Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner Honors Jack Lenor Larsen With Sold-Out Concert at LongHouse Reserve

Philanthropist Barbara Tober underwrote the Aug. 8 concert celebrating the LongHouse founder on what would have been his 99th birthday, drawing more than 250 guests to the East Hampton gardens.

Music filled the gardens of LongHouse Reserve on Aug. 8 as acclaimed pianist and composer Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner performed a sold-out outdoor concert honoring LongHouse founder Jack Lenor Larsen on what would have been the legendary textile designer’s 99th birthday.

Philanthropist and longtime LongHouse supporter Barbara Tober underwrote the evening, which drew more than 250 guests beneath the towering trees of the 16-acre East Hampton garden and cultural center. The celebration brought together music, art and design in the landscape Larsen created as a living sanctuary for all three.

“Jack was a creative force from the time he was born,” Tober told the crowd. “I fought with him, worked at MAD with him, and then came to love him.”

Tober also paid tribute to Sánchez-Werner, adding, “Wherever piano music is treasured and appreciated, he stands out as a leader and a teacher. We are fortunate to have Jack’s longtime partner, Peter Olsen, here with us today. In his way, Jack, we know, is here, too.”

LongHouse Executive Director Lara Sweeney welcomed guests and thanked Tober for her longtime support before Sánchez-Werner took the outdoor stage.

“Thank you for joining us on this special evening,” Sweeney said. “We are honored to welcome back the extraordinary pianist and composer Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner. Our sincere thanks to our longtime friend and supporter Barbara Tober for her leadership and commitment.”

Sánchez-Werner opened with a Rachmaninoff étude before turning to the evening’s American theme.

“For America’s 250th anniversary, tonight we are exploring American piano literature through composers of different backgrounds whose voices have shaped our musical heritage,” Sánchez-Werner told the audience.

The program ranged from George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and Samuel Barber’s Piano Sonata to Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday,” Charles Ives’ “The Alcotts” and works by Florence Price, Frederic Rzewski and contemporary composer Tanya Yajnik. The inclusion of Sergei Rachmaninoff also nodded to the Russian-born composer who fled his homeland, became an American citizen and is buried in Westchester County.

A Personal Connection for the Concert Pianist

The theme had a personal connection for Sánchez-Werner, who was born in California to a Mexican mother and a father of Welsh, German, Polish and Jewish heritage.

Among those in the crowd were LongHouse Board Chair Louis Bradbury, President Emerita Nina Gillman and board members Sherri Donghia and Linda Willett, along with Rita and Charles Bronfman, Philippe Cheng and Bastienne Schmidt, Stephen Drucker, Ronnie and Alan Fisher, Gina Gibney and Pamela Van Zandt, Sharon King Hoge, Alice Hope, Nancy Manocherian, Naomi Marks and Vernon Taylor, Christopher Mason, Oscar Molina, Wendy Moonan, Faith Popcorn, Ralph Pucci, Mercedes Ruehl and Mary Snow.

Following the concert, guests stayed for drinks before a smaller group headed to the LongHouse Pavilion for a four-course al fresco dinner.

The dinner brought together longtime LongHouse supporters and friends, including board member Michael Jones, President Emerita Dianne Benson and Lys Marigold, Suzi Cordish, Dr. Jane Farhi and James Barron, Joanna Fisher, Antonia Franceschi and Jane Berliner, Lee Fryd, Sylvia Hemingway, Lola Koch, Meryl Rosofsky and Stuart Coleman, Dr. Bradley Strauchen-Scherer and Erich Scherer, and Susan Stroman.

The evening ended with a particularly fitting tribute to Larsen’s legacy. During dinner, Tober presented LongHouse with her custom kimono made from Larsen fabric, donating the piece to the permanent collection. Sweeney and Larsen’s longtime partner, Peter Olsen, accepted the gift.

Larsen, a master weaver and internationally renowned textile designer, founded LongHouse in 1991, transforming his East Hampton property into an immersive meeting place for art, nature, architecture and design. Today, its gardens are home to more than 60 outdoor works by artists including Yoko Ono, Willem de Kooning and Sol LeWitt, continuing the creative vision Larsen cultivated there for decades.

Photos by Patrick McMullan/PMC

Angela LaGreca

Editor, Co-Founder/Publisher

Angela LaGreca, Editor-in-chief and co-Founder/Publisher of Spark Hamptons, is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, producer, writer and comedian/host. Her TV credits include NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “The View,” and, most recently, the primetime cable news program “Cuomo” on NewsNation. On the East End, she was the Creative Director at LTV, VP Features/Events/Photo Editor at Dan’s Papers, and has performed at Guild Hall, Bay Street Theater and the WHBPAC. Her publishing career began at Modern Photography, where she was managing editor. LaGreca lives in Manhattan and East Hampton and can be reached at angelatvmedia@gmail.com and angela@sparkhamptons.com .