Stepping Out

An evening with Tommy Emmanuel

The guitar master brings his unrivaled passion to his beloved instrument

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In Concert

Tommy Emmanuel
Australian acoustic guitarist Tommy Emmanuel heats up Long Island’s summer concert season. A noted fingerstyle guitarist, Emmanuel frequently threads three different parts simultaneously into his material, operating as a one-man band who handles the melody, the supporting chords and the bass all at once. His talents, which translate in any language, carry him to the far corners of the globe, but Emmanuel never plays the same show twice, and he improvises big chunks of every performance. Give a listen to “Old Photographs,” the closing track on Emmanuel’s “It’s Never Too Late” album, and you’ll hear the distinctive squeak of finger noise as he runs his hands across the frets of his Maton Signature TE guitar. Many musicians would edit those imperfections out, but to Emmanuel, those imperfections are perfect. “It’s all about the feeling of the music,” according to Emmanuel, “and it has to make me feel something.”
Friday, Aug. 4, 8 p.m. $65, $50, $40. Landmark on Main Street, Jeanne Rimsky Theater, 232 Main St., Port Washington. 767-6444 or www.landmarkonmainstreet.org.

Sounds of the Season

Beech Tree Concert Series
Enjoy the glorious grounds of Old Westbury Gardens and listen to some stirring sounds, at the final Beech Tree Concert of the season. Artist-in-residence cellist Suzanne Mueller performs with her trio Cross Island, featuring pianist Elinor Abrams Zyas and their new collaborator violinist Beryl Diamond Chacon. The program features duets and trios seamlessly blending beloved favorites and new discoveries from a broad range of centuries, genres, and styles — including works by Richard Rodney Bennett, Paquito D’Rivera, Antonin Dvorak, Gabriel Faure, Reinhold Gliere, Andreas van Haren, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Mark McCarron, Astor Piazzolla, and Franz Schubert. Bring your lawn chair or blanket and settle in for a relaxing afternoon under the Gardens’ historic beech tree, weather permitting.
Sunday, Aug. 6, 3 p.m. Free with Gardens’ admission. Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. (516) 333-0048 or www.oldwestburygardens.org.