Billy Stritch and Klea Blackhurst (Photo Credit: Hamptons Summer Songbook by the Sea)
Klea Blackhurst and Billy Stritch Flyer (Photo Credit: Hamptons Summer Songbook by the Sea)
The Wainscott concert continues the series’ third season with an evening of Broadway, cabaret and Great American Songbook favorites
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, July 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The live concert series Hamptons Summer Songbook by the Sea, which brings top-tier Broadway, cabaret, and American Songbook artists to the East End, is moving ahead with its third season. On Saturday, July 18th, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., Klea Blackhurst and Billy Stritch will take the stage at LTV Studios in Wainscott for “Dreaming of a Song: The Music of Hoagy Carmichael.”
This single-night event unites two formidable performers in a widely praised show that honors Hoagy Carmichael, one of America’s most beloved composers. Carmichael—a pianist, singer, actor, bandleader, and songwriter—helped define 20th-century American popular music with classics such as “Skylark,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “Heart and Soul,” and “Stardust.”
Originally conceived as the first joint artistic venture between Blackhurst and Stritch, “Dreaming of a Song” explores Carmichael’s body of work with elegance, warmth, and theatricality. The setlist ranges from well-known favorites to more obscure pieces, among them “Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief,” “My Resistance Is Low,” and “Walk It Off,” while providing each performer chances to shine individually and in duets that showcase Carmichael’s stylistic breadth.
Blackhurst delivers a lively Broadway energy to the evening, balanced by Stritch’s smooth vocals and polished musicianship. Together, they present what has been called a “remarkably entertaining show with all the Heart and Soul of the legendary composer himself,” and Cabaret Scenes noted the duo are “as compatible as caviar and champagne.”
A seasoned artist who has appeared at venues such as The London Palladium, Carnegie Hall, The Royal Albert Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Cafe Carlyle, and The Bluebird Cafe, Blackhurst has headlined productions including “Hello, Dolly!” at Goodspeed Musicals and “Gypsy” at Drury Lane in Chicago. Her Off-Broadway credits comprise “Party Face,” “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” “Bingo,” “Radio Gals,” and “Oil City Symphony.”
Stritch, a pianist and vocalist who has been a staple of the New York and national club scene for close to forty years, is most recognized for his quarter-century tenure as musical director for Liza Minnelli. He has also fulfilled that role for Marilyn Maye, Linda Lavin, Melissa Manchester, and Tony Bennett, and serves as bandleader for “Jim Caruso’s Cast Party” at Birdland.
The July 18th performance carries forward the essence of Hamptons Summer Songbook by the Sea, which pairs world-class entertainers with LTV Studios’ intimate black-box environment, café-style seating, exceptional acoustics, and a close-up concert atmosphere designed for storytelling, connection, and refined summer entertainment.
The 2026 season continues with David Alpern hosting Maria Abous and Eric Yves Garcia in a program dedicated to Lorenz Hart on July 25th; “A Swell-egant, Elegant Party,” hosted by Laurence Maslon and starring Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano, on August 1st; KT Sullivan and Mark Nadler joined by Stephanie Pope and Christine Pedi in a show co-sponsored by the Mabel Mercer Foundation on August 22nd; and a season finale with Tony Award-winning “A Chorus Line” star Donna McKechnie on August 29th.
About Hamptons Summer Songbook By The Sea:
LTV Studios in East Hampton presents a concert series that brings world-class cabaret and Broadway talent to the East End. Produced by Donna Rubin and LTV’s Creative Director Josh Gladstone, this distinctive musical experience converts LTV’s industrial-chic television studio into an intimate performance space featuring state-of-the-art lighting, superb acoustics, café-style seating, modular staging, and a stunning Baby Grand piano. The Songbook series provides a front-row seat to legendary music, interpreted by today’s finest artists in an up-close, unforgettable setting. Whether you are coming off the beach or looking for an evening of sophisticated song, Hamptons Summer Songbook by the Sea is your new go-to destination for live music in the Hamptons.
LTV is a tax-exempt 501c(3) organization and donations are deductible as defined by IRS regulations.
For more information, please visit: www.ltveh.org
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About Klea Blackhurst:
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. She’s brought her brand of comedy to the development of many new works, notably the world premiere of Hazel directed by Lucie Arnaz, The Nutty Professor, directed by Jerry Lewis, Dolly: A True Original Musical, and Elephant Shoes. Off-Broadway credits include Party Face, opposite Hayley Mills; A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Bingo, Radio Gals, Oil City Symphony. Other credits: Ragtime with the Boston Pops, Show Boat with Glimmerglass Opera, Into the Woods with Opera North and Chicago at Pioneer Theatre Company in her hometown of Salt Lake City. Klea is a distinguished Alumna of the University of Utah.
For more information, please visit: www.kleablackhurst.com
About Billy Stritch:
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. He was recently named the Outstanding Musical Director for the fifth time by the readers of Broadway World and his 2022 solo engagement at New York’s famed Birdland Jazz Club was voted Vocal Jazz Engagement of the year. Billy is the bandleader for “Jim Caruso’s Cast Party” every Monday night at Birdland and the twosome also have a long-running Sunday night residency at Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel.
Follow Billy on www.billystritch.com and Instagram: @billystritch
Norah Lawlor
Lawlor Media Group, Inc.
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