Singer Jenni Muldaur brought a party to Guild Hall for the holiday weekend, doing duets with performers who she’s assured the stellar crowd,are really truly her friends. What a night: the Wainrights, father and son, Loudon the 3^rd, and Rufus, plus Teddy Thompson, and Isaac Mizrahi who joined in—briefly– for Leonard Cohen’s “Halleluliah!” We were witnessing music dynasties performing country, rock, iconic American music genres. I loved Jenni on the harmonica, covering Bo Diddley and Dylan, and the opening act, the ukulele stylings of Patty Marx and Roz Chast. This hilarious duet proves: it takes a special kind of chops to make music that off so funny.

The weekend before, Brian Cox, Emily Bergl, Vincent Piazza and many more heard the Siren call: Passion knows no bounds in the world of letters. Cedering Fox brought her gang of ardent thespians to Guild Hall for this year’s Wordtheater, to try something new. Usually the readings come from the pages of the Pushcart Prize. If you can have only one book, when you are stranded on that island, this collection would suffice, she says. For this year, she created readings from the love letters of famed authors. John Steinbeck wanted to relieve Elaine Scott of her urban life of sin and debauchery, urging her to join him for the rural life, but bring a little sin along for the ride.

Vincent Piazza drove cross-country to be here, heart aflame after a recent breakup. Brian Cox left rehearsal in town; he’s playing LBJ in the upcoming Broadway show, The Great Society. And Emily Bergl, so good on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, sang her heart out in dedication to Wordtheater’s educational mission, promoting empathy through theatrical presentations of great literature in schools. Bravo.

Bryan Adams brought his band to the Parrish Art Museum, the site of Mike Milken's prostrate cancer benefit. The tony crowd rocked out at the swank party against the night sky, after cancer survivors told their moving stories. The yearly event shows the best of the de luxe Hamptons giving back.