Newport Performing Arts Festival

It’s been a wonderful week of workshops, singing, laughing, crying, eating, and cheering on one another. Come see what we’re about!

Tonight, concert blocks begin at 6pm at Doerfler Family Theater inside the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center. Concerts are free and open to the public. Donations to CASA of Lincoln County will be gladly accepted.

Hope to see you there.

Counting down the days to Festival.....Did you know we will have merchandise for sale? YEP!! Look at these classy stickers.....and our way cool t-shirts, along with hats, mugs, jewelry and Zentangle art. Check out the website, www.newportperformingartsfestival.org and.....see some of you on Tuesday.

Countdown to Festival 2024 begins! We are officially sold out of full registration but you can still get in on the fun. Day rate is available and our faculty and closing concerts are free and open to the public.

Go to www.NewportPerformingArtsFestival.org and see what we’re about!

Today is the birthday of our Founder Linda Knighten! We are so lucky to know her and to see her vision for a festival in Newport come into being. Here is a message from her. We love you, Linda!

From Linda:
This year, I'm having an online fundraiser for my 77th birthday. I'm so thankful that I have survived cancer and I have so much to be thankful for. This year, I'm asking friends and family to donate to The Newport Performing Arts Festival 2024. As you know, this festival is my dream come true. It truly represents my belief that music can bring meaning to our lives, heal pain and inspire the growth toward our best version of ourselves. The years I spent attending the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival truly changed my life. Today I proudly hold the title of Founder of The Newport Performing Arts Festival. I’m extremely proud of this and without hesitation I ask you to consider donating to my birthday fundraiser for 2024. My goal is $2,000. Please help me reach that goal by considering a gift of $100. All donations are tax deductible and so appreciated.

Thank you in advance for helping me reach this goal.

My Best,
Linda Knighten


To donate via the website: www.NewportPerformingArtsFestival.org
Or mail a check to:
NEWPORT PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL
PO Box 164
Newport Or 97365

TGIF and let’s hear it for our new instructor, Bobby Weinapple! You’ve read his bio on our website but did you know he has ongoing classes in San Francisco? You can also work with him virtually. He offers ongoing weekly Acting for Singers and Acting classes, as well as audition workshops and private coaching. Bobby can also play a mean guitar (he owns so many guitars!) and teaches all levels, from beginner to advanced, as well as ukulele! We can’t wait to have him at Festival 2024! Follow him on social media on Instagram and check out his acting website by going to www.weinapplemusic.com (http://www.weinapplemusic.com/).

By the way, if you happen to type in www.BobbyWeinapple.com (http://www.bobbyweinapple.com/) instead, you’ll see he has even more skills! Book
him for your next corporate training or retreat. Such a talent!

Newport Performing Arts Festival is August 6-11 in Newport, Oregon. Spaces are filling up so register now!

We’d like to take a moment and offer special thanks to one of our sponsors, The Landing at Newport! The Landing is a boutique condo-style hotel overlooking the Yaquina Bay and Marina in Newport, Oregon. The Landing has offered us a discount for faculty housing and it has made a huge difference in our budget. Thank you! Go to www.TheLandingAtNewport.com for information.

Have you registered for Festival 2024 yet? Head on over to www.NewportPerformingArtsFestival.org and sign up! Official correspondence and course sign-ups are about to begin. We’re excited to welcome you and serve your performance needs!

Don’t forget to secure housing before summer prices go into effect!

Arrive Monday, August 5, 2024. Opening session begins Tuesday morning. Closing concert is Saturday, August 10 and closing session at the bridge is Sunday morning, August 11. Join us for a stellar week!

Music Performing Workshop | Newport Performing Arts Festival | Oregon Event information, ticket sales, Newport Performing Arts Festival in Newport Oregon

We’re excited to announce our next benefit concert! Event info here: Miss Smith Presents, Richard Jung in "A Little Bit of This and That"

Details!

Miss Smith Presents Richard Jung in A Little Bit of This and That: A Benefit for Newport Performing Arts Festival

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2024
2:00 PM
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION OF SALEM
Starring Richard Jung and featuring Aurora Sherman and Sara Szymanski

This fabulous show is a benefit for Newport Performing Arts Festival and features music by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, songs from the classical repertoire, and some surprises! We hope you will join us
Live at Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Salem, Oregon, on Saturday, February 24, 2024, at 2 p.m.

To watch: NOTE:Due to venue complications, we are unable to livestream this show. This event will be recorded live and released as a video. Donation info below.

