From June 23 through July 3, the Oyster Bay Musical Festival will present 21 free public concerts throughout the town of Oyster Bay. OBMF concerts draw from a diverse range of musical repertoire, include themed programs, encourage audience interaction whenever possible, and aim to provide a fun and inspiring experience for all. The festival immerses the community in a spirit of music making and optimism.
The Oyster Bay Music Festival is your quintessential grass roots music festival. The festival began eight years ago with an idea to dot the town of Oyster Bay with classical music concerts in unusual venues, often two or three times a day for slightly over a week. With the initial support and encouragement of Oyster Bay Christ Church, an acoustic space much loved by musicians, current festival directors Lauren Ausubel and Pippa Borisy, along with former director Sarah Hoover, were given the freedom to run with their imaginations.
Today, the festival has grown into a community institution, with new local venues requesting each year to be a stop on the OBMF concert tour. The concerts feature extremely talented young musicians ranging in age from 9 to 26, with more seasoned professional musicians occasionally joining in for fun. They include students who study at Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Yale School of Music, and Berklee School of Music, among others, as well as local musicians from all over Long Island.
Some of these young musicians already perform professionally in ensembles, such as the Orchestra of St. Lukes and The Orchestra Now. 16-year-old pianist Maxim Lando, a fixture of OBMF since he was 9 years old, toured extensively with superstar pianist Lang Lang last year, collaborates with Chick Corea, and recently won the prestigious Young Concert Artist International management auditions. Some of the participating young musicians are just starting to discover themselves, but all are united by a passion for music.
The genre of OBMF is primarily classical music, but with some twists. Expect to hear the Chinese erhu and guzheng, gamelan instruments, drums, gongs, and other folk instruments popping up at various other concerts. On July 3, OBMF singers will present a dedicated Opera Scenes night, but throughout the festival they will also offer selections from well known musicals.
Most of OBMF’s concerts however will feature vocalists, pianists, strings, and winds performing in solos and chamber music. Local venues serving as concert halls this year include Christ Church, Building Lot J on the Western Waterfront, Oakcliff Sailing Center, Raynham Hall, Oyster Bay Historical Society, Sagamore Hill, Congregation L’Dvor V’Dor, Bahr Gallery, Life Enrichment Society, Not Just Art, and St. John’s Church in Cold Spring Harbor.
The upcoming concerts, which are free and open to the public, are as follows:
Thursday, June 27 at 12:45 p.m.
A Musical Interlude at the Life Enrichment Center, 45 East Main St., Oyster Bay
Thursday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Music On the High C’s at the Oakcliff Sailing Center, 4 South St., Oyster Bay
Friday, June 28 at 2 p.m.
Not Just For Kids! at Not Just Art, 183 South Street, Oyster Bay
Friday, June 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Movie Music Night 2: The Sequel at Christ Church, 61 East Main Street, Oyster Bay
Saturday, June 29, 1 to 3 p.m.
Music from the Earth: The Vegetable Orchestra Returns (indoor/outdoor concert for kids of all ages) at Raynham Hall Museum, 20 West Main Street, Oyster Bay
Saturday, June 29 at 4 p.m.
America the Beautiful on the front porch of Sagamore Hill, 20 Sagamore Hill Road, Cove Neck
Saturday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m.
From Pork to Lead, Great Composers are Dead! at St. John’s Church, 1670 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor
Sunday, June 30 at 3 p.m.
23 and ME: Composers and our Heritage at Christ Church, 61 East Main Street, Oyster Bay
Sunday, June 30 at 7 p.m.
Mozart Comes to Woodstock! at Bahr Gallery, 95 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay
Monday, July 1 at 1 p.m.
Afternoon Musical at Life Enrichment Center, 45 East Main Street, Oyster Bay
Monday, July 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Musical Extravaganza at Christ Church, 61 East Main Street, Oyster Bay
Tuesday, July 2 at 5 p.m.
Classical Crossover at the Oyster Bay Historical Society 20 Summit Street, Oyster Bay
Tuesday, July 2 at 7:30 p.m.
To Life, To Music, L’chaim! at Congregation L’Dor V’Dor 11 Temple Lane, Oyster Bay
Wednesday, July 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Opera Night: Outrageous Plots, Poisons, and Potions at Christ Church, 61 East Main Street, Oyster Bay
For the full concert schedule, go to www.oysterbaymusicfestival.org.
Submitted by the Oyster Bay Music Festival.
