Six Talented Young Operatic Singers Will Descend on Sag Harbor for Third Annual Song Festival at The Church

Lena Kaplan has been involved in music for her entire adult life. Her late husband, Gilbert Kaplan, was an amateur symphony conductor for the last 25 years of his life, and she served on the board of Carnegie Hall for 35 years. They spent summers in Salzburg, Austria, and throughout their marriage, went to a concert every week.

Kaplan’s interest in music is vast, but she has a particular affinity for watching and supporting young, talented singers just starting out in their musical careers. She always makes it a point to attend auditions at The Metropolitan Opera, where the finals, featuring some of the best young singers selected from auditions all over the country, perform to a sold-out audience.

“It’s just fabulous to see these wonderful, young, incredibly talented singers sing and compete,” she said.

Two years ago, Kaplan and a pair of like-minded friends and colleagues worked together to bring a similar experience to the East End, hosting the inaugural Sag Harbor Song Festival.

The festival made its debut in September 2022 at The Church, the arts and cultural venue founded by April Gornik and Eric Fischl on Madison Street at the eastern end of the village. Audiences were treated to a unique and special “salon-style” experience at The Church, a spacious building with great acoustics, and were treated to three performances on consecutive days. The singers were all rising young stars and presented musical selections from the operatic repertory, operetta, lieder and musical theater.

The festival will return to Sag Harbor on September 20 through 22, for the third year. While it was Kaplan’s vision, the festival is also led by two other important individuals — Brad Woolbright, the artistic director, and Robert Tweten, the musical director.

Woolbright served for 43 years at the world-renowned Santa Fe Opera, and Tweten was musical director there for many years as well, during which time they developed a strong working relationship.

The first two festivals were both sold out and the audience reaction was enthusiastic, according to the organizers. Their goal from the start has been to attract both devoted music aficionados as well as those who are just beginning to dip their toes into music and these particular types of live performances.

This year’s festival will feature a talented and strong lineup of six young opera singers whose stars are on the rise, including sopranos Erika Baikoff and Lydia Grindato, mezzo-soprano Sarah Mesko, tenor Duke Kim, baritone Justin Austin and bass William Guanbo Su.

They will be accompanied by Tweten on the piano.

The concept for the song festival was simple at first and, Kaplan admitted, somewhat vague. But it provided enough of a spark to get it on its feet.

She was referred to Woolbright by another friend in the music world, Matthew Epstein, who said the idea was great, but that unfortunately, he would not be able to devote his time to it. Kaplan and Woolbright met for lunch in 2022, and she convinced him to come out of retirement to be part of the festival.

“Lena can be a very persuasive person,” Woolbright said, with a laugh, during an interview this summer. “I’ve been around the block and know singers, but I had decided to retire at the end of 2022. But she twisted my arm over lunch. I engaged a music director [Tweten] who I had hired to be on the music staff at the Santa Fe Opera many years ago. He really defines ‘partner in crime.’ It took me a few days to decide, but once I got Bob on board, it became something I really wanted to do.”

The cooperation and enthusiasm with The Church was key as well. The festival was operated as a program of The Church in the first year, but then achieved nonprofit status that now allows it to operate in partnership with The Church. The festival has been so popular that it sells out rather quickly, but Kaplan said they have no desire to move to a different location.

“We love the salon feeling and intimate feeling in this wonderful, beautiful space with great acoustics,” she said, noting it maxes out at around 150 people in the audience. “We have created something that is unique but it is on a level we never imagined. What I hear most from the audience is, ‘Oh my God, to hear voices like that in a small place like Sag Harbor, this is just unbelievable.’”

Kaplan said it is a positive experience for the singers as well, who stay at the American Hotel during their time in town and enjoy walking around and getting to know the village.

Woolbright said it is hard to overstate the talent level of the singers who have performed in the past two years and are part of this year’s lineup.

“The quality we have in this coming season and that we’ve had the last two seasons are all of quite high, international level,” he said. “The six singers this year all have been on the stage of the Met Opera and elsewhere around the world. For me, it’s quite astonishing because each of these singers, and those in previous festivals, could offer a recital or program of their own. They’re established soloists. I think the wonderful thing is that you have not only six singers of an extremely high level, but three different programs. It’s quite astonishing to get that kind of quality together for a short period of time.”

The previous two festivals have not only been a great showcase of talent but also of diversity in terms of the works performed. A total of 58 different composers from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries have been represented, from Handel to Mozart and Rodgers and Hammerstein, and everything in between.

“I’m quite proud of the fact that the repertory is so varied,” Woolbright said. “It offers a bit for everyone.”

Woolbright gave some insight into the process of putting the festival lineup and musical selections together.

“Bob and I play to the strengths of each singer,” he said. “With a few exceptions for ensemble numbers, we do not dictate repertory. We write to the singers and say, send us your party pieces, things you’re familiar with. We get lists, and it’s just a big puzzle. The real trick, and Bob is a magician at this, is coming up with the ensembles. He is the magician behind that.”

The full performance and song lineups are already posted on the festival’s website. Kaplan said that the Sunday lineup, in particular, is a good choice for newcomers or those who may not be too familiar with the style of music being offered.

“Sunday is more Broadway and a bit lighter, and since it’s a matinee, sometimes people come with children and families. It could be a good start for someone not so involved in music.”

Woolbright described the elements he enjoys most about the festival, which makes the work of putting it together worth it.

“It’s really the camaraderie and instant feeling of family of these singers coming together in a short period of rehearsal time,” he said. “They show up in Sag Harbor on Monday night, and a lot of them know each other anyway, since it’s a small world. But we’ve had such a marvelous group.”

For more information about the festival, including ticket information, singer bios, and the full performance lineup, visit sagharborsongfestival.org.