Our 37th season, held July 23-August 3, 2025, celebrates the unique beauty of making music in the Ocean State: Where Coast Meets Cadence. This theme was conceived by Artistic Director Natalie Zhu’s daughter, Clara Chen.
Kingston Chamber Music Festival (KCMF) concerts are presented on the beautiful University of Rhode Island campus in the historic village of Kingston-–a place that embodies the essence of combining history and innovation, cherishing tradition while moving forward with new ideas. Under the artistic direction of Natalie Zhu, we bring this same energy to classical music: Rather than solely featuring established ensembles whose identity is already known as a group, sometimes pieces are played by musicians who have never performed together before meeting in Kingston, and sometimes the pieces are played by musicians who perform together in larger ensembles and are thrilled to be with their colleagues in a more intimate environment. The audience gets to experience something fresh and lively, and the musicians get to have some fun.
“We challenge musicians,” says Zhu. “Many of them are playing together for the first time, and they are learning new repertoire. They thrive on the energy and excitement of the environment, and it fuels their creativity. They inhale fresh air every time in Kingston!” At KCMF, internationally-acclaimed musicians infuse their incredible skill and passion into a wide range of repertoire–from fresh takes on classic pieces to new works by living composers–delivering one-of-a-kind musical performances.
Zhu is celebrated for choosing repertoire that fits together well for each concert, creating a journey that feels distinct and sometimes even unexpected, and also for choosing musicians who fit with different parts exceptionally well. She has such a talent for selecting pairings of both repertoire and musicians that are truly spectacular, making each concert a delight for the musicians to play and a thrill for the audience to hear.
Zhu has collaborated with other festivals to commission new works, some of which have received their premieres at KCMF–including, most recently, the world premiere of Jerod Impichcha̱achaaha’ Tate’s Woodland Songs by the Dover Quartet in 2024.
Since 1989, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival (KCMF) has delivered extraordinary chamber music on the beautiful University of Rhode Island campus. It all began in 1986, when violinist David Kim visited South County for the first time because his father had recently accepted a job at URI. As they drove around, he appreciated the proximity to picturesque beaches, the small-town charm of Wakefield, and the abundance of fresh seafood options. Only one thing could make this better, he thought: music.
“I remember saying to them: ‘I should start something here,’” Kim says. “I had always dreamed of having a way to get my closest friends together to play chamber music in front of an audience.” But in order to bring this vision to fruition, he needed money. “I went to then URI President Ted Eddy because I knew he was a lover of the arts. He sent me to the head of the URI College of Arts and Sciences, Richard Gelles” Kim says. “I told Dr. Gelles that if he could give me $6,000 to start a music festival, I’d raise the rest.” His next stop was the emporium near campus, going door-to-door selling ads for a program. “The response was very positive. And as I was selling ads, I was giving away free tickets,” he recalls. “I kept saying, ‘Please come; you’re going to love this!’”
KCMF began with three concerts at URI’s Fine Arts Center in the summer of 1989. Eight musicians came and stayed at Kim’s parents’ house. “We were packed in there, and my wife cooked for us,” Kim recalls. “We had the most amazing time. By the 3rd concert, the hall was close to full. I remember saying to the audience: ‘let’s do this again next year!’” Kim, who has also been concertmaster of the Phildadelphia Orchestra since 1999, served as Artistic Director for the next twenty years before appointing pianist Natalie Zhu to take over. “She’s so gracious,” Kim says of Zhu. “She can fill many different roles. She’s been a brilliant choice!”
Under the artistic direction of Natalie Zhu, the festival continues to bring Kim’s vision to fruition: The two-week festival brings renowned musicians together with young, rising artists to perform six affordable concerts in Edwards Auditorium at the University of Rhode Island, as well as special concerts, events, and educational outreach in varied settings throughout the year. KCMF is an independent, non-profit corporation overseen by a volunteer board and paid Festival Manager.
The mission of the Kingston Chamber Music Festival is to engage audiences with outstanding chamber music; to provide educational and outreach programs to students; and to present concerts at affordable prices.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Natalie Zhu
Known for captivating interpretations of a wide repertoire, Natalie Zhu is the recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Musical Fund Society Career Advancement Award, the Andrew Wolf Memorial Chamber Music Award, and Astral Artists Award. The Philadelphia Inquirer heralded Ms. Zhu in recital as a display of “emotional and pianistic pyrotechnics”. Selections from her live performances are frequently broadcast on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today.”
Ms. Zhu has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. In the U.S. she has appeared as soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony, the Pacific Symphony, the Haddonfield Symphony, The Curtis Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Princeton Chamber Orchestra, the Bergen Philharmonic, China Philharmonic, Riverside Symphony Orchestra, and the Colorado Philharmonic National Repertory Orchestra. Ms. Zhu made her European debut in 1994 at the Festival de Sully et d’Orleans in France, she has also given solo recitals at the Carnegie’s Weill and Zankel Hall in New York City, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Seattle Chamber Music Society, New York’s Steinway Hall and Merkin Hall, Philip Lorenz Memorial Keyboard Series in Fresno, Portland Piano Festival in Oregon, Munich’s Herkulessaal in Germany, and Beijing Concert Hall in China. She has performed with the Daedalus, Dover, Miami, Vermeer Quartets, and collaborated with members of the Guarneri, Orion, Mendelssohn, and Ying Quartets, as well as the Beaux Arts Trio and Time for Three. Ms. Zhu had been a touring recital partner with renowned violinist Hilary Hahn, and has maintained an ongoing partnership, most noticeably a Mozart Violin Sonatas recording with the Deutsche Grammophon label in 2005, as well as Suzuki Violin Books 1–3 in 2020. In 2023 and 2024, Ms. Zhu released three highly praised albums: “From Method to Madness: The American Sound”, in collaboration with cellist Clancy Newman; “Barefoot”, composed by Tina Davidson with the Jasper String Quartet; and she also appeared on the most recent album from The Curtis Institute of Music titled “A Century of New Sounds”, alongside oboist Katherine Needleman.
