Above: Composer Anthony R. Green. His work will be performed during the festival. Photo by Ben Semisch
The concerts will be held in Warwick, East Greenwich, North Providence, and Cranston
Music on the Hill invites audiences to share seven chamber music concerts as summer begins, in four Ocean State cities. Masterworks by Brahms and Beethoven are performed with less familiar, undiscovered music, including commissions and local premieres. The ensemble of 21 artists includes many musicians born and raised in Rhode Island, and three featured composers were born in the Ocean State. Tickets are just $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and free for students with I.D. The one-hour concerts are performed without intermission. For information and tickets, visit www.musiconthehillri.org.
COVID SAFETY: We are monitoring rising Covid hospitalizations to set guidelines to protect our audience and musicians, as many are vulnerable. For our indoor concerts, masks are required for all, regardless of vaccination status. Singers and wind/brass players may remove their masks during performance. Should conditions improve, we will adjust this advisory at www.musiconthehillRI.org. Thank you for your support as we enjoy the music together, safely.
The festival begins on Sunday afternoon, May 29, with the Narragansett Brass Quintet will perform on the lawn at Clouds Hill Victorian House Museum, 4157 Post Road, in Warwick. The casual one-hour concert is Sensory-Friendly, perfect for all ages and experiences. Other festival highlights include:
- East Coast premieres: Anthony R. Green’s Baldwin Sonata, commissioned by Jason Hardink; Ayanna Woods’ Bloom Balloon
- Northeast premiere: Edith Hemenway’s A Child’s Garden, Six Poems by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Diana McVey and Mary Phillips sing Broadway favorites, such as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Not While I’m Around,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me”
- Along with composers like Beethoven and Brahms, works by several living composers is scheduled, David Baldwin (b. 1946), Victoria Benito (b. 1993), Elisenda Fabregas (b. 1955), Anthony R. Green (b. 1984), Edith Hemenway (b. 1926), Douglas Hill (b. 1946), Johnathan Kolm (b. 1977), Kevin McKee (b. 1980), Marc Mellits (b. 1966), Errolyn Wallen (b. 1958), Ayanna Woods (b. 1992)
About Music on the Hill
Since 2008, Music on the Hill has welcomed thousands of chamber music lovers to concerts across Rhode Island, from our hometown of East Greenwich to Providence, Warwick, Cranston, Jamestown, Wickford, Westerly and more. Our ensemble includes professional musicians native to Rhode Island with international careers, as well as their friends and colleagues who have come to see Rhode Island as their home away from home, with many returning to the Ocean State each summer. Music on the Hill’s adventurous programs combine highlights of chamber music repertoire with less familiar gems. Concerts are offered in intimate venues where the audience sits up close to the action. Musicians play in a variety of ensembles in multiple concerts through the festival. Music on the Hill’s festival is made possible by support from The Carter Family Charitable Trust, The Aaron Roitman Fund for Chamber Music, and Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through the Rhode Island Culture, Humanities, and Arts Recovery Grant (RI CHARG) program. This program was made possible thanks to the National Endowment for the Arts via funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
MUSIC ON THE HILL
2022 Music Festival Schedule
Lawn Concert with Narragansett Brass Quintet
Sunday, May 29, 3 p.m.
Clouds Hill Victorian House Museum, 4157 Post Rd., Warwick
A one-hour concert of brass music from four centuries, in a casual outdoor setting. Sensory-friendly, perfect for all ages and experiences. Please bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating on the lawn. Rain or shine – in case of inclement weather, the concert will move under cover at Clouds Hill.
Joseph Foley, Richard Kelley, trumpets; Kevin Owen, horn; Alexei Doohovskoy, trombone; Thomas Gregory, tuba
Moving Voices
Wednesday, June 1, 7 p.m.
First Baptist Church, 30 Peirce St., East Greenwich
Chamber music of Rossini, Hill, Wallen, Foote and Masso, for strings, flute, French horn and mezzo-soprano.
Mary Phillips, mezzo-soprano; Anthony Trionfo, flute; Kevin Owen, French Horn; Anton Miller and Kristen Pellegrino, violins; Rita Porfiris, viola; Elisa Kohanski and Trevor Handy, cellos; John M. Pellegrino, bass
Trio Time
Friday, June 3, 7 p.m.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 99 Peirce St., East Greenwich
Chamber music trios by Brahms, Kolm, and Schulhoff, for flute, clarinet, and strings.
Anthony Trionfo, flute; Rita Porfiris, viola, John M. Pellegrino, bass; and IonSound Project: Kathleen Costello, clarinet; Elisa Kohanski, cello; Jack Kurutz, piano
A Great Day for Singing
Saturday, June 4, 2 p.m.
St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, 1413 Mineral Spring Ave., North Providence
“I Could Have Danced All Night” and other favorite show tunes by Rodgers & Hart, Bernstein, Sondheim, Porter, Gershwin, and Lerner & Loewe, with chamber music by Rachmaninoff and Klughardt for strings, oboe and piano
Diana McVey, soprano; Mary Phillips, mezzo-soprano; Bonnie Anderson, piano; Margaret Butler, oboe; Rita Porfiris, viola; Trevor Handy, cello
Inspirations
Tuesday, June 7, 7 p.m.
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 237 Garden Hills Drive, Cranston
Trios by Beethoven and Fabregas, with two new pieces for vibraphone
Peter Ferry, vibraphone; IonSound Trio: Kathleen Costello, clarinet; Elisa Kohanski, cello; Jack Kurutz, piano
Rhode Island Composers
Thursday, June 9, 7 p.m.
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 237 Garden Hills Drive, Cranston
Edith Hemenway’s A Child’s Garden, Six Poems by Robert Louis Stevenson (Northeast premiere) and Anthony R. Green’s The Baldwin Sonata (East Coast premiere)
Diana McVey, soprano; Kathleen Costello, clarinet; Jason Hardink, piano
Violin Virtuosity
Sunday, June 12, 3 p.m.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 99 Peirce St., East Greenwich
Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 3 and more
Anton Miller, solo violin; Katherine Winterstein, Kristen Pellegrino, violins; Rita Porfiris, viola; Trevor Handy, cello; John M. Pellegrino, bass; Jason Hardink, piano.
Concert details are subject to change. Please check www.musiconthehillRI.org for updates.