‘When Nature Calls’ Concert Comes to Huntington Summer Arts Festival

A truly stunning array of world class classical and contemporary musicians took to the Chapin Rainbow Stage in Heckscher Park last week.

When Nature Calls was a true tour de force, with a spectacular rendition of the Queen of the Night Aria from the Magic Flute performed by Teddy Siegel, Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G Minor performed by Keyi Wang, and Rhapsody in Blue by Maxim Lando, amongst other pieces.

The show was presented as a joint collaboration between the Huntington Summer Arts Festival and the Oyster Bay Music Festival.

The inspiration for the show’s name and bathroom theme came from Teddy Siegel’s Tiktok and Instagram account @got2gonyc. In 2021, she founded the page, which shares tips and reviews on accessible bathrooms in New York, after struggling to find a free bathroom in Times Square. She created a collaborative Google Maps list for people to share bathroom updates.

Siegel’s education isn’t in public policy or government, rather opera singing. When Nature Calls is her fourth performance at the Oyster Bay Music Festival and it represents a confluence of her musical and activist passions. “Often musicians feel like they can’t do more than one thing or if they’re dividing their time then they’re not going to be taken as serious musicians.” Siegel commented. This show was meant to be a testament to how these passions can coexist.

The allusions to the water closet were blunt and restricted mostly to replacing the piano seat with a toilet and asking performers for their awkward and funny bathroom stories. Next to gorgeous renditions of La Pavane with pianist Maxim Lando and standing bass player Marc André or the haunting notes of The Sound of Music performed by Siegel, it felt out of place. But that was sort of the point.

“I want us to get comfortable, being a bit uncomfortable” Siegel told the audience at the beginning of the show. “When you go on stage, you’re supposed to be a musician. Putting a toilet on a stage and having us all share our stories breaks the fourth wall.” Siegel explained. It was charming to see how the musicians joked on stage, shared inside nicknames, and awkwardly dipped a toe in standup comedy during intermissions. It provided a welcoming feel to the performance while the caliber of the music would typically dictate a black tie and silent concert hall.

Photo:  Maxim Lando, Teddy Siegel, and Toby Bradford performing ‘Tonight’ from A West Side story