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2026 marks our twenty-fifth anniversary season. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around that. People ask how someone living in Philly came to start a festival in Massachusetts. It’s quite simple: I used to visit Newburyport where my dear friend, architect Michael Graf lived, and fell in love with the town.

I suppose it was partly the architecture and the fact that it is such a “walkable” city. It was also the thriving cultural scene: how many towns this size have multiple museums, an art association, literary and film festivals, several choirs, Theater in the Open, independent bookstores, the Firehouse, fabulous restaurants, and even an organization called “Friends of Newburyport Trees?” That was all important, but what affected me most was the sense of community: people know one another, chat over fences, take care of neighbors. Growing up in New York City, I was trained to studiously avert one’s eyes and not engage. Newburyport was different. Observing there weren’t other festivals nearby, I asked Michael if he knew someone local I could talk to about starting one in town. That’s how I wound up on the phone with Jane Niebling.

Right from the start, my pitch was to have world-class musicians embedded deep in the community. I don’t know any other festival that provides such access to the artists: open rehearsals, tickets at pay-what-you-can, a commissioned work with a local connection, storytelling concerts for kids, a get-to-know-the-artists panel, after-concert “talk-backs,” lectures, chamber music evenings (Hausmusiks), performing in the round whenever we can, Nachtmusik, and musicians staying in the houses of local hosts. Finally, and crucially, I choose artists not just for how they play but who they are.

I get asked “what next?” and my response is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I’m not interested in turning this into an eight-week festival with dozens of musicians. The whole point is that you, the audience, can get to know us, and we can get to know you, for a week and a half every August. As for “the audience,” we’ve always focused on locals. I like to call this “community-building” in the most basic sense: conjure up a crowd to listen to music and watch friendships bloom…

So here we are, twenty-five years, and I’m making this season a doozy. We’ve got a huge summer planned, and even a special Newburyport-themed commission for Winter Baroque. I’m also planning a week-long fundraising bike ride in May from Philly to Newburyport, just shy of 500 miles. But before that, we have a world-conquering pianist coming next month.

Tickets are already on sale for the spring piano recital on Saturday, March 7^th at St. Paul’s with fabulous rising star Evren Ozel.  Prize winner at Van Cliburn with an Avery Fisher Career Grant in his pocket, I’m not exaggerating when I say that Evren is one of the most exciting young musicians in the US today. He is bringing us a romantic program of Schumann and Debussy with a little William Grant Still sprinkled in and also some György Kurtág (because, of course). See you in March!

‍David Yang, Artistic Director

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