Broadway’s Norm Lewis Opens The 2026 Season Of Hamptons Summer Songbook By The Sea At LTV Studios

Hamptons Summer Songbook By the Sea, the live concert series bringing leading Broadway and cabaret performers to LTV Studios, returned for its third season with the first of an eight-show summer lineup. The 2026 season opened 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, whose stage credits include “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess,” “Les Misérables,” “Ragtime,” and the title role in “The Phantom of the Opera,” headlined the season premiere in a rare East End appearance. The evening began with a summer reception featuring spirits from BottleHampton and passed hors d’oeuvres from East Hampton Kitchen before guests took their seats.

As part of the evening, series producers Donna Rubin and Josh Gladstone welcomed Jean Shafiroff to the stage as LTV Studios presented her with the 2026 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. Shafiroff, a philanthropist, author and television host, was recognized for her years-long support of LTV and the continued success of her program, “Successful Philanthropy,” which highlights charitable leadership and civic engagement.

Attendees included Donna Rubin, Josh Gladstone, Norm Lewis, Jean Shafiroff, Alex Donner, Joy Behar, Eleanor and Howard Morgan. The 2026 schedule continues with Ann Hampton Callaway on July 11.