Imagine if every musician in North America suddenly emerged from hibernation and beat a path to Greater Morristown.
That would pretty much describe this weekend.
Just about any genre you can name is available, from baroque to British Invasion to country to kindie to folk to reggae to profane body parts by a church choir. There is even a rare Sunday night concert, featuring Grammy Winner Don Henry from Nashville.
For good measure, there also is an arts opening, some figure skating, a controversial lecture and more Revolutionary War re-enactors than you can shake a bayonet at.
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THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014:
Nature is the star of the new exhibition at the Gallery at 14 Maple in Morristown. Hosted by Morris Arts, it’s the gallery’s second invitational show, featuring works by textile artist Natalia Margulis of Livingston and Joseph Losavio of Sandyston. The free reception runs from 6 pm to 8 pm, and the exhibition remains open to the public on weekdays through Aug. 27, 2014.
FRIDAY, APRIL 4:
A musical Friday night kicks off with a 7 pm concert by Badge, a classic- and country-rock band, at the Morristown & Township Library. Admission: $5; proceeds benefit the library, at One Miller Road in Morristown.
The Thirteen, a Princeton-based choir, performs Carissimi’s Jepthe and White’s Lamentations of Jeremiah at the Presbyterian Church in Morristown at 7:30 pm. Freewill offering welcome. At 57 E. Park Place. Call 973-538-1776 for more.
The Minstrel presents Jack Williams, a rocker-turned-folk performer described as “an acoustic Bruce Springsteen with Jerry Garcia on acoustic lead guitar.” Often his finale is a medley of every song from every genre ever written–no small feat! Openers Ira and Julia Levin specialize in harmony-rich folk rock with hints of the 1930s. “Their original songs sound like The Mamas and The Papas having coffee with Cole Porter,” according to the Minstrel. Showtime is 8 pm. Admission is $8; children 12 and under, free. At the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road in Morris Township.
Morristown’s premiere hip hop band, Universal Rebel, will share the stage with the Dub Caps of Jersey City at the Dublin Pub, at 4 Pine St., at 9 pm.
SATURDAY, APRIL 5:
What was life like for soldiers during the Revolution? See for yourself at the annual encampment at Jockey Hollow. From 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday, re-enactors will pitch tents, conduct military drills and fire muskets and cannons. It’s family friendly, and it’s free. Jockey Hollow is part of the Morristown National Historical Park, call 973-539-2016 x 210 for more details. Our video gives you a flavor for the weekend:
Massive shredding of documents at government buildings generally sends a very ominous signal. But fear not! The Morristown Shred Event behind town hall is on the up-and-up. Between 9 am and noon, bring your sensitive documents in bags or cardboard boxes, 10 pounds or less, to the parking lot off Franklin Street. Cost: $4 per bag/box, with proceeds benefiting the Morristown Kiwanis High School Scholarship Fund. GreenSky Inc. will handle the shredding; the Morristown Clean Communities Program is a co-sponsor.
Want to become an acoustic performer? Learn the ropes from 10 am to 9 pm in Chatham at a mini-conference staged by the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance and hosted by the Sanctuary concert series and the Folk Project. During the day, radio DJs, booking agents and promoters will share tips for getting your career off the ground. At 4 pm, 10 artists will start playing 15-minute sets. It all happens at the Presbyterian Church at 240 Southern Boulevard. Tickets for the full day are $50; for the singer showcase only, admission is $10. Register here. Call 732-828-8770 for more details.
USA Today dubbed her the “undisputed queen of kindie rock.” Laurie Berkner brings her band to Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 1:30 pm to play kids favorites, including songs from her new album Laurie Berkner Lullabies. Tickets: $29-$39, at 100 South St. Call 973-539-8008 for more.
April in Paris? How about the next best thing, April in Morristown at the Cornerstone Family Programs 2014 Spring Ball? The black tie fundraiser starts at 6:30 pm at the Westin Governor Morris. This year’s gala will honor Donna McNamara, chairwoman of the 2013 Bicentennial Committee; longtime supporters Mark Reffner and Audrey Went; and Nestle Nutrition, which introduced its EAT RIGHT program at the Madison Day Care Center in 2011. Morristown-based Cornerstone, formerly known as Family Service of Morris County, acquired the Morristown Neighborhood House last year and provides a wide range of services for all age groups. A few tickets are still available, at $250. See the website or call 973-538-5260 for more details.
Grow It Green Morristown throws its second annual fundraising gala, Diamonds for Kale, at 7 pm at Morristown’s Kellogg Club. A deejay, photo booth and silent auction are planned (Braunschweiger Jewelers has donated a diamond necklace to the auction); food will be catered by End of Elm and the Artist Baker. Tickets are $125 and proceeds benefit Grow It Green’s stewardship of the Early Street Community Garden and the Urban Farm at Lafayette. Contact Jayme Harvey for more details.
