“The trial of the century” comes to The Sembrich on Thursday, June 25th at 7 pm with “The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing: Evelyn Nesbit and the scandal, murder and trial of America’s Gilded Age” – a popular presentation with vintage photos by Betty Spinelli.

On June 25, 1906, Harry K. Thaw, a Pittsburgh millionaire and husband of the famous and glamorous Evelyn Nesbit, murdered Stanford White, America’s leading architect. The trial that followed was quickly dubbed “the trial of the century” as it mesmerized the public and helped close the curtains on America’s “Gilded Age.”

In 1943, Thaw purchased the Becker estate on Lake George, site today of the gatehouse “Villa Marie Antoinette” which is all that remains of the once-lavish property.

Betty Spinelli, Sembrich Board member, is active in local historical organizations and currently serves on the Board of Directors for both the FUND for Lake George and The Sembrich.

Tickets are $20. The evening concludes with a lakeside reception featuring a signature Sembrich cocktail inspired by the era.

The Marcella Sembrich Memorial Association, founded in 1940, honors international opera singer Marcella Sembrich at her former teaching studio and woodland retreat on Lake George.

In 2015, The Sembrich presents a series entitled “On Wings of Song, The Marriage of Music and Poetry,” with performances that feature words and music wed in a variety of mediums, from art song and opera to dramatic recitation and musical theater.

The Sembrich is located at 4800 Lake Shore Drive. For more information, visit www.thesembrich.org or contact The Sembrich at (518) 644-2431.

Photos: Above, Harry Kendall Thaw the killer of Stanford White and husband of Evelyn Nesbit; and below, Evelyn Nesbit by Gertrude Käsebier (1900).