Wine, Music and a Wonderful World
On Thursday evening, Serge, Lisa, Lorin, and I went to The Lake House on Canandaigua Lake for ChamberFest’s A Night to Remember.
The evening combined a five-course dinner, Finger Lakes wines and live chamber music in the handsome timber framed barn perched at the edge of the lake on the resort.
ChamberFest Canandaigua brings accomplished chamber musicians to intimate venues throughout the Finger Lakes each summer.
The 2026 festival is its 22nd season. Led by artistic directors Amy Sue Barston and Audrey Andrist, its program includes traditional concerts as well as children’s performances, community events and evenings that combine music with food and wine.
The musicians for our dinner included harpist Bridget Kibbey, cellist Amy Sue Barston, pianist Audrey Andrist, violinist Katie Lansdale and violist Chiara.
The Lake House resort sits on the northern shore of Canandaigua Lake, surrounded by gardens, docks, sailboats and broad views down the water.
Canandaigua Lake stretches approximately 15½ miles from the City of Canandaigua toward Naples and reaches a maximum depth of about 276 feet. Its name is generally translated from the Seneca language as “the chosen spot.”
The Lake House is a familiar spot for us and we’ve hosted many family events there over the years. Mine and my sisters graduation parties. My parents 50th wedding Anniversary. My Dad’s 80th birthday dinner.
We arrived early enough to walk along the lakefront before dinner. Boats rested in the marina, kayaks were stacked near the shore and the late-day light settled over the gardens and water.
Dinner began at 6:30. Each of the five courses was accompanied by Finger Lakes wine and a live musical selection.
The tables were filled with menus, flowers and an impressive number of wine glasses. As the evening progressed, the musicians introduced the music and performed between courses. The format made the event feel more relaxed and personal than a conventional concert.
One of the courses was mushroom and ricotta agnolotti, presented almost like a small work of art. But the evening was less about identifying one best dish or performance than about noticing how the pieces worked together—the food, wine, music, conversation and lakeside setting.
I happened to sit beside Bridget Kibbey, the evening’s harpist. Bridget lives in New York City and was in Rochester teaching at the Eastman School of Music. Between performances, we talked about New York and our interest in eventually finding a pied-à-terre near The Cloisters.
She offered advice about the neighborhood and the realities of maintaining a small place in the city. It was an unexpected connection and one of the most memorable parts of the evening.
That conversation captured what made the ChamberFest format work so well. The musicians were not distant figures on a stage. They performed for us and then sat among us, sharing dinner and conversation.
The night ended with a surprise.
Lyrics were passed around the room, and the musicians led everyone in a sing-along of “What a Wonderful World.”
After five courses, several glasses of wine and an evening of classical music, the Event Barn became the setting for ChamberFest karaoke. Everyone joined in, providing a warm and joyful ending to the night.
For one evening, a dinner became a concert, a concert became a social gathering and a familiar view of Canandaigua Lake became the setting for something new.
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