Former Olympians Elaine Zayak and Karen Courtland Kelly host Skatetacular — Skating Goes to the Movies at 7 pm at Mennen Arena in Morris Township. The show benefits New Jersey figure skating scholarship and grants. Tickets are $10-$30. At 161 E. Hanover Ave.
The Morristown United Methodist Church concludes its “Abendmusik” 2013-14 concert series at 7:30 pm with Water Music, featuring organist F. Allen Artz III, with the Chancel Chorus of the church, under the direction of June Van Thoen. Suggested donation: $20 for adults and $15 for senior citizens. For advance tickets ($17 adults/$12 seniors) call 973-538-2132. Students with ID are admitted free. The concert is at 50 Park Place (on the Green).
Body Parts Sacred and Profane does not sound like your typical church concert; but the Harmonium Chamber Singers are not your typical church choir! They will perform works ranging from Palestrina to Parker, from spiritual to silly, at 7:30 pm in Madison’s Grace Episcopal
Church, at 4 Madison Ave. General admission tickets for “Body Parts Sacred and Profane” are $25 and
$20 for students and seniors. Call 973-538-6969 for more information.
The British Invasion Tribute band invades the Bickford Theatre in Morris Township at 8 pm. Re-live ’60s hits by the Zombies, Dave Clark Five and Herman’s Hermits, then hear the American “response” from The Monkees, The Turtles, Paul Revere & the Raiders, with a finale tribute to the Fab Four. This tribute group was a big hit at First Night Morris County a couple of years ago. (Video below.) Tickets: $25 general public, $20 members, seniors and students (18 and under or with valid college ID). The Bickford is at the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road. Call 973-971-3706 for more.
https://youtu.be/ZBYweUA0ARcSiren Baroque—New York’s “Women All-Stars of the Baroque Era”–will sing and play music by Barbara Strozzi, Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, and Francesca Caccini, at 8 pm in the concert hall of Drew University, at 36 Madison Ave. in Madison. Tickets are $20. Call 973-408-3917 for more.
SUNDAY, APRIL 6:
The annual encampment of Revolutionary War re-enactors concludes at Jockey Hollow. See Saturday entry for details.
Time for a Spring Fling, with the Morris Choral Society at the Bickford Theatre in Morris Township. Conductor Wayne Walters will lead his 85-voice chorus in a 3 pm concert showcasing the music of Broadway and Tin Pan Alley, including songs by George Gershwin, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Dave Brubeck’s Take Five. The show also will feature the entertaining sextet Express Male. For four decades, the Morris Choral Society has delighted audiences while sharing stages with such legends as Judy Collins and Dave Brubeck. Tickets are $15 for students; $20 for members/seniors; and $25 for non-members. Call 973-971-3706 or 973-998-7239 for more details. The theater is at the Morris Museum, at 6 Normandy Heights Road.
Controversy is guaranteed at the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum at 4:30 pm, when two key figures from the 1975 Karen Ann Quinlan right-to-die case continue the Controversies lecture series. The Hon. Paul Armstrong, who was an attorney in that case, and Dr. Joseph Fennelly, the doctor who cared for the comatose young woman after the courts ruled that she could be taken off life-support technology. Tickets go on sale on from 1 pm – 4:30 pm, with no advance sales. Prices: Adults $8; seniors and students $6; children 6 – 12 $4. Members and children under 5 are free. Speaker tickets include admission to a docent-led period room tour; the last tour ticket is sold at 3 pm. The museum is at 45 Macculloch Ave. in Morristown. Call 973-538-2404, x 10.
To make it as a songwriter in Nashville, you have to be more than good. And to be one of Nashville’s best, well, you have to be… Don Henry. In a rare Sunday night show, the Morristown United Methodist Church presents this Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, who can make you laugh with a tune like B.F.D.; or make you smile with the biker lullaby Harley; or take your breath away with the stunning Martin Luther King tribute Beautiful Fool; or bring tears with the poignant Where’ve You Been, Kathy Mattea’s hit about an elderly couple fading into the mist. Don has written songs for the Oak Ridge Boys, Patti Page and Ray Charles, among others. The show starts at 7 pm, and also includes to band Alathea. Tickets are $15 (children under 8 free), with proceeds benefiting the church’s summer mission trip to Appalachia. A big crowd is expected; advance purchases are suggested via email or by calling 973-727-5524. The church is at 50 S. Park Place. Here is Alathea’s music video about the Appalachia Service Project:
