Puddingstone Music Expands Newport’s Cultural Stage

In a city celebrated for music, Puddingstone Music adds a new note to Newport. Named for the colorful clusters of pebbles found along local shorelines, the young nonprofit is entering its second season this fall with an ambitious mix of classical music, jazz, visual art, poetry, theater, and dance. The concept reflects Artistic Director Clemens Teufel’s vision of bringing world-class musicianship to Aquidneck Island while
creating experiences that extend beyond the traditional concert stage. Inspired by the intimate European salon tradition of music performed in small spaces, such as private homes, Puddingstone events invite diverse artistic disciplines into a broader conversation.

Historic Newport settings are central to that experience. Thus far, programs have been held at various locations, including the Redwood Library and Athenaeum, the nation’s oldest continuously operating lending library, and the Casino Theater at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In August, the Jamestown Arts Center hosted Sound Within: A Celebration of Bill Evans with Puddingstone.  “We added jazz to Puddingstone recently,” says Teufel of the evening celebrating the piano and composer, which included bassist Rufus Reid and Joe LaBarbera on drums. “It’s been very popular with audiences.”

The fall season opens September 12 with pianist David Kaplan performing contemporary works written for him alongside Beethoven’s celebrated Quasi una fantasia sonata. In keeping with Puddingstone’s interdisciplinary mission, the program will include a visual-art component that responds to the music in real time, creating a dialogue between sound and image. On September 29, the acclaimed Sitkovetsky Trio presents Romanticism and Musical Poetry, pairing works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, and Dmitri Shostakovich with an evening
inspired by William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. A professional actor will read period letters and poetry connected to the compositions, illuminating the emotional and historical worlds from which the music emerged.

“I love Shakespeare, and when we lived in Boston, there was Shakespeare in the Park, and in Germany, there was always some Shakespeare in some theater. I had this moment, ‘there’s no Shakespeare here,’ and this kind of lingered in the back of my head. And then, when this jazz idea came up, I said, ‘You know what? Let’s try to pair this.’ And then, when I thought of the why and the improvisation, that’s where it really clicked,” says Teufel about the second fall salon program. “When I think about the Merchant of Venice or King Lear, all the basic human shortcomings and desires, it’s all in there. And so, to me, it’s just a mirror to humanity.”

The series continues on Nov. 7 with a performance centered around Bach’s monumental Goldberg Variations with live dancing. A large-ensemble jazz performance by the Dan Pugach Nonet will take place while a live painter creates an original artwork inspired by the music’s energy and improvisation. “I think what I really am trying to do is to create an artistic firework,” Teufel says about his process of choosing programming each season. He’s also inspired by the “historic spaces” Puddingstone performs in. “The spaces inspire me because in different spaces you can do different things. And the richness of the different art forms. I’m trying to create something immersive that really wraps people artistically.” Check the website for specific locations of fall performances. PuddingstoneMusic.org.