Since its launch in 2022 under the direction of Michael Palmer, an internationally acclaimed orchestral conductor, the Hamptons Festival of Music has evolved from a three-day post-Labor Day event at LTV Studios in Wainscott to a year-round series of productions at a variety of venues.
Asked about the festival’s growth, Maestro Palmer said, “There really hadn’t been much orchestral activity out here over the years, while in contrast to that there are many, many lovers of the arts who live on the East End. It seemed to me that would be a natural audience for what we present. Those things have turned out to be true. Over the last four years there has been quite a bit of growth, both in terms of ticket buyers and attendance as well as funding. So we’re pleased with how things have been going. To us it’s evidence that art presented to the public at a high level is successful.”
Among the new initiatives was Sunset Serenades: A Hamptons Summer Celebration, a concert performed in May at the Springs Presbyterian Church, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton, Christ Episcopal Church in Sag Harbor, and St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in Bridgehampton.
Tasting Notes, a fund-raiser for the festival, combined a wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres, and a chamber concert at St. Luke’s Hoie Hall last month. The sold-out event, which featured a performance by Annie Chalex Boyle on violin and David Palmer on piano, included music by Fritz Kreisler, Manuel de Falla, Beethoven, and Ravel.
The 2025 main event is at hand, with concerts at St. Luke’s, featuring the New American Sinfonietta orchestra, on Saturday evening at 7; next Thursday, also at 7, and Sept. 14 at 4 p.m. The opening concert, conducted by Maestro Palmer, will include Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 “Classical” opus 25; Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 36 in C major K. 425 “Linz.” It will take place in Hoie Hall.
The Barber piece will be performed by Ms. Chalex Boyle, an internationally recognized violinist who has played as a chamber musician, soloist, and orchestral player. Her awards include the Seventeen Magazine/General Motors National Competition and the Irving M. Klein International String Competition. She performs on a 1652 Andrea Guarneri.
“Annie has an artistry that is at once luminous and deeply human,” said Maestro Palmer. “Our audiences in the Hamptons have already experienced her brilliance in more intimate settings, and I’m thrilled they will now hear her in the sweeping lyricism of Barber’s Violin Concerto.”
For next Thursday’s concert, to be held in the Sanctuary at St. Luke’s, Logan Souther, the festival’s associate conductor, will be at the podium. The program will include Stravinsky’s “Dumbarton Oaks” Concerto, Mozart’s Symphony No. 29, and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.
The concluding program returns to Hoie Hall with Maestro Palmer conducting. It will feature Domenico Cimarosa’s Overture to “The Secret Marriage,” Berlioz’s Four songs from “Les Nuits d’Été (Nos. 1 to 4),” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major opus 60.
Greer Lyle, a soprano, will sing the Berlioz selections. A graduate of the Yale School of Music, she is now director of children’s music and drama at the Congregational Church of New Canaan, Conn. She has also performed in the festival’s annual community outreach program, the Tour of the Hamptons.
“Greer Lyle has an incredibly unique gift for connecting with audiences through her voice and presence,” said Mr. Souther. “To hear her sing Berlioz’s ‘Les Nuits d’Été’ at the closing night concert is a rare treat.”
Tickets for the concerts range from $75 to $150.