To donate to NPAF:
Venmo:
Website: www.newportperformingartsfestival.org/donate
By check: Newport Performing Arts Festival, PO Box 164, Newport, Oregon 97365

Meet our Technical Director, Brooks Graham! While nominally a Silicon Valley tech nerd, Brooks has a background in audio and film/video production dating back to the 1980s. It all started with a short introductory apprenticeship at a large recording studio in Seattle. Brooks used that grounding in analog audio engineering in the next decade by providing sound services at large and small house of worship settings, working with musicians and speakers to sound their best.

Honestly, we can’t say enough about Brooks. His full bio is on our website and it’s pretty witty, just like he is. Brooks is our web designer, registration manager, tech and sound support for Festival, and will be teaching several sessions in mic technique and sound support. Thank you for all you do, Brooks Graham!

Festival 2024 is August 6-11 in Newport, Oregon. Registration is now open online at www.NewportPerformingArtsFestival.org!

Happy Birthday to the Secretary of our Board, June Kamerling! It’s because of June that we met Linda, our Founder, and the rest is history!

June Kamerling was born and raised in the NYC area. As a child, she got to go see musicals on Broadway and came to love Broadway show tunes. She had music lessons growing up and then sang in choirs through college, played various instruments (including guitar, flute and recorder….eventually ukulele) and kept up with music all through her young years and into adulthood. June eventually “landed” in the San Francisco Bay Area where she met her husband, Dana Meyer, and soon after, discovered a chorus called The Berkeley Broadway Singers. June was in BBS for 15 years and was on the board of directors for four years.

She left BBS to pursue more solo performing and has combined her solo singing with small ensembles and duets with friends, as well as accompanying herself on piano.

To read June’s full bio, go to www.NewportPerformingArtsFestival.org. Festival 2024 is August 6-11 in Newport, Oregon. Registration is now open!

Incredible images of the frozen Yaquina Bridge by Out West Photography in Newport. This is the bridge that is in our logo and where we gather for closing day of Festival. Stay safe out there, Pacific Northwest!

Meet Our Instructor: Courtney Freed! Strong, passionate, vivacious and daring, Courtney Freed is a dynamic vocalist in a class all her own. She is a Portland based singer, songwriter, creatrix and educator. She has been called a "whirlwind of excitement" as well as "effervescent" and "breathtaking." Whether she is belting out a Queen classic or a sultry standard, she is sure to captivate many a listener. She has performed in many prestigious venues in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles as well as Portland, where she resides. Her sparkling and smooth tribute through the Great American Songbook is not to be missed live. She also sings lead with local swing band, The Courtney Freed Five. Her next album, "Big Crazy Love," a delicious combination of jazz inspired originals and covers was released in early 2022. For more info, visit www.courtneyfreedmusic.com.

For Courtney’s full bio, go to www.NewportPerformingArtsFestival.org.

Registration for Festival 2024 is now open online! Join us in Newport, Oregon August 6-11!

Meet Our Instructor: Bobby Weinapple! Born and raised in New York City, Bobby Weinapple is a San Francisco-based professional actor, teacher, theater director, and musician. He holds a BA in Music from The Evergreen State College, and over the past 25 years has performed at most every major theater in the Bay Area. After running several performing arts programs (including the Drama Department at The SF Conservatory of Music), Bobby founded his own music studio in 2001, with an emphasis on helping performers of all kinds to rediscover their passion for making music.

To read Bobby’s full bio, visit our website at www.NewportPerformingArtsFestival.org.

Registration is now open online! Festival 2024 is August 6-11 in Newport, Oregon. We look forward to working with you!

Happy 2024!!
Today is the day....registration for 2024 Newport Performing Arts Festival is now open.
Go to www.newportperformingartsfestival.org
Check out the website. We're coming to the 3rd year of NPAF and are very excited to have new classes and new teachers on staff. Space is limited so don't delay.

Music Performing Workshop | Newport Performing Arts Festival | Oregon Event information, ticket sales, Newport Performing Arts Festival in Newport Oregon

Special thanks to the fabulous Erik Gullickson for a totally joyful concert last night! Richard Jung was an entertaining addition to the show and we are so grateful.

Registration for Festival 2024 opens online tomorrow! Happy New Year!

www.NewportPerformingArtsFestival.org

Meet Our Staff: Dr Ty Chiko! Ty received a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Arizona State University, where he studied with internationally renowned Baritone, Gordon Hawkins. Ty’s doctoral research focuses on Senior Living retirement communities and the impact that student live-in Musicians-in-Residence programs have on residents’ sense of belonging within those communities. He is one of the 2021 Arizona State University Concerto Competition Winners, where he performed Gustav Mahler’s Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) with the symphony orchestra. Ty has made appearances on National Public Radio, as well as other notable podcasts and radio shows. In addition to his performance career, Ty is passionate about youth advocacy. He is a Certified Peer Visitor and has volunteered yearly for the Amputee Coalition of America as a Summer Camp Counselor.

