'The Free Life,' the Rock Opera

LTV Studios will host “The Free Life,” a new rock opera composed by Dan Koontz, on Thursday, September 21, at 7 p.m. The event is being held to honor Malcolm Brighton, Rodney Anderson and Pamela Brown who were the first balloonists to attempt crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The trio took off from Springs in East Hampton on September 20, 1970 with hundreds of well-wishers gathered to send them off on their record-setting journey.

But it was not to be. Some 32 hours later, the giant balloon went down in a storm off the coast of Newfoundland. The Free Life and its youthful crew were never found. This September marks the 53rd anniversary of the ill-fated voyage.

Composer Dan Koontz has been fascinated by the story of The Free Life ever since he first came across it a decade ago. A keyboardist and guitarist, Koontz has been making music on the East End since 1995. He plays with the Hoodoo Loungers and with his own family band Edna’s Kin, and appears frequently with several other East End performers. Fluent in a wide range of musical styles, Koontz holds degrees in music from both the Eastman School and from Stony Brook University and has been a church organist for over 25 years. He has written music for symphony orchestras and for funk bands, and he even plays tuba in the Sag Harbor Community Band. For this special performance, Koontz will be joined onstage by James Bernard, Sue Conklin, Fred Glide, Sara Mundy, Bruce Beyer and Steve Shaughessy, among other professional musicians, including his brother, Andrew Koontz, on violin.

For more information, visit ltveh.org or call 631-537-2777. To purchase tickets, text LTVFREELIFE to 41444. LTV Studios is at 75 Industrial Road in Wainscott.