WindSync Settles In for a Residency on Shelter Island

Shelter Island Friends of Music will present acclaimed quintet WindSync in concert on Sunday, May 25, at 6 p.m. at the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church.

WindSync will kick off a weeklong residency on Shelter Island at the event, where they will perform music composed by Mozart, Viet Cuong, Nadia Boulanger and Philip Glass. A post-concert reception with the artists will follow the performance.

SIFM’s artistic director Richard Weinert calls WindSync, “very theatrical, with a tremendous sense of fun about them.” He’s known the group since they won the Concert Artists Guild Competition in 2012 when he was president of CAG.

“Unlike other chamber groups that often shuffled on stage, sat in front of their music stands, arranged their music and looked at each other before starting to play, WindSync bounded on stage and played,” Weinert said. “They memorized all their music and played standing up, so there were no music stands between them and the audience. They choreographed their movements around the stage, so there was constant visual interest as well as great music.”

Throughout the week, WindSync will play for Shelter Island and Sag Harbor elementary students and at informal concerts on Shelter Island at Mashomack Preserve and the Ram’s Head Inn. They will perform their version of “Peter and The Wolf” at CAST in Southold, complete with costumes and narration by bilingual actor Kevin Shea. WindSync will also perform for residents of Peconic Landing.

On May 26, after the Shelter Island Memorial Day parade and picnic, they’ll play while kids and adults “Make Art to Music,” with the support of well-known island artists.

All upcoming events are free and open to the public, except for the school performances.

“WindSync enjoys playing with each other, and it shows,” Weinert said. “They communicate with audiences very effectively, drawing the audience into their performances and creating an infectious sense of enjoyment. I think they will be a big hit on Shelter Island.”

WindSync performs on Sunday, May 25, at 6 p.m. at the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, 32 North Ferry Road (Route 114) on Shelter Island. The concert is free. For more information about Shelter Island Friends of Music, visit sifm.org.

Shelter Island Friends of Music is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the cultural life of Shelter Island and the East End of Long Island by presenting outstanding performances by renowned musicians for free. Through its concert series, the organization aims to inspire a love for classical music and support the next generation of performers. For more information, visit shelterislandfriendsofmusic.org.