The Raritan River Music Festival (RRM) will hold its 36th season on Saturdays May 10-31 at 7:30 p.m., at locations in Hunterdon County.

Guitarists Laura Oltman and Michael Newman, the festival’s artistic directors, founded the festival with the goal of bringing live chamber music to historic venues in Hunterdon County. This year’s series is titled “Old Friends & New Faces: 300 Years of Music.”

The Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo will perform “Music from the NEW World: 21st Century Masterpieces” with the Bergamot Quartet on May 24. The program includes music by Lowell Liebermann, Daniel Binelli, Ledah Finck, Caroline Shaw and Payton MacDonald and will be held at Stanton Reformed Church, Stanton.

The festival opens on Saturday, May 10 with a performance by the Tempesta di Mare.  The ensemble will perform works of Bach, Couperin, Marais, Telemann, and Morel at Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in Pittstown. On May 17, pianist David Korevaar will perform “Heroic to Hammerklavier: Beethoven Piano Sonatas” at Old Greenwich Presbyterian Church in Stewartsville.

Korevaar comes to the festival for the first time, while on his way to perform concerts throughout Brazil. The most recent addition to his discography of over 50 titles is Beethoven’s cycle of piano sonatas being released throughout 2025-26.

The festival will close on May 31 with a performance by marimba virtuoso Greg Giannascoli who will perform a program titled “America Meets Old Masters: Classical Favorites for Marimba, Vibraphone, & Piano” featuring works by Gershwin, Piazzolla, Bach, Rimsky-Korsakov, and others. Joining Giannascoli are Behm Gillece, vibraphone and Ron Stabinsky, piano. The concert is at historic Hunterdon County Courthouse, 71 Main Street, Flemington.

In addition to the annual concerts in May, the festival presents programs year-round for young children, seniors, and patients at healthcare facilities around the region.  RRM also creates a legacy of new works and recordings commissioned by RRM’s patrons, as well as presenting new music at each concert by local school-age composers.

In addition to founding and serving as Artistic Directors of the RRMF, Newman and Oltman are the founders and artistic directors of the New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes and are celebrating their 36th season as ensemble-in-residence at Mannes College of Music.

Visit RaritanRiverMusic.org for tickets and details.