To read Dr Chiko’s full bio, visit the About section of our website. Welcome aboard, Ty!

Festival 2024 is August 6-11 in Newport, Oregon. Registration opens online January 1! We look forward to serving your performance needs!

Meet the Board President Lisa Benson and wish her a Happy Birthday today!! A native Oregonian, Lisa is a born performer. Lisa loves to entertain and has created three one-woman shows that have raised funds for great causes like Outside In, the HIV Day Center and school music trip expenses for a 15-year-old in Salem, Oregon. Lisa is a student of Stephanie Smith and Courtney Freed, is active in several community choirs, and is a valued member of the Miss Smith and Resound NW studios. She brings her big heart and many talents to the Newport Performing Arts Festival and looks forward to overseeing this artistic adventure.

Read her full bio under the About section of our website. Lisa is also running a birthday fundraiser for Newport Performing Arts Festival on Facebook AND you can also donate directly through our site. Thank you, Lisa, for your leadership!

https://www.facebook.com/donate/1124610948524727/?fundraiser_source=external_url

Festival 2024 is August 6-11. Registration opens January 1. See you there!

Meet our Artistic Director, Stephanie Lynne Smith!

Somewhere along the way to becoming a concert pianist, Stephanie fell in love with singers and discovered her passion for promoting composers and new compositions. After several decades of touring, conducting and producing, she is thrilled to live in Oregon full-time. Stephanie promotes a life of balance that includes the arts, self-care, and stress reduction.
 
Born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas, Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance (1998) from University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Music in Chamber Music Performance (2001) from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She joined the teaching staff at Resound NW: A Place to Sing in October 2021, maintains private performance studios along the West Coast, and is the newest member of the Northwest Piano Trio. Her private studio events can be found at www.MissSmithPresents.com

Her full bio can be found at our website under About. www.NewportPerformingArtsFestival.org

Festival 2024 is August 5-11 in Newport, Oregon. Registration opens January 1. See you there!

Meet our founder, Linda Knighten! Born and raised in California, Linda’s musical journey began in her 20s, traveling with her family quartet in a tour bus for over four years. In 1978, she relocated to Alaska where she lived for over thirty years. Responding to an ad for the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival Cabaret Singing Class, Linda was impressed by the concert, watching people perform their favorite songs. For many, it was their first performance.

Linda was smitten! She attended the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival (FSAF) for the next 25 years and became the coordinator for the festival. She worked with the founder, Jo Ryman Scott, helping to recruit and manage classes and programming.

In 2010, Linda and her husband, Al, moved to Newport, Oregon. She stopped singing for the next ten years and missed the FSAF terribly. During pandemic, she saw a message on social media from a former classmate from FSAF, June Kamerling, inviting everyone to watch her livestream concert. She watched the show and was wowed by how much June had improved since she last heard her. June connected her with her own performance coach, Stephanie Lynne Smith of Miss Smith Presents. Stephanie helped Linda find herself in music once again.

Linda shared her dream of bringing a festival, very much like Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, to Newport, Oregon and in July of 2022, the “Newport Song Festival” took place and has evolved to include all performing arts, not just singing. She hopes to create a lasting event that will help others find the joy that comes from performing and gathering together to celebrate music.

Newport Performing Arts Festival is August 5-11, 2024 and registration opens January 1. Thank you for your vision, Linda!

www.NewportPerformingArtsFestival.org

We are excited to announce a fundraiser for 2024 festival! Miss Smith Presents Erik Gullickson in “Joy! A House Concert on the Eve of New Year’s Eve” to benefit Newport Performing Arts Festival. Joined by Richard Jung and our Artistic Director Stephanie Lynne Smith, this event is heartfelt, hilarious and a great way to ring in the new year.

Free to attend. Donations to NPAF gladly accepted. Presented in an intimate venue. Reserve your seat early and enjoy the sounds of the season!

To donate and reserve your seat: www.NewportPerformingArtFestival.org
Direct link to event: https://www.newportperformingartsfestival.org/event-details/erik-gullickson-house-concert
To donate by VenMo:
To donate by check: Newport Performing Arts Festival
PO Box 164
Newport, Oregon, 97365

Welcome to December! We are thrilled to announce the dates for the 3rd Annual Newport Performing Arts Festival! Join us in Newport, Oregon August 6-11, 2024 at Oregon Coast Community College. We have added days and instructors and invite you to visit our website to read all about them.

Registration will open January 1 online and we highly recommend you secure housing as soon as possible while prices are low.

Go to www.NewportPerformingArtsFestival.org and email [email protected] with any questions.

More details will be coming soon!