The Morgan Park Summer Music Festival was launched 66 years ago by Glen Cove’s then-Mayor Joseph Suozzi and his wife, Marguerite, parents of U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi. Back then, the festival was a one-night-only concert in Morgan Park. Now over six decades later, the music series premiers every Sunday from July through August.
“This has always been a big part of my life,” said Tom Suozzi, the chairman of the event. Suozzi became chairman in 2015, when his mother retired from the position after more than 40 years.
The concert series is held weekly on Sundays at 7 p.m. in Morgan Memorial Park in Glen Cove. In recent years, Suozzi said there has been a more consistent and bigger turnout, with concertgoers coming from all over Long Island.
Suozzi said this summer is “going to be a great season,” with different genres and performers coming each week.
To start this season, Richie Cannata and The Lords of 52nd Street headlined on July 6, performing the music of Billy Joel. Later this summer, music genres will range from Broadway’s Gershwin and Bernstein to Gloria Estefan to Taylor Swift.
“We try to do all different types of things,” Suozzi said.
On July 6, the event had a “really exciting kickoff,” which celebrated Glen Cove’s county championship softball team and presented three students with a $1,500 scholarship each for music-related studies. Before Cannata took the stage, attendees saw performances from the Glen Cove Select Chorale, a high school ensemble that performed in London this spring, and Shye Roberts, a city native who earned runner-up on The Voice last year.
Throughout the the festival’s history, its mission has remained the same: to bring high-quality entertainment to the local level.
“How can we provide this cultural experience to people that can’t necessarily afford to go into New York City to Broadway or something?” Suozzi said.
Suozzi said the festival is put on entirely through donations and is overseen by a team of volunteers. He said the festival receives help from the City of Glen Cove and from the police department, among others.
“It’s just a great team effort of a lot of people,” he said.
Because the series is put on through private, individual and corporate donations, Suozzi said it’s at no expense for the city’s residents.
“It’s all done without taxpayer money,” Suozzi said.
For more information on this summer’s festival line-up, visit morganparkmusic.org.
