Hamptons Summer Songbook By the Sea, the live concert series bringing leading Broadway and cabaret performers to LTV Studios, returns for its third season with an eight-show summer lineup. The 2026 season opens with Tony Award-nominated Broadway star Norm Lewis, one of American theater’s most celebrated baritones, performing in the intimate black-box setting of LTV Studios in Wainscott.
Lewis’s stage credits include Broadway’s “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess,” “Les Misérables,” and “Ragtime,” and he made history in 2014 as the first Black “Phantom” on Broadway in “The Phantom Of The Opera.” He will headline the Hamptons Summer Songbook By the Sea season premiere in a rare East End appearance on Sunday, June 28, at 7:30 PM. The evening will begin with a summer reception featuring spirits from BottleHampton and passed hors d’oeuvres from East Hampton Kitchen before guests take their seats for the opening performance.
As part of the evening, series producers Donna Rubin and Josh Gladstone will welcome philanthropist, author, and television host of “Successful Philanthropy,” Jean Shafiroff, to the stage as LTV Studios presents her as the 2026 recipient of the Frances Ann Dougherty Award for Broadcast Philanthropy. The award honors leadership, generosity and a lasting commitment to strengthening the community through the power of media. Named for Frances Ann Dougherty, wife of LTV founder Frazer Dougherty and the institution’s first major contributor more than 40 years ago, the annual recognition is presented to an individual with meaningful ties to the East End who has helped advance LTV’s mission in public access, education and government broadcasting.
“I am really excited by the way the Hamptons Summer Songbook has grown,” said Rubin, who is a veteran Broadway performer herself. “The cabaret community is growing here in the Hamptons. Everyone who has joined us tells us that they love the venue, and that we have created a cozy, intimate space. We have another star-studded season ahead, starting with Broadway star Norm Lewis.”
Following Lewis’s performance, guests will be invited to mingle over desserts prepared by chef Annie Washburn.
The summer schedule continues with Ann Hampton Callaway on July 11. Ann Hampton Callaway is one of America’s most gifted artists in pop and jazz. A leading champion of the great American Songbook, she’s made her mark as a singer, pianist, composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, educator, TV host, and producer. She is best known for her Tony-nominated performance in the hit Broadway musical “Swing!” and for writing and singing the theme song to the hit TV series “The Nanny.”
Klea Blackhurst and Billy Stritch will perform the songs of Hoagy Carmichael on July 18. Pianist-singer Billy Stritch has been a presence on the New York and national nightclub scene for nearly four decades. Perhaps best known for his 25-year position as musical director for Liza Minnelli, Billy also served in that capacity with Marilyn Maye, Linda Lavin, Melissa Manchester and the legendary Tony Bennett. Klea Blackhurst has performed in legendary halls from The London Palladium to Carnegie Hall, The Royal Albert Hall to Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Cafe Carlyle to The Bluebird Cafe. She starred in Goodspeed Musicals’ 50th anniversary production of “Hello, Dolly!” and led a critically lauded production of “Gypsy” at Drury Lane in Chicago.
Sag Harbor’s David Alpern will host Eric Yves Garcia & Maria Abous in an evening devoted to Lorenz Hart on July 25.
Alpern was a New York correspondent for United Press International, then a reporter, writer, and senior editor at Newsweek magazine, and, for more than 30 years, hosted Newsweek On Air. It featured conversations with newsmakers, policy experts, and top entertainers, including Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Graham, Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Walter Cronkite, Robert Caro, John le Carré, Nora Ephron, Rosemary Clooney, and Barbara Cook.
Eric Yves Garcia is one of the most popular and award-winning singer-pianists in New York City, also performing across the U.S., London, and Paris. Recipient of the Margaret Whiting Award and a Bistro Award for Singer-Instrumentalist, he most recently won the Donald F. Smith Award of the Mabel Mercer Foundation during its annual Cabaret Convention at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Maria Abous, a “cross-over soprano,” has performed on iconic New York City stages including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 54 Below, The Triad, and Birdland. Her first album, “Crescendo,” re-imagines classic jazz and theater standards as love songs from mother to child.
“A Swell-egant, Elegant Party,” hosted by Laurence Maslon and starring Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano, will take place on August 1. Laurence Maslon is the host and producer of the local radio program “Broadway to Main Street,” heard every Sunday afternoon for over 15 years on the NPR station WLIW-FM.
Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano thrill audiences with their singular, soulful showmanship. Their new album “Painting the Town” has earned ecstatic reviews and won the 2026 MAC Award for Major Recording of the Year. From Birdland Jazz Club, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall to London’s Pizza Express to Italy’s Monteverdi Tuscany, their fast-paced and swinging concerts of pop and jazz bring the American Songbook squarely into the 21st century.
KT Sullivan and Mark Nadler are joined by Stephanie Pope and Christine Pedi in a program co-sponsored by the Mabel Mercer Foundation on August 22. KT Sullivan, artistic director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation, returns to East Hampton with Mark Nadler following last year’s sold-out show “Nice Work if You Can Get It!” Their new show, “Hey, Old Friend! A Cabaret Jubilee,” is a mini Cabaret Convention that not only showcases their talents but also features two powerhouse performers: multi-award-winning legend Christine Pedi and the dazzling Stephanie Pope.
Pamela Morgan will take the stage on August 23. Morgan is a celebrated cabaret performer, lifestyle expert, and former high-end caterer with more than 25 years of experience in entertaining, cooking, and storytelling. Known for her warmth, wit, and effortless style, Pamela has built a career at the intersection of hospitality, media, and performance.
The season finale, featuring Tony Award-winning “A Chorus Line” star Donna McKechnie, will be held on August 29. Join McKechnie on an intimate journey through her remarkable career in the theatre, a heartfelt, personal reflection on a life dedicated to the arts. Through captivating stories, she shares and celebrates working alongside legendary artists such as Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon, Michael Bennett, Marvin Hamlisch, and Stephen Sondheim. This musical memoir features performances of iconic songs from many of the beloved shows she has graced, including “A Chorus Line,” “Sweet Charity,” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”