Historic Music of Newport was founded in 2022 to preserve the diverse musical history of Newport, RI. Since then, we have:

• Catalogued over 1000 pieces of music with Newport ties from the late 18th century to the early 20th century.

• Researched over 900 musicians connected to Newport and begun to tell their stories.

• Purchased physical copies of music as well as postcards and personal letters with Newport musical significance.

• Visited and hosted schools on field trips, giving talks about our musical history.

• Provide tours of the Island Cemetery and the Fort Adams Cemetery, highlighting the lives of the musicians buried in each cemetery.

• Co-sponsor the Gilded Age Orchestra of Newport’s performances at the Preservation Society of Newport County's mansions.

We continue to focus on telling the story of Newport through the eyes of the musicians and their music. The city was home to a diverse group of musicians from all over the world, including the island’s native inhabitants, enslaved and freed African Americans, immigrants, and those born locally. They served in the Army at Fort Adams and the Navy at the Naval Training Station in Newport. They were orchestra members at the local theaters and organists at the many churches of Newport. Both professional and amateur musicians were important to the early life of the city.

John Almeida, a native of Newport, R.I., holds the BM in Performance from the Univ. of Alabama and an MA in Music from Appalachian State Univ. Mr. Almeida currently teaches Applied Trumpet Studies at Seminole State College. Throughout his career, Mr. Almeida has taught applied trumpet, brass quintet, brass methods, and trumpet ensemble at colleges and universities in the State of Florida. In July 2014, Mr. Almeida was invited to perform as a member of the European Brass Ensemble throughout Austria and in the opening concert of the Schagerl International Brass Festival in Melk, Austria. In December 2010, Mr. Almeida gave a presentation at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic entitled “Sound Ideas on Playing the Trumpet”. In 2002, Mr. Almeida was one of two participants selected to perform in Adolph Herseth’s master class at the DePaul University Trumpet Symposium in Chicago, IL. His students have gone on to receive music degrees from Appalachian State Univ., Indiana Univ., Rice Univ., Rutgers Univ., the Univ. of Southern California in Los Angeles, the Univ. of Oklahoma, Vandercook College of Music, the North Carolina School of the Arts, Florida State Univ., the Univ. of North Florida, the Univ. of South Florida, and the Univ. of Texas at Austin. Many of Mr. Almeida’s students have been first place winners in the International Trumpet Guild Solo Jazz Trumpet Competitions, members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors, the U.S. Army Old Guard, the U.S. Navy Band, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orch., the Walt Disney All-American College Band, BLAST, Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus Band, and professional musicians in the Los Angeles movie and television music industry. He remains active as an adjudicator for the Florida Bandmasters Association. Mr. Almeida has been a guest artist/clinician in Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Virginia, Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, New York City, Illinois, and Florida.

John Almeida is a Yamaha Performing Artist. Mr. Almeida’s principal teachers include William Adam, Indiana Univ., Thomas Wholwender, 2nd. Trumpet - The Cleveland Orchestra, and Joe F. Phelps, Appalachian State Univ.

Dr. Christopher Brellochs is an internationally recognized lecturer, performer, music historian, and educator. He currently serves as the Dean of the School of Music at the State University of New York at Schenectady. His scholarship is dedicated to unearthing forgotten gems of the late 19th and early 20th-century American repertoire, and, whenever possible, recreating them in the salons and concert halls for which they were originally conceived. He portrayed composer/conductor John Knowles Paine in the HBO series The Gilded Age (Season 1, Episode 4) and assisted with the historical accuracy of the scene; for Season 3 he consulted with the production team on appropriate musical selections.

Rob Burton is a Principal at PreparedEx where he manages a team of crisis preparedness professionals and has over 30 years of experience preparing for and responding to crises. Part of his leadership role includes assisting PreparedEx clients in designing, implementing, and evaluating crisis, emergency, security and business continuity management programs. During his career, Rob has worked in a training capacity for the US State Department’s Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program, as a crisis management consultant in Pakistan and Afghanistan where he negotiated with the UN and Pashtun tribal warlords, and he served with the United Kingdom Special Forces where he operated under hazardous covert and confidential conditions. Rob was also part of a disciplined and prestigious unit, The Grenadier Guards, where he served Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Palaces in London. Rob was a highly trained and experienced infantryman serving in Desert Storm and commanded covert operational teams and was a sniper. Rob has keynoted crisis, emergency and disaster recovery conferences and participated in live debates on national media regarding complex ISPS code maritime security requirements and terrorism. Rob has a Queen’s Commendation for Bravery. Rob founded The International Crisis Management Conference Center of Excellence for Crisis Preparedness Professionals.

