Newport's devotion to offer retrospectives of major composers was evident again this year. Twenty-one afternoon performances - featuring a remarkable 225 individual pieces of music, both well known and rare - comprised the complete chamber music, piano masterpieces, and songs of 19th-century French composer, Camille Saint-Saëns. In a festival renowned for more than 100 American debuts, this year was no exception: Welsh pianist Daniel Martyn Lewis performed an all-Bach program for his North American premiere. The Formal Opening Night Gala concert featured the spectacular Russian pianist Andrei Gavrilov, returning for his 25th anniversary season, in a stirring concert of Bach and Chopin. Gold medalist of the famed Tchaikovsky Competition, Gavrilov was one of the first young Russians to appear in America. Illustrious piano performances were likewise presented by Agustin Anievas, John Bayless, Bernadene Blaha, Victor Borge, Mirian Conti, Kevin Fitz-Gerald, Kemal Gekic, Carlo Grante, Alain Jacquon, Francine Kay, Piers Lane, Valentina Lisitsa, Hamish Milne, Pedja Muzijevic, Juana Zayas, Thomas Hrynkiw, and Yamaha artists Frederic Chiu and Anne-Marie McDermott.

"Every year seems to be another knock-out. Yamaha has been a major sponsor of the Newport Music Festival since 1987. I can't imagine doing this festival without them," Malkovich admits. "Yamaha has been so helpful. The pianos always arrive on time, properly tuned, and with 64 concerts spread over 17 days, that's extremely important to us. Logistically, it was flawless, and much of that was due to the cooperation of Yamaha."

John Bayless at The Breakers

The Newport Music Festival, long synonymous with outstanding classical performances in a Rhode Island community renowned for seaside elegance, garnered yet another accolade last February. For the second consecutive year, it was chosen by Cadogan Press as one of "America's Elite 1000 - The Ultimate List," placing Newport in company with just 19 other national events including the Academy Awards, the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, and The Metropolitan Opera.