KINGSTON, R.I. — The upcoming Kingston Chamber Music Festival 38th Season Spring Concert will highlight an intimate, intergenerational musical collaboration with a repertoire of timeless chamber pieces.
The program features Natalie Zhu, Kingston Chamber Music Festival (KCMF) artistic director and internationally celebrated pianist, and Megan Koch, KCMF Strings Advancement Educator and Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra cellist. Alejandro Quintero Cashore, Bishop Hendricken High School student, Rhode Island Music Education Association All-State principal cellist, and Koch’s cello student, will join Zhu and Koch for Gian Carlo Menotti’s “Suite for Two Cellos and Piano.”
By having a young musician perform alongside tenured artists in the annual spring concert, it exemplifies KCMF’s mission of connecting intergenerational musicians in sharing exceptional chamber music with the community, Anna Gray, KCMF communications coordinator, said.
“This concert offers a rare opportunity to hear internationally acclaimed pianist Natalie Zhu perform alongside Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra cellist Megan Koch and a rising local star in an intimate setting that celebrates both masterworks and mentorship,” Gray said. “The program blends elegance, drama and Romantic inspiration for an exhilarating evening of chamber music.”
The KCMF 38th Season Spring Concert is happening tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. at The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, located at 383 Old North Road in Kingston. The concert’s program opens with Nadia Boulanger’s “Three Pieces for Cello and Piano,” followed by Gian Carlo Menotti’s Suite for “Two Cellos and Piano” and concludes with Johannes Brahms’s “Cello Sonata in E minor, Op. 38.”
“From the refined elegance of Nadia Boulanger to the lyrical charm of Gian Carlo Menotti and the profound Romantic intensity of Johannes Brahms, the evening unfolds as an emotional journey,” Gray said.
A pre-concert performance by the South Kingstown High School (SKHS) Honors Quartet, led by Koch and Fritz Benz, SKHS instrumental music director, will start at 6 p.m. There will be a reception following the concert in the church hall open to all attendees.
“The post-concert gathering is part of the experience — an opportunity to meet fellow music lovers and connect with the performers,” Gray said. “Whether you’re a seasoned chamber music enthusiast or attending for the first time, the program is accessible, engaging and designed to welcome the entire community.”
