Shlomo Mintz & Friends at Sands Point Preserve

The winter season at the Sands Point Preserve is filled with music from classical chamber to cabaret and choral ensembles, all performed inside the grand rooms of historic Hempstead House.

The new year of concerts begins with world renowned violin virtuoso and conductor Shlomo Mintz on Saturday, January 20 at 8 pm. Mr. Mintz will be joined by four Long Island-based musicians: Levana Cohen on clarinet, Esther Noh on violin, Kim Foster on viola, and Alison Rowe on cello. The program includes a beautiful repertoire of pieces by Carl Stamitz, Eugène Ysayë, and Johannes Brahms. Dessert with the artists follows the concert.

The musicians are also giving a special educational performance for music students at Schreiber High School on Friday, January 19.

Mr. Mintz performs around the globe but calls Sands Point his home. He is the artistic director of numerous international music festivals and is the co-founder of “Violins of Hope,” a project with the mission to promote peace through music. Born in Moscow, he immigrated to Israel and debuted with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 11; he made his Carnegie Hall debut at 16, under the patronage of Isaac Stern.

Mr. Mintz invited a gifted ensemble of musicians to play with him. Clarinetist Levana Cohen has performed in many of the world’s most prestigious concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall, and Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall. Principal clarinetist with the Astoria Symphony Orchestra, she is a devoted music educator, teaching nationwide, at Long Island University – C.W. Post Campus, and privately in Port Washington.

With a passion for contemporary classical music, Esther Noh appears regularly with Argento New Music Projects, International Contemporary Ensemble, among other prestigious ensembles, at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the Kitchen. She is also a dedicated teacher and has held workshops at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Native American Composer Apprentice Program, among others.

Kim Foster performs across multiple genres, having performed with Alaria Chamber Ensemble at Weil Hall and the FLUX Quartet at Roulette in Brooklyn, among others. A graduate of the Applied Positive Psychology course through the NY Open Center, she has been a guest lecturer at the Julliard School and Mannes School of Music.

With a repertoire that spans the Baroque through contemporary eras, Alison Rowe has performed with the Contemporaneous Ensemble, the Barns Series at Wolftrap with members of the Emerson String Quartet, the Three Village Chamber Players, and the Stony Brook University Roots Ensemble, among others.

Limited tickets are available for the concert in Hempstead House. Tickets are $55 for Conservancy Members, $65 for non-members, and can be purchased at www.SandsPointPreserve.org or on the ticket line: 516.304.5076.

Upcoming concerts include the“Valentine’s Night Cabaret” and dinner on Saturday, February 10 featuring Broadway stars Rebecca Luker, Howard McGillin, and Steve Lutvak; the annual interfaith “Winter Choral Concert” on Sunday, March 4 will showcase choirs from Community Synagogue, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, and the United Methodist Church.

For information about the Sands Point Preserve and all programs, and to purchase a 12-month membership for free admission to the park and discounts to many events, see www.SandsPointPreserve.org, call 516-571-7901 or visit the Gatehouse at 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point, NY, 11050, open daily from 8 am to 5 pm.

The Sands Point Preserve Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to maintain and preserve the 216-acre waterfront grounds and historic mansions; and to provide a range of cultural events in Hempstead House and Castle Gould and educational programs for families, adults, and schools in the Phil Dejana Learning Center and Outdoor Classroom.