Anthony De Luca was the Newport location orchestra Manager and one of the musicians for Season One of HBO’s Emmy-Award winning series The Gilded Age. He was responsible for hiring the on-screen musicians, ensuring the historical accuracy of the instruments, and performing the music in a historically informed manner.

Between 1993 and 2002 Anthony worked professionally as an engineer with two multinational corporations, the first based in France, the second in Japan. From 2002 until 2019, he was an Academics & Research Specialist with Care New England, and since 2019 has led the multi-disciplinary Research Computing team at Lifespan, Rhode Island, largest employer.

Anthony was a member of the Warwick Symphony Orchestra from 2000 until 2008, serving four terms on the Board of Directors. In 2002 He was a founding member of the Ocean State Pops Orchestra in 1993, playing clarinet until its dissolution in 1998. In 2002, Anthony, along with several members of the that orchestra, established the New England Festival Orchestra, which was later re-named the Ocean State Pops Orchestra. He served eight years as the President of the orchestra’s Board of Directors. Anthony is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island. As an undergraduate he studied Mechanical and Ocean Engineering, and as a graduate student he studied Manufacturing Engineering. He also pursued graduate studies in Ocean Engineering at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Anthony is a native of Rhode Island, where he currently resides with his wife Anita, a professional musician.

Matthew Esposito brings a deep background in cultural preservation, communications, and the arts to the board of Historic Music of Newport. As Director of Special Projects at the Townscape Institute and Placemaking Institute in Newport, he has led strategic preservation initiatives and managed legacy projects for noted philanthropist Ronald Lee Fleming. His career spans international luxury branding, public art, exhibition design, and editorial work, all rooted in a passion for storytelling and cultural heritage. A Newport resident, Matthew holds a degree in History of Art & Architecture from Middlebury College.

Dr. Robert Franzblau has lived and worked at the intersection of musical performance and music education for more than forty years. Recently retired from college-level teaching and conducting, he is in his seventeenth year as artistic director and conductor of the Rhode Island Wind Ensemble, a community-based concert band of more than 60 skilled professional and avocational musicians.

Educated at the University of Iowa, Northwestern University, and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he has taught instrumental music at every level—from beginning band through graduate study. In 2021, he earned his RYT® 200-hour certification in Integrative Yoga Therapy and teaches classes in chair yoga and basic yoga for the towns of Scituate and Coventry, RI. His practice emphasizes alignment, strength, balance, and breath as foundations for healthy aging.

His 2013 book, So You Want to Be a Music Major: A Guide for High School Students, Their Parents, Guidance Counselors, and Music Teachers, received positive reviews in The Instrumentalist and the Journal of the National Band Association.

Dr. Franzblau previously served as a reviewer for the Music Educators Journal and as editor of the Rhode Island Music Educators’ Review. He lives in Scituate, RI with his wife Shelly and their bearded collie Fiona.

Emeline McKeown brings a vibrant and multifaceted background in fundraising, operations, and the performing arts to the board of Historic Newport Music. Over the past decade, she has dedicated her career to development and advocacy for arts-focused nonprofit organizations throughout New England.

Emeline has served on the Board of Directors for several organizations, including The Stonington Cemetery Association and EoE: A Night of Giving, where she has contributed her expertise in both governance and community engagement.

In addition to her work in the nonprofit sector,Emelineis a professionally trained Shakespearean and comedic actress. She has performed with theater companies across the country, most recently appearing in the Lifetime movieA Witness to Murderand on stage as Olivia inTwelfth Night.

Emeline, a Newport resident with a deep admiration for music, history and community is delighted to join the board of Historic Newport Music. 

Dr. Mark A. Stickney (founder) was appointed the Artistic Director of the Seacoast Wind Ensemble in 2016. During his 20-year college teaching career, he held conducting, brass teaching, and music education positions at the Community College of Rhode Island, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Plymouth State University, Salve Regina University, and Southern Utah University. An active clinic and guest conductor, Dr. Stickney has traveled throughout the country working with bands and orchestras of all levels.

Dr. Stickney is the founder of Historic Music of Newport, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the rich musical heritage of Newport. He also works part-time for the Preservation Society of Newport County and serves on the board of Newport Live. He received his BA in Music and Religion from Gettysburg College, his MA in Tuba Performance from Montclair State University (NJ), and his DMA in Wind Conducting from Rutgers University (NJ).