On Thursday, the Newport Folk Festival announced that Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio will be returning to the Fort on Sunday, July 28th. The long-running annual festival is set to return to Newport, RI’s Fort Adams State Park on July 26th-28th.
In partnership with The Mockingbird Foundation, the Newport Festivals Foundation has made a donation on Trey’s behalf to support the music program at Mt. Pleasant High School in Providence, RI. Mt. Pleasant is an ethnically diverse learning community where most students are the first of their families to receive formal music education, and NFF’s donation and Mockingbird’s match will be used to purchase musical instruments for their students to play.
As Trey notes in a statement,
The benefits of music education in the lives of young people are countless and yet music programs in our schools continue to be seriously underfunded. Thankfully, there are organizations like The Mockingbird Foundation that are on the frontlines of this very worthy cause. They have donated over $1.4 million for both musical instruments and supporting staffing of school music departments in all 50 states. The fact that this non-profit organization was founded and funded by the Phish fan community is incredibly inspiring and humbling. THANKS!
The announcement does not specify with whom Trey will play at Newport Folk Festival 2019. However, when Trey played the event back in 2008, he delivered a solo acoustic performance. Based on the image shared by the festival, it appears that Anastasio’s 2019 Newport Folk performance will follow suit. You can watch Trey’s 2008 Newport Folk performance below:
Trey Anastasio – Newport Folk Festival 2008 – Full Video
[Video: Jam & Psych on MV]
The historic New England folk festival will include previously announced performances by Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band, Maggie Rodgers, Cedric Burnside, Todd Snider, Gregory Alan Isakov, Haley Heynderickx, Jade Bird, Jeff Tweedy, Mountain Man, Bonny Light Horseman, If I Had A Song and more.
Newport, RI’s Fort Adams is situated at the mouth of Newport Harbor with panoramic views. The festival at the Fort features 4 stages, food and crafts, two beer and wine gardens, and more. The festival is held rain or shine, so get ready for a weekend stacked full of the finest folk musicians and more.
Stay tuned for more artists announcements from Newport Folk Festival as the event draws closer. For more information, head to the festival’s website.
