Page 16 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2026

COAST NOTE
Gosia Leska, Matthew Atkinson, Rebekah Atkinson and Daniel Martinez
What began as a one-time, end-of-workshop celebration in
2012 for Don and Peggy Sprabery fostered a continuation of
classical music in their home. The music-loving couple and
their Oaklawn Concert Society will have their 100th concert
this season. The format has remained the same through the
years: guests bring wine and either an appetizer, side dish or
dessert. After a social period, everyone gathers in the living room
for a concert by professional musicians and dinner is served
afterwards. The membership subscription provides the main
course and renumeration for the musicians.
“It really happened by accident. My cello teacher asked if Don
and I would host a concert in our home following a workshop
taught by Daniel Martinez and several of his colleagues,” Peggy
Sprabery recalls. “He also asked if we could house the young
musicians during the workshop. We said yes, and before we knew
it, every bedroom in our house, as well as our guest cottage, was
filled with young musicians. We loved it!”
That one evening was the beginning of everything. “We had no
idea then that a single gathering would grow into something that
would become such an important part of our lives,” she says.
“The first concerts in our living room actually began under the
name Magnolia Chamber Concerts. From the very beginning,
there was something special about gathering in a home to hear
beautiful music. Friendships grew around the music.”
When the artistic director wanted to take the concerts out
of the home and move them to different Coast churches, the
Spraberys said no. “We had already discovered that what was
happening at Oaklawn was about much more than the music,”
Sprabery says. “Of course, the music was extraordinary and
always at the heart of the evening, but so were the visiting,
the camaraderie, the shared dinner, and the friendships that
developed among our guests and musicians. Taking the concerts
out of the home would have changed the very character of what
we had created.”
16 | November 2026 story by Lynn Lofton
photos courtesy of Peggy Sprabery
Thus, the Oaklawn Concert Society was born. Ben Hart is the
artistic director. Looking back after 100 concerts, the Spraberys
believe that decision defined everything Oaklawn Concert
Society would become. “Musicians have come into our living
room from all over the world, and many have become our
friends. Guests have become friends with one another. We have
shared beautiful music, wonderful meals, laughter, conversation,
and countless memories,” Peggy Spabery said.
The concerts may begin with music, but what has kept
Oaklawn Concert Society going all these years is something
even larger—a sense of community and belonging created
when people gather together in a home, she feels. “I think there
is something very special about hearing wonderful musicians
perform just a few feet away from you in someone’s living room.
It is intimate and personal, and the musicians and guests get
to know one another. The setting may feel fuller now, and the
history may be longer, but the experience is still rooted in the
same simple idea that started it all—opening our doors and
bringing people together through music. It makes my heart full.”
Dr. Jorge Gonzales and
Dr. Adonis Gonzales Ian Gonzales
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living