Puddingstone Music’s Summer Music Festival returns to Newport June 21–27, 2026, with a week of world-class performances and a new visual art exhibition at the historic Casino Theatre. This season brings together celebrated international artists, rising stars, and Newport painter Roseanne Williams for five distinctive programs and a weeklong display of large-scale paintings.
Festival Overview
Set in Newport’s storied Casino Theatre on Freebody Street, the 2026 Puddingstone Music Festival offers audiences an immersive artistic experience in an intimate, acoustically rich setting. Over seven days, the festival explores music from the 18th century to the present, highlighting both the classical canon and contemporary voices in jazz and beyond, in dialogue with a site-specific visual art installation.
Building on last year’s sold-out inaugural festival across venues including the Redwood Library, Rough Point, and the Colony House, this second season consolidates all performances at one historic venue while expanding the artistic scope of the programming. The festival continues Puddingstone Music’s mission to create a vibrant artistic community where tradition and innovation meet, inviting audiences into a welcoming space for discovery, connection, and superb live music-making.[
Music Programs
The festival opens on June 21 at 7:30 p.m. with “Schubertiade,” a program that evokes the warmth and spontaneity of a 19th‑century Viennese salon. Award‑winning artists Arlen Hlusko (cello), Angela Kim (piano), and Puddingstone founder Clemens Teufel (piano) join baritone Erik Tofte for beloved Schubert works including the Arpeggione Sonata, Impromptus, and art songs such as “Der Erlkönig.”
On June 23 at 7:30 p.m., Grammy Award‑winning jazz pianist and composer Zaccai Curtis takes the stage with his acclaimed ensemble for “Cubop Lives!,” an evening of high‑energy bebop and Afro‑Cuban jazz from his Grammy‑winning album. This concert invites audiences into the rhythmic and improvisatory world of contemporary jazz while maintaining the festival’s commitment to musical excellence across genres.
“Night of Suites,” on June 25 at 7:30 p.m., offers a rich tapestry of color and character through works by Debussy, Coleridge‑Taylor, de Falla, and Schoenberg. Returning festival artists Andrea Segar (violin) and Rafael Popper‑Keizer (cello) are joined by Gabriela Diaz (violin, Kronos Quartet), Bjorn Ranheim (cello, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra), and violists Stephanie Fong and Linda Numagami for an evening that pairs nuanced chamber playing with a convivial, sensory experience.
Visual Art Exhibition: Roseanne Williams
Running throughout the week of the festival at the Casino Theatre is a new visual art exhibition by Newport artist Roseanne Williams. Known for her expressive, large-scale canvases and deep connection to Newport’s coastal landscape, Williams presents a weeklong display of five large-scale paintings curated specifically with the festival’s spirit of intimacy, energy, and reflection in mind.
The exhibition is open to ticket holders before and after each performance, allowing audiences to experience the paintings in conversation with the music onstage. By integrating live performance and visual art, the festival creates a multi-sensory environment where sound, color, and space interact, offering a uniquely immersive cultural experience in the heart of Newport.
Family and Community Programs
On June 26 at 4:30 p.m., the festival welcomes younger listeners and the young at heart with a special family performance featuring The Rubin Brothers. Combining music, storytelling, and circus arts, this interactive program is designed to captivate children while engaging audiences of all ages in the joy and immediacy of live performance.
The Puddingstone Music Festival’s family offerings reflect the organization’s commitment to building a broad, intergenerational community around the arts in Newport. With free admission for children and accessible ticket prices for adults, the festival lowers barriers to entry and invites new audiences to discover the transformative power of live music and visual art.
Grand Finale: Piano Extravaganza
The festival culminates on June 27 at 6:30 p.m. with “Piano Extravaganza,” an evening devoted to the power and versatility of the piano. Distinguished Eastman School of Music faculty members Marina Lomazov and Joseph Rackers headline the closing concert, offering a program that showcases virtuosic repertoire and the full expressive range of the instrument.
This finale brings together the festival’s central themes: world‑class artistry, adventurous programming, and a deep sense of connection between performers, visual art, and audience. It invites listeners to celebrate the conclusion of an extraordinary week while looking ahead to the continued growth of Puddingstone Music’s festival tradition in Newport.
Featured Artists
The 2026 festival features an exceptional roster of artists, including Grammy‑winning pianist Zaccai Curtis and Grammy‑winning cellist Arlen Hlusko. Joining them are renowned Eastman School of Music pianists Marina Lomazov and Joseph Rackers, along with returning Puddingstone favorites Angela Kim, Andrea Segar, and Rafael Popper‑Keizer.
Alongside these returning artists, the festival introduces an exciting new generation of talent, from Kronos Quartet violinist Gabriela Diaz and St. Louis Symphony cellist Bjorn Ranheim to baritone Erik Tofte and the dynamic Rubin Brothers. With the addition of Newport painter Roseanne Williams and her installation of five large-scale works, the festival’s ensemble of artists now spans music, movement, and visual art in a shared creative space.
About Puddingstone Music
Puddingstone Events, Inc. (d/b/a Puddingstone Music) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Newport, Rhode Island, dedicated to presenting intimate, thoughtfully curated artistic experiences throughout the year. Through its music festival and salon series, Puddingstone brings together leading performers, distinctive venues, and engaged audiences to explore a wide range of repertoire in a welcoming, community‑focused setting.
Guided by its founders’ artistic vision and deep roots in the classical tradition, Puddingstone Music champions programs that foster dialogue between artists and audiences, connect music and visual art to place, and nurture long‑term relationships with the Newport community. Support from ticket buyers, donors, and partners makes it possible for Puddingstone to continue building this vibrant cultural home for music and the arts on Aquidneck Island.