Music for Montauk will have three concerts for its Summer Series starting Saturday, each with a distinctive flavor and in a notable location.
The first marks a return to the Carl Fisher House, where Music for Montauk's predecessor, the Montauk Chamber Music Society, began with concerts in the late 1970s. The featured work will be the monumental Brahms Piano Quartet in A, a transcendent and lyrical piece that will be well suited to the chamber-like space.
The Carl Fisher House, once the residence of the famed entrepreneur, was bought by the Town of East Hampton in 2021 with money from the community preservation fund. It is overseen by the Montauk Historical Society and is to be used for educational and entertaining programs and exhibitions, especially about the 1920s and 1930s.
Milos Repicky, artistic co-director of Music for Montauk, said recently that the concert in this location is "something that we are really pleased to be participating in. It has a wonderful, warm acoustic."
The violinist for the evening is Eric Silberger, who is new to this series. Mr. Silberger distinguished himself as winner of the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition and the Michael Hill International Violin Competition in 2011, and has since performed with major symphonies worldwide. Returning to Music for Montauk are Jessica Meyer on viola, Ani Kalayjian on cello, and Mr. Repicky as pianist.
Two shorter pieces will fill out the program: one for cello and piano by Andrea Casarrubios and one for violin and viola by Ms. Meyer titled "Only a Beginning." This is a reflection on a quote from Indira Gandhi, "Martyrdom does not end something, it is only a beginning."
The concert is free; however, seating is limited and reservations should be made at musicformontauk.org.
Music for Montauk has become known for its programs in idyllic outdoor settings, and on Tuesday an evening called "The Exquisite Hour" will take place at Fort Pond House. "It is an atmospheric program in a setting that lends itself to music that allows people to enjoy the quality of the light, the atmosphere, with its iconic weeping birch tree, and just be very relaxed," Mr. Repicky said.
In this setting, it seems more suitable to have a number of shorter pieces rather than an extended chamber work. "There will be some French composers, some songs, and a bit of Schubert . . . with the theme of pre-sunset glow," Mr. Repicky said. In addition to viola and piano, Anneliese Klenetsky, a soprano, and Benjamin Fingland, clarinetist, will perform.
There is no charge for this family-friendly, bring-your-own-picnic concert. It takes place at 6 p.m., as do the two other programs.
And, to round out the week with a spicier offering, a Cuban music ensemble will be in the spotlight on the grounds of the Montauk Lighthouse on Friday, Aug. 11. There will be Afro-Cuban and Afro-Puerto Rican musical vocal stylings, with percussion, piano, bass, and trumpet.
The band leader will be Pedro Giraudo, a multitalented musician. Although Mr. Giraudo has played classical bowed bass with Music for Montauk in the past, he debuted his tango orchestra at Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing in 2015, and has been hailed as one of the most daring and creative band leaders on the scene today.
Tickets for this show are $25 (with free admission for those 18 and under), available at the website above, and picnics will be welcomed. And, yes, spontaneous dancing has been known to break out at similar concerts in the past.
