The Caramoor estate became a centre for the arts and music following the World War II death of the son of its owners, Walter and Lucie Rosen.
The couple donated the property in their son's memory, and it quickly became an established summer festival.
Performances are given in the Spanish Courtyard of the house and in the 1,700-seat Venetian Theater, a tented facility on the grounds.
Semi-staged performances of such rarities (for the New York area) as Rossini's Otello and Donizetti's Elisabetta (the manuscript of which was discovered and then reconstructed by Crutchfield).
Included are concerts by the Orchestra of St. Luke's, string quartets, various soloists, and a day-long jazz and roots festival.