The brilliant pianist, Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner performed at LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton last Friday night, celebrating what would have been Founder Jack Lenor Larsen’s 95th birthday. Outdoors, on a Steinway Concert Grand D piano, in front of Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome sculpture, the young artist gave a tour de force performance of global compositions with intriguing explanations of his selections by Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Rzewski, Chávez, Stravinsky, Agosti, and an encore of Gershwin. The evening was generously underwritten by Barbara Tober.
“Music is a vital part of the LongHouse experience, as we engage all of our senses” offered LongHouse Director Carrie Rebora Barratt, “Listening is a gift, and while LongHouse rewards looking, smelling, touching, and tasting the deliciousness of a natural preserve, Jack always asked his visitors to listen to the enhancing sounds of music. Thank you, Llewellyn, for enlivening our sanctuary and to Barbara for always being an astonishing patron of the arts. Barbara knew Jack when she chaired the Museum of Arts and Design, he was on her board; a match beyond compare!”
During the concert Barbara joined her friend of many years, Peter Olsen (Jack’s longtime companion) in the front row. At a small dinner following the concert she remained at his side. In a toast she praised the young musician and his talent, and thanked the LongHouse team, board, and donors. Llewellyn returned the compliments, describing her, “You have the wicked wit of Oscar Wilde and the wild color of Sol LeWitt”. LongHouse Co-President, Nina Gillman, made a toast to a new era at LongHouse.
Making his concerto debut at age 6, Llewellyn is the youngest graduate in Julliard history; he later matriculated at Yale. He’s performed at the White House and Kennedy Center for Presidents Obama and Biden, and received the Atlantic Council Young Global Citizen Award as well as First Prize Winner of the 2022 Concert Artists Guild International Competition.
The nearly 300 concert guests included LongHouse Board of Trustees Sherri Donghia and Roger Eulau, Mark and Elizabeth Levine, Deborah Nevins, Suzanne Slesin and Michael Steinberg, and James Zajac, as well as Afsaneh Akhtari, Susan and Ahmed Akkad, James Barron and Jane Farhi, Suzi Cordish, Florence and Richard Fabricant, Mark Fichandler and Paul Travis, Sharon King Hoge, Eileen Kornreich, Fern Mallis, Christopher Mason, Daphne Merkin, Liane Pei, Cole Rumbough, Lee Skolnick and Jo Ann Secor, Yoko Sanada, Bastienne Schmidt and Philippe Cheng, Mary Snow, Limor Tomer, Lloyd P. Zuckerberg and many many more…
Music continues at LongHouse Reserve on September 4th, as Artistic Director Emerita of the Opera Orchestra of New York, Eve Queler, brings a cohort of musical talent (Kirsten Chambers, Stephen Gaertner, Douglas Martin) for Opera Al Fresco. Annually underwritten by John Githens, who dedicates the evening to his departed wife Ingeborg Ten Haeff and to Jack.