The Lumina Arts Concert Series at Union Church of Pocantico Hills has announced its 2026/27 season, an intimate seven-concert series bringing distinguished classical and jazz musicians to one of Westchester’s most beautiful and historic settings. Led by Music Director Katia Kravitz, the season features performances by Grammy Award-winning violinist and MacArthur Fellow Johnny Gandelsman, pianist and longtime Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett collaborator Alex Smith, rising Swiss pianist Nicolas Salloum, organist Eddie Zheng, pianist Irina Nuzova, and musicians from the SUNY Purchase Music Conservatory. The series opens and closes with benefit concerts supporting music education and the musical life of Union Church.
“As Music Director, I am delighted to bring the Lumina Arts Music Series to our community. We present established, Grammy Award-winning musicians alongside outstanding emerging artists, offering a rich variety of concerts—from chamber music, solo performances, and choir to jazz. We believe in creating opportunities for the next generation of musicians while celebrating the beauty and diversity of live music and supporting meaningful causes through benefit concerts,” said Kravitz.
Presented on Sunday afternoons from September 2026 through May 2027, the season ranges from Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Chopin, and Handel to jazz and chamber music. The concerts offer audiences the opportunity to hear exceptional musicians in the close, resonant setting of Union Church, home to celebrated stained-glass windows by Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall.
Tickets for all shows are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Tickets for all concerts are available at https://lumina-arts-union-church-of-pocantico-hill.square.site/.
SUN, SEP 27, 2026, 3 PM
Benefit Concert to Support Young Musicians
A Special Jazz Performance by Musicians from the SUNY Purchase Music Conservatory
All proceeds provide music lessons for talented students from Sleepy Hollow High School through the MusicWorks program. MusicWorks provides one-on-one instruction to talented, low-income students who have demonstrated both ability and determination. Building on a program created by Sleepy Hollow High School, Union Church of Pocantico Hills is proud to help expand access so that more students can benefit.
Your support makes it possible for current students to continue their training and opens the door for a new group of young musicians who are ready to do the work, if only they are given the chance.
SUN, OCT 18, 2026, 3 PM
Nicolas Salloum, piano
Bach, Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin
Up-and-coming Swiss pianist Nicolas Salloum won the First Prize, the Audience Prize, the Prize for the Youngest Finalist, and the Prize for the Best Performance of a Beethoven Sonata at the 2025 Alessandro Casagrande International Competition in Terni—the only competitor in the history of the competition to have received all the special awards. He has performed on prestigious stages and at major international festivals, including Carnegie Hall, the Tbilisi Conservatoire, the Beiteddine Art Festival, Piano à Saint-Ursanne, Lavaux Classic, and the Gstaad Menuhin Festival.
He is currently a doctoral candidate at NYU Steinhardt under Eteri Andjaparidze, with whom he also studied at the Mannes School of Music.
SUN, NOV 15, 2026, 3 PM
Johnny Gandelsman, violin
Bach solo recital
Grammy Award-winning violinist and 2024 MacArthur Fellow Johnny Gandelsman brings his searching, deeply personal Bach to our community. Called “a violinist who can do anything,” Gandelsman is a founding member of Brooklyn Rider and a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble. His acclaimed recording of Bach’s solo violin works reached No. 1 on the Billboard classical chart.
SUN, DEC 13, 2026, 3 PM
Handel’s Messiah
Highlights
Katia Kravitz, music director
Eddie Zheng, organ
Soloists to be announced
After his sold-out 2024 performance, rising star organist Eddie Zheng returns to Union Church with highlights from Handel’s Messiah in his own brilliant organ adaptation. Named to The Diapason’s “20 under 30” and hailed by the American Guild of Organists, Zheng brings this beloved Christmas music vividly to life with special guest soloists and our volunteer choir, with music director Katia Kravitz. We warmly invite the audience to join us in singing the choruses — music will be provided for everyone!
SUN, FEB 14, 2027, 3 PM
Alex Smith Jazz Quartet
Spend your Valentine’s Day afternoon with Grammy Award-winning pianist and bandleader Alex Smith, joined by close musical collaborators for an intimate jazz concert at Union Church. Best known for his long collaboration with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, including their Grammy-winning album Cheek to Cheek, Smith brings warmth, swing, and deep musical ease to an afternoon made for great songs.
SUN, MAR 14, 2027, 3 PM
Chamber Music at Union Church
Irina Nuzova, piano
Additional artists to be announced
Beethoven, Brahms, Rota
Pianist and educator Irina Nuzova has performed throughout the United States and Europe at such distinguished venues as the Phillips Collection and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC; Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, and Bargemusic in New York City; and Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. An acclaimed chamber musician, she has collaborated with the Aviv and Attacca String Quartets, the Calefax Reed Quintet, and many celebrated string players. For this afternoon’s concert, Dr Nuzova and fellow artists perform works by Beethoven, Brahms, and Rota.
SUN, MAY 16, 2027, 3 PM
Benefit Concert Supporting The Lumina Arts Music Program at Union Church of Pocantico Hills
Musicians of Union Church of Pocantico Hills
Katia Kravitz, music director /piano
Pastor Patricia Calahan, violin
Additional artists to be announced
Join us for a joyful afternoon of music celebrating the artists who have become such an important part of the Union Church community. This season-closing benefit brings together the church’s music director, pastor, and favorite professional musicians for a program filled with warmth, artistry, and shared connection. Proceeds support the Lumina Arts Music Program and help sustain the concerts and musical experiences that enrich life at Union Church throughout the year.
