Silver Spring, MD; May 6, 2008 —Acorn Media announces the July 1, 2008 DVD release of The 2007 Newport Music Festival Connoisseur’s Collection, the first ever DVD compilation from one of the country’s premier venues for classical music. For nearly four decades, the renowned Newport Music Festival has featured concerts by world-renowned musicians and rising stars staged in the marble halls of Newport, Rhode Island’s famous mansions.

The 10-disc Collector’s Edition includes many of the best concerts from the 2007 season, featuring composers from Mozart to Mendelssohn and Chopin to Schubert, as well as six hours of bonus performances. The mix of beloved works and rare compositions provides something for everyone to savor including the Newport debut of 20-year-old American pianist Adam Golka, “Chopiniana” with French superstars Jean-Philippe Collard and Henri Demarquette, “Lisztening Post” (music by Franz Liszt, with six pianists), an all-Schumann program by world-renowned Indonesian pianist Eduardus Halim, “Pieces of Eight” (works for piano, eight hands), and “Newport Music Festival POPS!,” with new Mozart improvisations by pianist John Bayless and suggestions from the audience.

The concerts allow listeners to experience chamber music in the kind of grand rooms for which it was written, from inside opulent Gilded Age mansions—The Breakers, Marble House, Rosecliff, Ochre Court, and more.

The Newport Music Festival was founded in 1969 and is on numerous best-of lists, including the bestselling travel guide 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Beginning his thirty-fourth season as General Director, Dr. Mark P. Malkovich, III, researches and selects works from the 19th century chamber music, vocal repertoire and the Romantic-era piano literature, to create one of the most extraordinary festivals in the world.

Special Features: 6 hours of bonus performances and commentary clips featuring longtime Festival director Dr. Mark P. Malkovich, III.

Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media distributes distinctive home video releases to the North American market with a special focus on the best of British television. Acorn’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.