Dance, Song and Theater as Huntington Arts Festival Gets Underway Friday

The Huntington Summer Arts Festival gets underway Friday with a vast array of programs, from the EastLine Theater’s production of Hamlet to first-time performers from the Mahanaim School of Music.

This year’s festival will include the “Just Wild About Harry” Chapin tribute concert on July 21.

While all the performances are family friendly, one particular highlight is Dan and Claudia Zanes with Tyree Austin’s performance on July 20. Dan and Claudia Zanes have made it their mission to create sensory friendly performances. Some of their past works include Night Train 57: A Sensory Friendly Comic Folk Opera and The Social Isolation Song Series, a collection of 200 different songs performed virtually during the midst of Covid 19. 

For the more adventurous type, the Oyster Bay Music Festival presents “When Nature Calls” on  June 28. The performance features celebrated musicians including pianist Maxim Lando, bassoonist Eleni Katz, and National Symphony Orchestra flutist Matthew Ross. The eclectic performance is hosted by Teddy Siegel, who is the founder of the @Got2Go TikTok account, an activist campaigning for accessible bathrooms in NYC and a classically trained soprano. 

The festival is guaranteed to feature plenty of local performers as well. The School of Rock will be performing twice, on Aug. 9 and Aug. 18, and the Mahanaim School of Music  will be performing closing week on Aug. 22.

Performances are drawn from such festival mainstays as Huntington Community Band, which is one of the founding performers that launched the festival 59 years ago. These acts have a strong, dedicated fan base that is the fabric of the history of the festival, the council said.

Other local talent includes Swing Sessions presented by Dudley Music, classical music with the Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra, theater with Hamlet by Eastline Theater,  and The Mahanaim School of Music.

The School of Rock will have showcases Aug 9 and Aug.18. The Long Island Dance Consortium will feature three scholarship winners from local high schools.  Another addition to the Huntington Community Band’s program this year is the Rising Star Composer program featuring exceptional young composers from across Long Island.

Shows start at 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 7 PM on Sunday.

https://www.huntingtonarts.org/programs/summer-arts-festival/