Harp performancing during Holiday Touring hours at Staatsburgh State Historic site

STAATSBURG — On three Saturdays in December, Staatsburgh State Historic Site will present performances of period music, performed by harpist Elysia Roman. Set amidst the historic rooms, decorated for the holidays, Ms. Roman’s performances are not formal concerts, but are meant to be enjoyed as visitors tour the house. Roman will perform holiday songs that are now classics but were brand new during the Gilded Age like What Child Is This? (1865) and Away in a Manger (1882), along with elegant classical music from the same period including Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune (1890) and Jean Sibelius’s Finlandia (1899). The performances are included in the price of site admission: $8/adults; $6/seniors and students with an ID; and children 12 and under are free.

Before studying harp at the collegiate level, Elysia Roman performed many times at Carnegie Hall and Ozawa Hall, among many other famous concert halls. She toured Asia with an orchestral ensemble in 2012 and performed that same year at the World Harp Congress. Beginning studies at the age of nine, Elysia has maintained an attitude of excellence, passion and dedication throughout her musical studies and professional career. Her full sound and expert tone production can fill cathedrals and historic mansions alike.

The Gilded Age (1865-1913) was a time when Americans wanted the best of everything, from the finest Italian marble - to the best European music - to uniquely American inventions. Music of the Gilded Age is a project developed by Dr. Christopher Brellochs, Academy of Music Chair at Dutchess Community College, in which authentic music from this time is performed in beautiful mansions where it would have originally been heard. Ms. Roman’s performances are being presented by The Friends of Mills at Staatsburgh, the volunteer support group for Staatsburgh.

Staatsburgh was the Gilded Age country estate of financer and philanthropist Ogden Mills and his wife, Ruth Livingston Mills, a prominent figure in New York Society. Their stately home, overlooking the Hudson River in the hamlet of Staatsburg, was redesigned and expanded to 79 rooms in 1895 by the famous architect Stanford White, and still contains the family’s original furniture, art and décor. The mansion is set within Mills Memorial State Park, overlooking the Hudson River, just north of Hyde Park.

A Gilded Age Christmas, featuring lavish decorations in a Gilded Age mansion, is presented by Staatsburgh from late November through New Year’s Eve. The decorations are done in turn-of-the-century style, recreating the atmosphere of holidays long-ago at one of the great estates of the Hudson Valley.

Staatsburgh will open for the holiday season on Friday, November 29. Touring hours will be Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through December 31. Additional open hours include special evening hours on Friday December 20, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m; and December 30 and 31 (Monday and Tuesday) from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. The site will be closed December 23-25. Admission is $8 per person; $6 for seniors and students; children age 12 and younger are free. The mansion’s gift shop offers many wonderful gift items for holiday shopping, and is open whenever the site is open.

“We have many special holiday craft and kids programs during A Gilded Age Christmas,” says Malcolm, “including during school vacation. Our Facebook page has listings for all events and programs: www.facebook.com/StaatsburghSHS”

Staatsburgh State Historic Site and the Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills Memorial State Park are located on Old Post Road in Staatsburg, off Route 9 between Rhinebeck and Hyde Park. The historic site is one of 6 sites and 15 parks administered by the Taconic Region of New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. For more information, call 845-889-8851, or visit Staatsburgh’s websites at https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/25/details.aspx and www.facebook.com/StaatsburghSHS Staatsburgh’s events are also listed at https://parks.ny.gov/events/event-results.aspx?hs=25

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, which are visited by 74 million people annually. A recent study found that New York State Parks generates $5 billion in park and visitor spending, which supports nearly 54,000 jobs. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit http://www.parks.ny.gov/, connect with us on Facebook, or follow on Instagram and Twitter.