei, first-prize winner at the 2024 Cleveland International Piano Competition, who makes his highly anticipated Newport debut on May 8 with a program featuring Ravel, Liszt, and more. This season’s Chamber Series concludes on June 5 with flutist Amir Hoshang Farsi and pianist Chelsea Wang, both Carnegie Hall Ensemble Connect alumni, presenting a program of sparkling impressionism featuring works by Fauré, Lili Boulanger, and contemporary composers Reena Esmail, Ian Clarke, and Yuko Uebayashi.
The 2026 Newport Classical Music Festival will take place from July 2-19, 2026. The complete schedule will be announced on March 24, 2026.
About Newport Classical
Newport Classical is a premier performing arts organization that welcomes people of every age, culture, and background to intimate, immersive musical experiences. The organization presents world-renowned and up-and-coming artistic talents at stunning, storied venues across Newport – an internationally sought-after cultural and recreational destination.
Originally founded in 1969 as Rhode Island Arts Foundation at Newport, Inc., Newport Classical has a rich legacy of musical curiosity having presented the American debuts of hundreds of international artists and is most well-known for hosting three weeks of concerts in the summer in the historic mansions throughout Newport and Aquidneck Island. In the 56 years since, Newport Classical has become the most active year-round presenter of live performing arts on Aquidneck Island, and an essential pillar of Rhode Island’s cultural landscape, welcoming thousands of patrons all year long.
Newport Classical invests in the future of classical music as a diverse, relevant, and ever-evolving art form through its four core programs – the one-of-a-kind Music Festival; the Chamber Series in the Newport Classical Recital Hall; the free, family-friendly Community Concerts Series; and the Music Education and Engagement Initiative that inspires students in local schools to become the arts advocates and music lovers of tomorrow. These programs illustrate the organization’s ongoing commitment to presenting “timeless music for today.”
In 2021, the organization launched a new commissioning initiative – each year, Newport Classical will commission a new work by a Black, Indigenous, person of color, or woman composer as a commitment to the future of classical music. To date, Newport Classical has commissioned and presented the world premiere of works by Stacy Garrop, Shawn Okpebholo, Curtis Stewart, Clarice Assad, and Cris Derksen.