Cedarmere Museum Hosts Classical Concert on May 18

Cedarmere, the historic Roslyn home of prominent 19th-century poet and editor William Cullen Bryant, is hosting a concert of operatic selections by soprano Ilya Speranza on Sunday, May 18, at 3 p.m., announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi.

The program will include selections from Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” both Gounod and Bellini’s settings of “Romeo and Juliet,” and the “mad scene” from Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.” As a special feature, the Donizetti piece will be accompanied by a musical saw played by virtuoso performer Natalia Paruz. The eerie tone of the saw will reflect the composer’s original use of a glass harmonica for this aria, and add to the fevered pitch of the mad scene.

The concert will take place in Cedarmere’s wood-paneled Great Room, which provides an intimate setting and excellent acoustics; seating is limited to 45 attendees. Concert tickets are $20 and reservations are required by calling 516-571-8130. Cedarmere will open on concert day at 1 p.m.

Operated by the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums, Cedarmere has been designated a part of the New York State Underground Railroad Heritage Trail. During the day, visitors to Cedarmere can tour Bryant’s home and grounds and enjoy the carefully restored gardens, a Gothic Revival mill and summer cottage, a picturesque pond spanned by a stone bridge, and a spectacular view of Roslyn Harbor.

Cedarmere is located on Bryant Avenue west of Glen Cove Road. For more information, call 516-571-8130.