SAVE THE DATE! AUGUST 10, 2024
FEATURING ORCHESTRA LONG ISLAND CONDUCTED BY DAVID STEWART WILEY
WITH SPECIAL GUEST SOLOIST EDDIE BARBASH AND FIREWORKS BY GRUCCI
Donate non-perishable food items to Island Harvest at the Concert and get a chance to win Dinner & A Show!
The Islip Arts Council is thrilled to announce the return of the FREE Concert in The Park on August 10, 2024, at Heckscher State Park. After a five-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this cherished 46-year musical tradition is back. Pack a picnic, grab a blanket, and bring the family to enjoy an evening of spectacular music and celebration.
This year’s concert commemorates two significant milestones: the 100th Anniversary of New York State Parks and the 50th Anniversary of the Islip Arts Council. Under the baton of David Stewart Wiley, Orchestra Long Island will be joined by special guest soloist Eddie Barbash. Following the concert, attendees will be treated to a breathtaking Grucci Fireworks display, sponsored by Northville Industries.
CATCH A STAR UNDER THE STARS
Native Long Islander Eddie Barbash, a founding member of the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, is celebrated by Jon Batiste as "one of the world's most important saxophonists." Eddie will perform pieces dedicated to his grandmother, Mrs. Lillian Barbash, founder of the Islip Arts Council. She first brought the NY Philharmonic to Heckscher State Park over forty five years ago. This concert is an important part of Long Island's cultural landscape and has been for many years.
HELP FIGHT HUNGER WITH ISLAND HARVEST
Enjoying music under the stars with the cool breeze from the Great South Bay is magical. We invite the public to make the evening even more special by bringing a bag of non-perishable food for families struggling with food insecurity. Island Harvest volunteers will be on-site to accept donations, and you will be entered to win Dinner & A Show!
CLICK HERE FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Thank you to our major Sponsors:
Fireworks by Grucci
Foundation for LI State Parks
Jake's 58
Natural Heritage Trust
New York State Parks
Northville Industries
The Ozarin Family
Rechler Equity Partners
Schneps Media
ABOUT ORCHESTRA LONG ISLAND
Orchestra Long Island carries forward the musical legacy of the Long Island Philharmonic, believing Long Island communities deserve to have a professional orchestra that invigorates, educates, and elevates the cultural landscape.
Led by David Stewart Wiley, Music Director, a leader in music performance and education on Long Island for nearly two decades, Orchestra Long Island (OLI) is a group of dedicated musicians and passionate educators on the fast track to becoming a nationally-recognized community innovator among regional orchestras.
ABOUT DAVID STEWART WILEY, CONDUCTOR
Orchestra Long Island's Maestro David Stewart Wiley has conducted such distinguished symphonies as Atlanta, Buffalo, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Saint Louis, Oregon, Hawaii, and Utah, as well as in dozens of countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe. This May 2024 he will return to guest conduct the Boston Pops in historic Symphony Hall, having made his triple debut with the Boston Pops as conductor, composer, and piano soloist a few years ago. Wiley continues to conduct regularly in New York, and also appears throughout the U.S. as pianist, composer, and conductor - with engagements including Symphonicity, in Kansas City, and many others in about 40 US states.
Wiley serves as Music Director & Conductor of OLI after the closing of the LI Philharmonic, continuing his commitment to education and outreach throughout Long Island. Wiley also enjoys a special relationship with Virginia’s Blue Ridge Music Festival as Artistic Director, and previously served as Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. As an experienced leader, Wiley plans and facilitates an innovative experience with business executives and musicians together on stage titled “Conducting Change” which helps executives to model leadership skills in a fun and engaging atmosphere with a live orchestra.As a solo pianist with diverse classical, pops, and chamber music experience, Wiley has performed with numerous orchestras in the United States including Boston, Minnesota, Indianapolis, Oregon, Honolulu, Wheeling, and West Virginia, performing major concerti by Baroque to contemporary, often conducting from the piano. He has appeared in recital and chamber music appearances in China, Russia, Romania, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria. Numerous opera and ballet performances include the Aspen Opera Theater, IU Opera Theater, and the Moscow Ballet.
David Stewart Wiley won the Aspen Conducting Prize, was Assistant Conductor for the Aspen Music Festival, and was awarded a Conducting Fellowship at Tanglewood. Wiley holds both a Doctor and Master of Music in Conducting from Indiana University, a degree in Piano Performance with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music, and a degree in Religion, summa cum laude, from Tufts University. He is a recipient of the Perry F. Kendig Prize for service to the arts and is a Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International.
ABOUT EDDIE BARBASH
Hailed by Jon Batiste as "one of the world’s most important saxophonists," Eddie Barbash was a founding member of the house band for the Late Show With Stephen Colbert and currently tours the world with Cory Wong and the Wongnotes. His unmistakable sound is featured on the Oscar and Grammy-winning soundtrack of Soul. He has performed at venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to Madison Square Garden to the Village Vanguard and has headlined both the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and the Umbria Jazz Festival.
Barbash's versatile sound has led him to collaborate with musicians in many styles. At 18 he joined the sextet of legendary jazz drummer Chico Hamilton and the quintet of emerging jazz star Jon Batiste. In his 20's he fell in love with American traditional music and began touring with bluegrass phenom Sierra Hull. He's a frequent guest with funk band Vulfpeck and indie rocker Sam Evian. In 2016 he performed a duet on national TV with Yo-Yo Ma and he performs regularly with chamber choir Amor Artis.
Eddie has released 4 albums: "For Murray and Lillian", a collection of crooning melodies dedicated to his late grandparents, arranged by Kyle Athayde for an octet of four strings and jazz quartet; "Eddie Barbash Live Parts 1-4", a selection of the best performances of 6 years of leading bands in NYC; and most recently "Live With Jim, Joe, and Dave", a snapshot of one night of improvised music in Brooklyn, recorded directly to tape in one of the borough's hippest local haunts.
Eddie was born in West Islip, NY and was raised in Oaxaca, Mexico, Atlanta, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He lives in Nashville.
