‘Extremely exploratory’ young trio to perform at Grey Towers

“We are returning to our birthplace 20 years ago!” says the invite from Kindred Spirits Arts Program.

Their next offering — after their borough-wide classical music blowout this weekend — is “American in Paris,” a performance by Empire Wild at Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford. Seating is limited to 70 at this venue, so be sure to get your tickets asap.

Empire Wild’s “extremely exploratory” young trio — two cellists and a guitarist — brings to life original arrangements with a passion for finding common threads among disparate genres. This genre-bending, crossover trio was founded by Ken Kubota, Brandon Ilaw, and Mitch Lyon.

From singing along to Cole Porter to Debussy’s charming Suite Bergamasque, they will lead listeners on a musical magic trip in the exquisite setting of former Gov. Gifford Pinchot’s estate.

All classically trained, the three musicians met at Juilliard and formed Empire Wild as a vehicle for their love of musical exploration, fusing the sounds of pop, folk, Broadway and more into their songwriting and composition.

Empire Wild was selected as an Ambassador Prize winner in the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and has spent this socially distant year working to reach out to audiences on social media and workshopping material for their next album.

Their performance will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 21. Registration is required via email to kindredspir@yahoo.com. To assure your seat (preferred seating), consider making a donation ($30+ per person) on Eventbrite.

For more information, call 570-409 1269 or visit kindredspiritsarts.org.

For more information about the trio, visit empirewild.com.

For more about Kindred Spirits’ annual Classical Music Celebration this weekend, see last week’s story “Hear ‘astonishing variety’ of classical music while walking around Milford” at pikecountycourier.com.