3 minute read

Oyster Bay Music Festival June 23 To July 1

from Glen Cove-Oyster Bay Record Pilot 6/14/23 edition is published weekly by Anton Media Group.

from Glen Cove-Oyster Bay Record Pilot 6/14/23 edition is published weekly by Anton Media Group., page 59

Summer Art Lab

Twelve concerts at 10 venues over eight days featuring international talent and local stars

From June 23 through July 1, 2023, Oyster Bay Musical Festival (OBMF) brings the next generation of world class musicians to Long Island for a week of free concerts in historic, charming, and unusual landmarks along the Gold Coast.

Each OBMF concert is a variety show featuring a diverse range of musical repertoire from a performing cast of around 25 prize-winning musicians- including vocalists, pianists, strings and wind players. The unique style of concert programs present an exciting and eclectic approach to experiencing live music that is not to be missed.

For one week a year, the musicians of Oyster Bay Music Festival come together for a family reunion— the artistic synthesis of a one-of-a-kind, ever-growing community. The festival’s participants are not only the performing musicians — they are pedagogues, loved ones, and audiences without whom the musicmaking cannot occur. Between rehearsals, vegetable orchestras, and sporadic dinner runs, the festival brings together performers of all ages to collaborate and bring creative ideas to life.

Each day sees the interaction of classical masterworks and innovative musicianship. In the same concert, a cellist might perform a romantic-era concerto and accompany vocalists on the wine-glass rim. Another evening, the audience might hear the same sonata performed on both the violin and the saw, or perhaps a squash (yes, the vegetable!).

There are concerts with opera arias, Broadway numbers, virtuoso piano solos, and favorite instrumental movie themes. Most of all, the Oyster Bay Music Festival integrates itself into the Oyster Bay community in ways that do not treat the stage as a divider.

Every performance exudes both professionalism and joy, telling a story uplifted by a genuine love for music felt by everyone in the room.

This summer’s talent line-up includes OBMF Next Generation Emerging Artists who are making a name for themselves at an international level, along with rising local talents. Pianist Maxim Lando, who started performing with the festival at age 9, returns for his 12th year, this time with two friends from Europe who will also perform daily at the festival; violinist Tassilo Probst from Germany, and the FrenchViennese double bassist Marc-André Teruel. The three 20-year-old rising stars are on fire after their recent triumph at the 2023 International Classical Music Awards held this year in Poland. Maxim and Tassilo were awarded Best Chamber Music Album of the Year for their release “Into Madness”, and Marc-André received the first ever ICMA Classeek Award.

Other featured performers this season include the always popular OBMF Singers, the Zandieh Trio - three Juilliard trained brothers who grew up in Oyster Bay, violinist Michelle Stern, and soprano Teddy Siegel - TikTok star and creator of New York’s infamous got2gonyc.

With a variety of local institutions serving as concert venues - take for example The Wooden Boat Shop, Building Lot J at the Oyster Bay waterfront and Oakcliff Sailing Center OBMF has developed somewhat of a cult following among its devoted audience members, many of whom try to make every concert.

Concerts will also take place at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Cold Spring Harbor, Raynham Hall Museum, Christ Church and Congregation L’Dor V’Dor in Oyster

Bay, the Nassau County Museum of Art, St. John’s Episcopal Church in Huntington, Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, and Cedarmere Estate of William Cullen Bryant in Roslyn.

Every concert is free and no tickets are required, with the exception of one. Donations go directly to support the festival’s longevity and are gladly accepted. The June 27 concert at Cedarmere is a ticketed fundraiser.

Complete concert listings are available at oysterbaymusicfestival.org. Support is provided in part by Betsy Lawrence, The Joel Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts.