Hailed as “entrancing” (BBC Music Magazine) the Merz Trio (Brigid Coleridge, violin; Julia Yang, cello; Amy Yang, piano) opens the 2024-25 Newport Classical Chamber Series in an exploration of melody sung into and for the night. Beginning with the 12th-century chants spun by Hildegard von Bingen in her solitary monastic cell, the piano trio weaves together a musical conversation that joins the voices of Purcell, Schumann, Alma Mahler, Brahms and Zemlinsky in works large and small, and brings audiences into the twentieth century with Thelonious Monk’s poignantly lonely ode to a dark hour, ‘Round Midnight.

Newport Classical’s Chamber Series takes place at Newport Classical Recital Hall in downtown Newport, known for its striking architecture and excellent acoustics. The Chamber Series reaffirms Newport Classical’s commitment to year-round classical music programming. Audiences are invited to enjoy performances by world-class classical musicians in a relaxed setting, with a complimentary glass of wine from Greenvale Vineyards and homemade treats by Newport Classical volunteers.