As an active chamber musician, she has appeared in Marlboro Music Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Curtis-On-Tour, Seattle Chamber Music Society, Maestro Foundation Concert Series, Skaneateles Festival, Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, Bay Chamber Concerts, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival, Chicago Chamber Musicians, Crested Butte Chamber Music Festival, The Friends of Chamber Music Reading Concert Series, and Brooklyn Library Chamber Music Series, and Maverick Concerts, the oldest, continuous summer chamber music festival in America. Since 2009, Ms. Zhu has been the artistic director of the Kingston Chamber Music Festival in Rhode Island.
Natalie Zhu began her piano studies with Xiao-Cheng Liu at the age of six in her native China and made her first public appearance at age nine in Beijing. At 11 she emigrated with her family to Los Angeles, and studied with Robert Turner and Li Ming-Qiang. By age 15 was enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music where she received the prestigious Rachmaninoff Award and studied with Gary Graffman. She received both Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music where she studied with the late Claude Frank. Ms. Zhu lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with her husband and daughter.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Valerie Cookson-Botto
Valerie Cookson-Botto joins the Kingston Chamber Music Festival after an illustrious career as a dancer, choreographer, educator and arts administrator in the world of ballet. Ms. Cookson-Botto has choreographed ballets to the works of Prokofiev, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, and Stravinsky to name a few. Ms. Cookson-Botto was a choreographer for the New Hampshire MacDowell Celebration to the contemporary score, Chromatic Fantasy by MacDowell fellow Barbara Kolb. Ms. Cookson-Botto’s choreography has been performed by Ballet New England and Ballet RI (formerly Festival Ballet Providence). As recipient of the Fleet Bank Showcase Award, Ms. Cookson-Botto’s choreography set to the work of Menotti’s The Unicorn, The Gorgon & The Manticore was performed by Ballet RI along with the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra at Rhode Island’s Providence Performing Arts Center and the Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH. Ms. Cookson-Botto’s choreography of Peter and the Wolf was a Ballet RI chatterBOXtheater staple for 15 years.
As an educator, Ms. Cookson-Botto began as a graduate teaching fellow at Temple University in Philadelphia and then continued in faculty positions at the University of New Hampshire and Shenandoah University in Virginia. She established a successful K-12 dance program at Berwick Academy in Maine and was the Director of Dance for the Pomfret School in Connecticut. Here in Rhode Island as the Director of Community Engagement for Ballet RI, Ms. Cookson-Botto’s passion for inclusive arts education led to her creation of the ProviDANCE program providing after-school dance education including transportation and scholarships for pre-professional ballet training in marginalized communities of Providence and Pawtucket. As an arts administrator Ms. Cookson-Botto has overseen grants, programming and performances working with diverse communities building support for the performing arts in New England.
Ms. Cookson-Botto’s journey began in the Washington, D.C. area where she was fortunate to have sung in the National Cathedral, danced on the National Mall and regularly attended performances at the Kennedy Center for the Arts. She studied both business and dance at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX earning a Bachelors of Fine Arts. Ms. Cookson-Botto later attended Temple University in Philadelphia, PA where she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Choreography and Performance. Her professional studies include the London Contemporary Dance School, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, and the National Gallery of Art. Ms. Cookson-Botto has lived in Rhode Island for 15 years with her husband and two adult children.
STAFF
Anna Gray, Communications Coordinator
Anna Gray has been with the Kingston Chamber Music Festival since its 35th season in 2023. In addition to being a freelance writer, she has done administrative, communications, and marketing work for the URI College of Arts and Sciences and currently works as the communications coordinator for the URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences. A native Rhode Islander, Anna is also a part-time faculty member in URI’s Gender and Women’s Studies Department and teaches courses on gender and communication for the URI Communication Studies department.
Ethan Hicks, A/V Engineer
Jacob Wolf, Concert Manager
Sophia Rousseau, Social Media Intern
Kate Peterson, Communications Intern
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Gary Brownell, President
Lawrence Grebstein, Vice President
Martin Maleska, Treasurer
Theodore Wachs, Secretary
Winifred Brownell
Mark Conley
Stephen Del Sesto
Kathryn Lee Johnson
Devendra Kale
Maureen Moakely
Patricia Moore
Bonnie Slobodien
Bjorn Wellenius
Vera Wilson
Natalie Zhu
Volunteer
Volunteer opportunities are available for the community through serving on a KCMF committee, hosting one of the artists in your home, providing transportation for artists during the festival, ushering, and more. Please contact us with your interest in volunteering.
Board
KCMF board members support the mission of the Festival by setting long-term goals, ensuring the long-term viability of the organization, working directly with the Artistic Director and Executive Director on various projects, and actively helping with development activities. KCMF board members are responsible for ensuring that the organization properly conducts its work in line with the current mission statement. Board members serve as spokespeople for the Festival accurately and effectively describing KCMF’s mission and programs. They serve on a voluntary basis, usually for no more than two terms of 3 years.
If you would be interested in joining the board, please contact Susan Marcus. We welcome your interest.
Employment & Seasonal internship opportunities
For all employment opportunities please email a resume and cover letter to us.
