Jazz in July In-person Concerts!

Join NEA Jazz Master and five-time Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves, two-time Grammy winner Kurt Elling and Jazz in July artistic director Bill Charlap for two sensational concerts as all three return to the NYC stage for the very first time! They perform standards, including “Skylark,” “More Than You Know,” “My Foolish Heart,” “September in the Rain” and others by Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and more.
 
In or around NYC? Join us in person, grab a drink at the bar, and experience the thrill of live jazz again! Or join us by livestream from wherever you are. Either way don't miss the chance to be part of NYC’s most celebrated summer festival!
 
Concert livestreams available for 72 hours from time of broadcast.

Tuesday, Jul 20, 7:30 pm ET
Kurt Elling & Bill Charlap: Standard Time
PURCHASE TICKETS
 
Tuesday, Jul 27, 7:30 pm ET
Dianne Reeves Meets the Bill Charlap Trio
PURCHASE TICKETS

92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10128
www.92y.org

 

Award-Winning Raritan River Chamber Music Festival Announces Innovative Hybrid May Events

Raritan River Music Festival
Winner of the National Award for Adventurous Programming from ASCAP/Chamber Music America

WHEN: Saturdays, May 8–29, 4 PM, no intermission
WHERE: in a unique, outdoor, 100% covered venue: The internationally-renowned Blue Army Shrine, located in the rolling hills of West-Central New Jersey at 647 Mountain View Rd E, Asbury, NJ 08802. 
TICKETS: In-person tickets are $20 and Live-Stream Family Viewing tickets are $20 (link to be provided).
Tickets will be sold to a limited capacity to ensure safe, socially-distanced seating. No ticket transactions will be accomplished at the venue, minimizing close interactions.
Tickets are available at www.RaritanRiverMusic.org.
For more information call 908-213-1100 or info@RaritanRiverMusic.org. 
Please note: All tickets must be purchased in advance to ensure safe, socially-distanced seating, but tickets can be exchanged any time before the concert for a link to the live-stream of the concert. Social distancing is assured, guidelines posted by the federal CDC and the State of New Jersey Department of Health will be followed.

All concerts will take place live in-person and can also be viewed in real-time via live-stream.

The modern, fully covered, outdoor facility will protect all audience members, regardless of the weather.

All audience members will wear protective face masks. 

RECEPTIONS TO GO!

Complementary pre-packaged yummies will be available for all audience members following each concert.

Challenging times demand innovative thinking and action. With your support and enthusiastic encouragement, we have worked to weather the storm and have continued to provide music to the community throughout the past year, especially through schools and health care facilities.

For those living out of the area or not yet comfortable attending in-person events, each concert will be professionally live-streamed by our new partner, The Animal Farm music production studio. Program notes and artist info will be available through the website. As always, the festival will include a wide range of musical programs featuring music from around the world, celebrating the joy and healing powers of music, and bringing together communities during challenging times.  With works by composers of Indian, African, Middle Eastern, Asian, Mexican, Cuban, Colombian and Argentine descent and crossing stylistic boundaries, the music reflects the vast cultural wealth of America today.

Saturday, May 8, at 4:00 PM

Poorwill Lane Duo: Hyeyung Sol Yoon, violin and Gregory Beaver cello: Between Worlds

As members of the famed Chiara String Quartet and as founding directors of the new organization Open Space Music, connecting artists and communities through digital technology throughout the world, the Poorwill Lane Duo are making their RRMF debut in a program that will include new music by Carlos Simon—inspired by the art of Bill Traylor, a Black man who was enslaved at birth and was an eyewitness to American history from Civil War to Jim Crow segregation—plus NJ premieres of works by Matthew Fuerst and Anjna Swaminathan.

Saturday, May 15, at 4:00 PM

Bridget Kibbey, harp: Counterpoint in Motion

America’s most renowned harpist returns to the RRMF for a program of harp solos throughout the centuries, featuring her famed virtuosic performance of Bach’s Toccata & Fugue, French and Spanish Romantic classics, along with new music by Latin Grammy Award-winning Colombian composer Samuel Torres.

