Concerts by the Pond
Welcome to Concerts by the Pond's 10th Anniversary Season
Letter from the Music Director:
Dear Concert by the Pond Friends,
A decade ago, St. John’s Episcopal Church created the Concerts by the Pond concert series to celebrate the successful campaign to transform the sanctuary and install a new Casavant Frères pipe organ. Since then, CBTP has offered up to four concerts a season to the delight of our local community while celebrating a wide range of classical, contemporary, and liturgical music.
As we embark upon our 10th Anniversary Season, Concerts by the Pond is taking a tremendous step forward on our journey. In the 2023-24 season, CBTP is renewing our mission to broaden our range of live performances. The six concert season is packed full of award-winning artists offering a wide range of musical styles ranging from traditional classical music to contemporary, folk, and jazz.
This season we are proud to announce the new “Behind the Music” Educational Series. This series of educational programs will broaden the relationship between the artists and our community. Audience members of all ages will have the opportunity to have behind-the-scenes interactions with our engaging artists in the form of open rehearsals, masterclasses, talk-backs, and other special family music events. My hope is that these new offerings provide depth and value to our audience members and local students.
I am excited to share more details about the 2023-24 season and I invite you to learn more about Concerts by the Pond. Come on this journey with us and become part of our musical celebration as we celebrate 10 years of musical excellence in our community.
See you opening night!
Director of Music, St. John's Episcopal Church
About Concerts by the Pond:
Our Mission - Inspired by our beautifully restored church and our intimate, historic, and scenic venue, Concerts by the Pond provides diverse programming and innovative live performances of classical, contemporary, and liturgical music, which, coupled with dynamic education programs, creates a sense of discovery and community within our St. John's parish and the citizenry of Cold Spring Harbor and surrounding region.
Our Vision - Concerts by the Pond will be a regionally recognized, financially sustainable concert series destination that embraces a wide range of innovative and diverse programming and artists while intentionally integrating education and service and expanding St. John’s spiritual and musical presence in the greater community.
Our History - Upon the completion of a major church renovation and pipe organ installation a decade ago, a committee of church members, the organist, and then music director established a concert series. The mission: to celebrate the new instrument and offer a performance venue to local and regional artists.
In its first nine years, the Concerts by the Pond (CBTP) series has offered a wide range of programming, including: the American Brass Quintet, several noted concert organists, solo piano recitals, choral groups, chamber music ensembles, and children’s concerts.
Our Venue - Founded in 1836, the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church sits on the north shore of Long Island near Cold Spring Harbor, New York, fewer than 40 miles east of midtown Manhattan. The shingled white colonial-style building, consecrated in 1837, stands on the shoreline of a scenic pond and nature preserve.
A major renovation to the church’s sanctuary and facilities in 2012 included the installation of a specially designed, 3-manual Casavant pipe organ (34 independent stops, 43 ranks of pipes, 2587 pipes). The sanctuary also houses a Steinway-B concert grand piano.
The venue is ideal for chamber music and small ensemble singing, solo vocal, instrumental, and organ recitals. The intimate venue offers an easy acoustic and comfortably seats over 200 people on two levels.
Mary Wilson, Soprano
3 pm, Sunday, November 19, 2023
St. John's Church
1670 Route 25 A, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
General Admission Tickets: $30
Student Tickets: $15
R. Timothy McReynolds, piano; Lisa Westervelt, flute; Gergana Haralampieva, violin
About the Program:
Vocal Fireworks! Enjoy an afternoon of music composed by Bach, Handel, Haydn, and Mozart.
About Mary Wilson, s…
Read More »Holiday Organ & Brass
8 pm, Saturday, December 9, 2023
St. John's Church
1670 Route 25 A
Cold Spring Harbor, New York
General Admission Tickets: $30
Student Tickets: $15
Dr. Carol Weitner, organ; Long Island Chamber Music Brass Quintet
About the Program:
Celebrate the holiday season with a festive evening of popular and classical favorites arranged for brass quintet an…
ArcoStrum
3 pm, Sunday, January 21, 2024
St. John's Church
1670 Route 25 A, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
General Admission Tickets: $30
Student Tickets: $15
Invoke
8 pm, Saturday, March 2, 2024
St John's Church
1670 Route 25 A
Cold Spring Harbor, New York
General Admission Tickets: $30
Student Tickets: $15
Nick Montopoli, violin/banjo/vocals; Zach Matteson, violin/vocals; Karl Mitze, viola/mandolin/vocals; Geoff Manyin, cello/vocals.
Evolve & Travel - Heading back on the road after the COVID-19 Pandemic,…
Read More »Empire Wild
8 pm, Sunday April 14, 2024
St John's Church
1670 Route 25 A
Cold Spring Harbor, New York
General Admission Tickets: $30
Student Tickets: $15
Behind the Music Educational Series
Get up close and personal with our renowned series artists. Join us for unique educational opportunities to watch our series artists as they work with a select group of talented local high school and college musicians in public lessons in front of a live audience, offer unique educational programs for audience members of all ages, or share a glimpse into their preparation during …
Read More »
Director of Music
