A Unique Opportunity

Join us for an evening of glorious music memorializing Sergei Rachmaninoff's time in Centerport and celebrating his music and contributions to the rich cultural history of our community

Twelve of the best pianists and musicians in the area are donating their time and talent to raise funds for the creation and installation of a historical marker.  The marker will be placed at the location of his summer residence on the Little Neck Peninsula, not far from the Vanderbilt to raise awareness that the great man summered in this area.

Tickets to the concert may be purchased on-line, below, or by phoning or visiting the Huntington Historical Society office, (631) 427-7045 Ext. 401 at 209 Main Street in Huntington .
 

Many Long Islanders may not be aware that Rachmaninoff spent two summers in the hamlet of Centerport, in the years 1940 and 1941.  He lived in the Honeyman Estate, a 17 acre parcel perched near the end of the Little Neck Road Peninsula  overlooking the harbor.  It was there he composed his last major orchestral composition “Symphonic Dances.”  Imagine the joy the lucky boaters experienced drifting by at just the right time while the virtuoso was practicing in his studio near the water. 

 Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor.  Rachmaninoff was widely considered to be one of the finest pianists of his day.  As a composer, he was one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music.  Early influences of Tchaikovsky, and other Russian composers gave way to a thoroughly personal idiom that included a pronounced lyricism, expressive breadth, structural ingenuity, and a tonal palette of rich, distinctive orchestral colors.  The piano is featured prominently in Rachmaninoff’s music, and he made a point of using his own skills as a performer to fully explore the expressive possibilities of the instrument.  For Additional photos and stories