Saturday, May 22, at 4:00 PM

duoJalal: Katherine Lockwood, viola and Yousif Sheronick, percussion: Lost in Time

Katheryn Lockwood of the Lark Quartet and Yousif Sheronick of Ethos Percussion Group join forces as duoJalal to provide an international blend of diverse musical styles. Their concert will feature the NJ premiere performance of Changes by Allison Loggins-Hull, written in June 2020, during the global pandemic era of COVID-19 and a period that saw calls all over the world against systemic racism and for equality and unity.

Saturday, May 29, at 4:00 PM

Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo: Laura Oltman and Michael Newman, guitars: Two to Tango

Celebrating the heritage of Hispanic and Latin-American tango traditions from Argentina and Uruguay, Newman & Oltman (top photo) have worked closely with Nuevo Tango masters Astor Piazzolla (centenary of his birth) and Daniel Binelli (75^th birthday). The duo will present these composers’ works, along with Tango favorites for two guitars.

In addition, the festival, Raritan River Music continues to provide innovative enrichment presentations to school and health care facilities throughout the region. We are currently designing new programs – working with teachers at area high school and middle schools, along with leaders in senior services – to live stream and provide video content to serve the community at home and in senior living facilities

West Orange Arts Council Presents Objet Trouvé: An Exhibit of Found Objects

Objet  Trouvé: An Exhibit of Found Objects

Virtual Exhibit and In-Person Exhibit 

WHEN: January 9, 2021 - February 27, 2021
WHERE: on the West Orange Arts Council website (www.woarts.org) and will be open for in-person timed-entry visits at the West Orange Arts Center, 551 Valley Road in West Orange, New Jersey.

The West Orange Arts Council (WOAC) presents Objet Trouvé, An Exhibit of Found Objects curated by Carol Black-Lemon.

Participating Artists: Virginia Block, Nina Cioppettini, Maria Estrela, Rona Goldfarb, Ellen Hark, Kathleen Heron, Mary Howe, Carol Jenkins, Cansuela Lawrence, Aron Lifschultz, Modern Fossils: Judith Marchand and David P. Horowitz, Frank Niccoletti, Amelia Panico, Jennifer Place, Danielle Scott, Georgia Varidakis, Alexandra Vasconcelos, and Ann Vollum.

Objet trouvé is a French term describing art created from undisguised, modified or ordinary materials elements or substances that are not normally considered to create art or already have a non-art function.  Artists are invited to demonstrate the unique ways they combine or repurpose found objects to evoke memories, spark connections and build upon themes. Common, discarded or unuseful objects, in the hands of an artist, are given new life, meaning, and purpose. This is a great opportunity for artists to use their imaginations and create something that is unexpected.

The exhibit is curated by Carol Black-Lemon, Vice Chair of the West Orange Arts Council. She is a contemporary fine artist who studied media art for advertising at the School of Visual Arts with a background as art director, marketing website administrator and is founder of her own fine art and graphic and web design business. Carol is committed to creating art, helping other artists and bringing awareness of the arts to our community.

The Objet Trouvé exhibit will be open for in-person visits, and timed-entry appointments mandatory. Hours posted on www.facebook.com/woac.org .  Attendees are required to social distance and wear face coverings at all times. An online gallery is on view at www.woarts.org.  

This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and administered by the Essex County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs and the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund.

IMAGES: (Top) Ellen Hark, My Teacup Runneth Over; (Middle) Modern Fossils (David Horowitz / Judith Marchand), Techno Turtle; (Bottom) Mary Howe, Earth Nest. 

 Drama Geek Studios announces auditions for fall shows!

AUDITIONS:

Drama Geek Studios will hold both in-person and virtual auditions for our upcoming fall productions of both Annie Jr. and Sister Act, respectively. 

They will adhere to all social distancing guidelines for those who choose to audition in person. 

Because we are in new territory with live theater, both shows and the rehearsals will be handled differently. 

• Each show will have 2 in-person rehearsals as well as 2 online rehearsals a week. 
• The performances themselves will be pre-recorded and aired this fall through an online virtual ticket company. 

Because  performances will be pre-recorded and virtual, a recording schedule will accompany the rehearsal schedule. 

If you or someone you know is interested in auditioning for either show, please have them schedule an audition via email at auditions@dramageekstudios.com. 

Whether in person or virtually, the audition should consist of a minimum of 16 bars or 30 seconds of a song from the musical you are auditioning for. If you feel another song is a stronger representation of your talent, please include that song with your selection from the show. 

For more information or questions you can call 973-512-8251 or email auditions@dramageekstudios.com.