Millionaires’ Row, the corridor of summer mansions built along Lake George’s west shore in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, could just as easily have been nicknamed Music Row.
Almost every other cottage was the home of a famous musician, or hosted concerts and recitals in music rooms, on verandas and on the broad lawns sweeping down to the lake.
“Music is a great Lake George tradition, one that the Sembrich carries on today with its acclaimed concerts in the studio on the lake,” said Jane Neill Caldwell, a member of the Sembrich’s board of directors.
To honor that tradition and to support the Sembrich’s concert programs, the Bixby family will host “Sembrich in September” at the family’s Mohican Point estate, said Caldwell, the chair of the committee organizing the event.
“Frances Caldwell and Bo Hawkins, who both passed away this year, were enthusiastic supporters of the Sembrich, and this event is also a tribute to them,” said Caldwell, the daughter-in-law of Frances Caldwell.
Frances Caldwell and Bo Hawkins were grand daughters of W.K. Bixby, for whom the the house on Mohican Point was built in 1902.
“Sembrich in September: An Evening of Music and Merriment on Mohican Point” will be held on September 18 from 5:30 pm to 8 pm.
Tickets are $100 per person and may be purchased from the Sembrich by calling 644-2431.
According to Cheryl Lamb, another member of the committee, music will greet guests when they arrive at the mansion’s south portico and musicians will perform at intervals throughout the evening at a variety of locations on the grounds.
The event, which will be catered by Monahan and Chase, includes a silent auction, and among the items to be auctioned include a two hour dinner cruise for eight aboard the St. Louis, W.K. Bixby’s 1902, 36 ft electric launch.
A champagne and hors d’oeuvres party for six on Sembrich Point and gift baskets from specialty shops will also be offered.
The Hyperion String Quartet, the nationally acclaimed quartet based in Saratoga, will be among the groups performing during the event.
“Sembrich in September is an opportunity for everyone who’s come to appreciate the outstanding concert series presented by the Sembrich every summer to support the programs and ensure they continue,” said Caldwell. “But the event is also an opportunity to introduce the Sembrich to people who may be unfamiliar with the concerts, the museum and the story of this historic site.”
According to Richard Wargo, the Sembrich’s artistic director and a member of the committee, Marcella Sembrich was an internationally known Polish soprano who first sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera in its initial season in 1883. She retired in 1909 and sang concert tours until 1917. She gained preeminence as a vocal teacher at Curtis Institute and Juilliard School, and summered in the Adirondack Mountains at Lake Placid from 1915 to 1921 and here on Lake George from 1922 to 1934.
Her teaching studio, built in 1924, was the focal point of her summers at her lakeside mansion, Bay View. Here, Juilliard and Curtis Institute vocal students sought instruction by the acclaimed Sembrich.
Cheryl Lamb, a member of the committee, said the event was also a rare opportunity for the public to see the Bixby mansion.
“It’s a Lake George landmark that everyone knows and which visitors find magical. There’s a bit of mystery to the estate,” said Lamb.
Serving with Caldwell, Lamb and Wargo on the organizing committee are Sembrich board members Rebecca Smith, Lisa H. Hall and Phil Kates.

Millionaires’ Row, the corridor of summer mansions built along Lake George’s west shore in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, could just as easily have been nicknamed Music Row.
Almost every other cottage was the home of a famous musician, or hosted concerts and recitals in music rooms, on verandas and on the broad lawns sweeping down to the lake.
“Music is a great Lake George tradition, one that the Sembrich carries on today with its acclaimed concerts in the studio on the lake,” said Jane Neill Caldwell, a member of the Sembrich’s board of directors.
To honor that tradition and to support the Sembrich’s concert programs, the Bixby family will host “Sembrich in September” at the family’s Mohican Point estate, said Caldwell, the chair of the committee organizing the event.
“Frances Caldwell and Bo Hawkins, who both passed away this year, were enthusiastic supporters of the Sembrich, and this event is also a tribute to them,” said Caldwell, the daughter-in-law of Frances Caldwell.
Frances Caldwell and Bo Hawkins were grand daughters of W.K. Bixby, for whom the the house on Mohican Point was built in 1902.
“Sembrich in September: An Evening of Music and Merriment on Mohican Point” will be held on September 18 from 5:30 pm to 8 pm.
Tickets are $100 per person and may be purchased from the Sembrich by calling 644-2431.
According to Cheryl Lamb, another member of the committee, music will greet guests when they arrive at the mansion’s south portico and musicians will perform at intervals throughout the evening at a variety of locations on the grounds.
The event, which will be catered by Monahan and Chase, includes a silent auction, and among the items to be auctioned include a two hour dinner cruise for eight aboard the St. Louis, W.K. Bixby’s 1902, 36 ft electric launch.
A champagne and hors d’oeuvres party for six on Sembrich Point and gift baskets from specialty shops will also be offered.
The Hyperion String Quartet, the nationally acclaimed quartet based in Saratoga, will be among the groups performing during the event.
“Sembrich in September is an opportunity for everyone who’s come to appreciate the outstanding concert series presented by the Sembrich every summer to support the programs and ensure they continue,” said Caldwell. “But the event is also an opportunity to introduce the Sembrich to people who may be unfamiliar with the concerts, the museum and the story of this historic site.”
According to Richard Wargo, the Sembrich’s artistic director and a member of the committee, Marcella Sembrich was an internationally known Polish soprano who first sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera in its initial season in 1883. She retired in 1909 and sang concert tours until 1917. She gained preeminence as a vocal teacher at Curtis Institute and Juilliard School, and summered in the Adirondack Mountains at Lake Placid from 1915 to 1921 and here on Lake George from 1922 to 1934.
Her teaching studio, built in 1924, was the focal point of her summers at her lakeside mansion, Bay View. Here, Juilliard and Curtis Institute vocal students sought instruction by the acclaimed Sembrich.
Cheryl Lamb, a member of the committee, said the event was also a rare opportunity for the public to see the Bixby mansion.
“It’s a Lake George landmark that everyone knows and which visitors find magical. There’s a bit of mystery to the estate,” said Lamb.
Serving with Caldwell, Lamb and Wargo on the organizing committee are Sembrich board members Rebecca Smith, Lisa H. Hall and Phil Kates.