Apart from its continuously impressive rotation of artist exhibitions during the summer months, perhaps one of the greatest draws of the Arts Center at Duck Creek is its live music series.
For years, the nonprofit has hosted easily accessible, extremely affordable (and almost always free) live musical performances, an effort spearheaded by the organization’s music curator and Sag Harbor-based musician Peter Watrous, along with executive director Jess Frost. And while Duck Creek shuts down during the winter months, Frost and Watrous wanted to keep their thriving music scene alive, launching a mini winter music series at Sagaponack Farm Distillery (369 Sagg Road, Sagaponack, 631-537-7300).
“I live in Sag Harbor, and I play mostly in New York, and I was kind of tired of going back and forth, and I thought I’d get some work out here,” Watrous says. “And so I played at the distillery a couple times, and I played at the Green Room at the Sag Harbor Cinema, and it was really fun, because there were so many people I knew, and it was winter, and there wasn’t much to do, but it was just really nice to sort of be in a fun space playing music casually for friends.”
So far, there have been two other shows at the distillery: just before Christmas, Watrous performed on guitar, along with Chaz Martineau on saxophones, Charlie Lincoln on bass, and Willis Edmundson on drums. This past Sunday, guitarist Emmanuel Michael blended jazz, soul, and West African rhythms in a sold-out, collaborative performance with bassist Jayla Chee and vocalist Kate Kortum.
Led by Duck Creek music curator Peter Watrous, the mini music series at Sagaponack Farm Distillery is a community-driven, collaborative effort to provide live music during the off-season to benefit Duck Creek. (Right photo by Doug Young, left photo courtesy of Iris Ornig)
The final concert in the mini series is on Sunday, Jan. 25, featuring Argentinian-born, New York City-based tenor saxophonist, composer and bandleader Julieta Eugenio. Known for her warm tone and thoughtful improvisation, she moved from Buenos Aires to the U.S. in 2013, earned her master’s at Queens College, and quickly became a standout on the NYC jazz scene, according to a press release from Duck Creek. Her trio’s debut, JUMP (Greenleaf Music, 2022), won the DCJazzPrix International Band Competition. Eugenio has performed with Johnny O’Neal, Leon Parker, and the touring production SW!NG OUT, and has appeared at Dizzy’s Club, SummerStage, and the Joyce Theater. She was nominated for Best New Artist at the Jazz Music Awards and named one of GRAMMY Magazine’s “10 Jazz Emerging Artists to Watch.”
Tickets to Eugenio’s show are $20 per person. All proceeds support Duck Creek’s programming for the upcoming 2026 season. The performance will be in the distillery’s tasting room, beginning at 3 p.m. and running until 5.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of what Marilee and Dean [Foster] are doing,” Frost says of the distillery’s owners, “keeping that family farm going, and being creative and resourceful about how they do that. Plus, [farm director] Suzannah Wainhouse is a great painter and a lovely person. I particularly felt very aligned with their values. They try and do events and things like that that are really community based.”
Full Wainhouse, the feeling is mutual. “Sagaponack Farm Distillery was thrilled to partner with Jess and Duck Creek,” she says. “We hope to do more with them this summer on a larger scale outdoors.”
