Anne Ratner Concert Series The Legacy of Anne Ratner’s Many Gifts
Abigail “Abby” Esty moved to Camphill Village in 1975. Her adoring grandmother, Anne Ratner, became a regular here in Copake. Anne was a pianist, and welcomed world-class musicians into her Manhattan apartment to play salon-style concerts for small groups several times a year, and for some stretches more than once a month. She cooked and served the food herself, and raised funds for the League Center for Seriously Disturbed Children in Crown Heights where she taught, as well as Camphill Village. These evenings that benefited the community where her granddaughter Abby lived some 100 miles north came to be known as the Anne Ratner Concert Series. And for
Anne Ratner and her granddaughter Abby Esty together.
the many years that this concert series continued even after Anne’s passing in 1995, the generous hosts who carried on
through classical music before his death
Gradually, the series evolved: they started
the tradition did so with Anne’s sparkling
in 2018.
renting chairs, as well as Steinway pianos
personality, heart, and love of the arts at the center of each concert.
at the request of the artists, and the Nancy Wellman, who continued as
evening was eventually catered. But it
the series music consultant securing
never left the living room setting.
Anne was personal friends with many
phenomenal acts for many years, recalled
renowned musicians, including Richard
the early days of the series, which were
Suzanne Lubell, who hosted the series
Goode, Emanuel Ax, and André Watts,
quite an experience.
for 10 years with Charlie Hamlen following
to name just a few. The series was special, and artists who were accustomed
Anne’s passing, remembered fondly “You couldn’t get in the door unless you put
the exciting mood that filled her own
to playing for packed concert halls played
a check in the bowl. That was how Anne
Manhattan apartment. The first act she
for the Anne Ratner Concert Series just
did it,” she said. “And we sat all around the
hosted was Richard Goode, and Suzanne
for the experience. Anne would cook
apartment with pillows on the floor, and
realized that ticket sales would have to
giant meals for concert attendees for each
every inch of her wall space was covered
be limited in the future. Between cooking
concert, and she also had the help of her
in art and paintings with barely an inch
full meals and desserts to carry on the
dear friend Charlie Hamlen, who dedicated
between them. We’d listen to this world-
tradition Anne started, and having Charlie
many years to fundraising for charities
class music looking at all these paintings.”
identifying acts for the series as he had
