The community room at the Byram Shubert Library reached capacity early on the evening of March 19, as families, students, and longtime residents gathered for the latest installment of the Ashforth Family Concert Series. By the 7 p.m. start time, every seat was filled, with additional attendees standing along the back wall, creating a setting defined by close attention and shared anticipation.
Presented free of charge through the support of Georgie and Henry A. Ashforth, the concert— America! A Celebration of Music and Song—continued a series designed to introduce children and families to live classical performance in an accessible, communitybased setting. The program’s one-hour format and intergenerational focus shaped both its structure and tone, with repertoire selected to engage listeners across a wide range of ages.
Violinist Darwin Shen, described in event materials as a “Byram favorite,” returned to lead the performance alongside fellow musicians. Shen, whose career has included appearances as a soloist and ensemble performer across the United States, brought a measured, communicative style to the evening. His
playing emphasized clarity of line and steady phrasing, well suited to the room’s acoustics.
The program drew from a cross-section of American composers, including George Gershwin, Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, and John Adams. Together, the selections traced a broad outline of American musical identity, moving between idioms shaped by jazz influence, theatrical energy, and contemporary compositional language. Shorter works and excerpts allowed for variety while maintaining continuity, aligning with the concert’s educational emphasis.
Between selections, Shen offered brief contextual remarks, introducing composers and highlighting musical themes. These interjections provided entry points for younger audience members while adding interpretive framing for adults, reinforcing the program’s instructional dimension without interrupting its pacing.
Soprano Krista Adams Santilli joined as a featured guest artist, contributing a vocal component that expanded the program’s range. Her selections, drawn from film and Broadway repertoire, introduced text and narrative into the program, shifting the audience’s focus from instrumental texture to lyrical expression. Familiar melodies prompted visible recognition among audience members, particularly younger listeners.
The alternating structure of instrumental and vocal works contributed to the program’s momentum, maintaining engagement across the hour. Applause between pieces came readily, with younger attendees responding alongside adults, creating a participatory atmosphere shaped by the setting.
The Byram Shubert Library, a branch of the Greenwich Library system and a longstanding civic space in the neighborhood, played a central role in the evening’s character. The community room’s scale placed performers and audience in close proximity, allowing details of technique and expression to remain visible throughout the performance.
The Ashforth Concert Series has continued in this format as a means of bringing professional musicians into a local, familiar setting. Within that framework, the March 19 concert drew a full audience and sustained attention across generations, with children encountering live performance alongside adults who returned to the series year after year
