Living the dream at First Night Morris 2020: Singer-songwriter Lara Herscovitch

Lara Herscovitch
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By Olivia Yepez

Sometimes it takes a little while to find what you were meant for. For contemporary troubadour Lara Herscovitch, who will be performing at the First Night Morris County on New Year’s Eve, it wasn’t until she turned 30 that she realized she was made for music.

“I was in the middle of a career in social work and policy, bringing a guitar with me everywhere,” said Herscovitch, who wrote her first song at age 10. “When I did an open mic night, I discovered that’s what I needed to do.”

Herscovitch is among 100 artists who will be performing at 16 venues across Morristown for the family-friendly, alcohol-free celebration, now in its 28th year. She will be playing at the Market Street Mission on Dec. 31, 2019, at 7:15 pm and 8:15 pm.

This won’t be the singer-songwriter’s first appearance at First Night. She’s thrilled to be back.

“I really love playing First Night: It’s a night of celebration, community and connection, ringing in a new year which can be an opportunity to reset a new vision for what’s coming next,” Herscovitch said. “To be a part of what’s facilitating that is an honor.”

She plans to bring new sounds from her latest work-in-progress album, Highway Philosophers.

Herscovitch says it offers hope for a better tomorrow, emphasizing togetherness and lifting people up instead of putting them down. Songs explore leaps of faith, courage, authenticity and freedom.

She strives to connect with listeners by varying tempos, topics and emotions in her music. “I like to give people a lot of entry points for bridge-building,” Herscovitch said.

First Night Morris County kicks off with children’s events at Morristown High School at 4:45 p.m. and continues with music and entertainment until everything ends with a bang at midnight with fireworks over the Morristown Green. (For the younger crowd, fireworks also will be shot off at 9:15 pm.)

Admission badges are $25, or $90 for a four-pack, and they give you access to all performances. All events are within walking distance; a shuttle bus and parking will be free. See the First Night website for details about hotel packages.

MorristownGreen.com correspondent Olivia Yepez is an honors student at Drew University (’22), where she is an editor of The Acorn. MorristownGreen.com is a proud sponsor of First Night Morris County 2020.

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