Gil Shaham Joins Orchestra of St. Luke's for Caramoor's 2026 Summer Season Finale

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts will close its 2026 Summer Season with a performance by Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) conducted by the dynamic Xian Zhang, featuring world-renowned violin soloist Gil Shaham, on Sunday, August 2, 2026 at 4:00pm in the iconic Venetian Theater.

Caramoor, once the estate of music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, is one of the region's most distinctive destinations for live performance, cultural engagement, and exploration. The 2026 Summer Season, which includes over thirty performances between June 20 and August 2, immerses the entire estate in music, with concerts happening in five distinct settings – the Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Friends Field, Sunken Garden, and the Music Room.

Violinist Gil Shaham is a long-time Caramoor favorite, whose numerous appearances date back to 1994. He has an extensive history with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and has appeared at Caramoor with OSL conducted by André Previn, David Robertson, Roberto Abbado, Peter Oundjian, and Pablo Heras-Casado. The concert, Shaham's first time back at Caramoor since 2016, will feature his definitive interpretation of Barber's Violin Concerto, a work of inherent sweetness and playfulness. Framed by the wit of Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri Overture and the majestic architecture of Mozart's ("Jupiter") Symphony, the program offers a masterclass in both lyrical intimacy and orchestral grandeur.

One of the foremost violinists of our time, Gil Shaham's flawless technique combined with his generosity of spirit has solidified his renown as an American master. He is sought after throughout the world for concerto appearances with leading orchestras and conductors, and regularly gives recitals and appears with ensembles on the world's great concert stages and at the most prestigious festivals. Highlights of recent years include a recording and performances of J.S. Bach's complete sonatas and partitas for solo violin and recitals with his long-time duo partner, pianist Akira Eguchi. He regularly appears with the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco Symphonies, the Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, and in multi-year residencies with the Orchestras of Montreal, Stuttgart and Singapore. Shaham has more than two dozen concerto and solo CDs to his name, earning multiple GRAMMYs, a Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d'Or, and Gramophone Editor's Choice. Many of these recordings appear on Canary Classics, the label he founded in 2004. His 2016 recording 1930s Violin Concertos Vol. 2 as well as his 2021 recording of Beethoven and Brahms Concertos with The Knights were nominated for GRAMMY Awards.

The 2025-2026 season marks the GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning conductor Xian Zhang's tenth as Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony. Under her artistic leadership, the New Jersey Symphony won two awards at the mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards in 2022 for their concert films. As of fall 2025, she is also the Music Director of the Seattle Symphony with which she has been a long-term collaborator since her debut in 2008, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the China NCPA Orchestra in Beijing. Following her tenure as Music Director of Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano between 2009-16, she continues as the orchestra's Conductor Emeritus. As a guest conductor, Zhang appears regularly with Los Angeles Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra. Her Deutsche Grammophon recording with the latter (Letters for The Future with Time for Three, released 2022) won GRAMMY awards for Best Contemporary Classical Composition (Kevin Puts' Contact) and Best Classical Instrumental Solo.

Orchestra of St. Luke's, “a mainstay of New York's classical scene” (The New Yorker), features New York City's most talented concert musicians and makes its artistic home at Carnegie Hall, where it has performed more than any other orchestra since its debut there in 1983. OSL's annual season features curated concert series in each of Carnegie Hall's three venues, along with the Visionary Sounds and DeGaetano Composition Institute programs focused on contemporary composers at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, the rehearsal, recording, and performance facility OSL built in 2011 and continues to operate in Manhattan's Hudson Yards neighborhood. OSL proudly collaborates with Paul Taylor Dance Company for their Lincoln Center season each year, performs at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts each summer, and performs with a variety of artistic partners at venues throughout the city and beyond. Founded in 1974 when a group of virtuoso chamber musicians began performing together in Greenwich Village at The Church of St. Luke in the Fields, the ensemble later expanded into an orchestra before catching fire on New York's classical music scene. OSL has participated in 120 recordings, four of which have won GRAMMY Awards, has commissioned more than 75 new works, and has given more than 200 world, U.S., and New York City premieres. OSL champions composers from historically underrepresented groups in classical music. In recent seasons, it has presented works by Kinan Azmeh, Margaret Bonds, Harry T. Burleigh, Valerie Coleman, Julius Eastman, Florence Price, and Chen Yi, among others. Central to OSL's mission, the Education and Community Engagement program presents free concerts for thousands of New York City public school students each year; offers the 150-student-strong Youth Orchestra of St. Luke's (YOSL), the city's only youth orchestra under the umbrella of a professional group; and provides a mentorship program for pre-professional musicians.

Dining at Caramoor

Caramoor's on-site dining options include Pre-Ordered Gourmet Picnics available for pick-up two hours prior to each mainstage concert, which can be pre-ordered until the Tuesday before the performance. The menu is prepared by local coffee and sandwich purveyor G.E. Brown with curated artisanal cheese boards from Second Mouse Cheese Shop. In addition, the Bravo Bar is open two hours before each performance, offering snacks and lemonade, iced tea, wine, cocktails, and buzz-free beverages as well as a rotating selection of offerings from local food creators including It Must Have Been the Bake, Bark and Brine BBQ, G.E. Brown, Pizza Girls, Walter's Hot Dogs, Second Mouse Cheese Shop, LMNOP, and Miss Mona Makes Ice Cream. Specific offerings are noted for each performance on Caramoor's website. For more information on Dining at Caramoor and to pre-order picnics, visit caramoor.org/visit-us/amenities.

For the food vendors that will be at this performance, visit the concert page on Caramoor's website.

About Caramoor

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY. Once the home of music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, Caramoor has evolved into one of the region's most distinctive destinations for live performances, cultural engagement, and exploration – a sanctuary for music, art, and nature.

Each year, Caramoor presents an exciting array of concerts across genres – from classical, opera, and chamber music to jazz, American roots, global sounds, and the American songbook. Caramoor's acclaimed Summer Season brings audiences together for unforgettable outdoor performances from June into August in five distinct settings (the Venetian Theater, Friends Field, Spanish Courtyard, Sunken Garden, and the Music Room), while the intimate Rosen House Concert Series runs from October through May in the historic Rosen House, a Mediterranean-style villa listed on the National Register of Historic Places and filled with treasures from around the world. With a mission to engage audiences of all ages, Caramoor also offers a selection of concerts and programs for families and our youngest listeners.

Caramoor is a place where music, history, and nature come together to create moments of beauty and connection for all who visit. In addition to hearing concerts, visitors to Caramoor can tour the spectacular Rosen House, explore its intriguing collections, enjoy a picnic, and experience the lush gardens and grounds – including Caramoor's unique collection of site-specific Sound Art, permanently installed sound sculptures that draw inspiration from their environment. Caramoor also offers a formal afternoon tea service year-round in the Music Room (by reservation), the seasonal Bravo Bar concessions stand, and a selection of public programs such as yoga, art classes, and large-scale community events.

For Caramoor's complete schedule: caramoor.org/events

Ticketing Information

Concert tickets are available for purchase online at caramoor.org; by phone at 914.232.1252 Tuesdays through Fridays from 10am-4pm; and on site from the Box Office two hours before each performance.

Caramoor is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah, NY.

How to get to Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit-us/amenities

Need more Classical Music Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...