By Marion Filler
It’s back: Continuing a 37-year run after being sidelined in 2020, the Giralda Music & Arts Festival returns to the grounds of the Dodge Estate in Madison this Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. (Rain date: Sunday.)
The usual concern about the weather took a back seat to uncertainty about the pandemic.
Over the last 18 months, Morris Arts, nonprofit organizer of the festival, had to cancel all live gatherings, including First Night Morris, two evenings of Great Conversations that went virtual, and the festival itself.
Not this time.
“We thought very carefully if it made sense to do the festival this year,” said Tom Werder, executive director of Morris Arts.
“When the state guidelines changed to allow outdoor events again, we thought this would be the perfect, naturally socially distanced event to have. It’s a big, wide open space with lots of fresh air.”
Usually held in June, the festival was pushed back two months as COVID-19 vaccinations continued and Gov. Murphy eased and then lifted restrictions on outdoor gatherings.
The huge meadow at Giralda Farms allows picnickers lots of room, though precautions still are in place. Hand sanitizing stations will be located throughout the field and in port-o-potties, and anyone who is not vaccinated is expected to wear a mask, said Werder.
‘THE PLAYERS ARE SO EXCITED’
The afternoon’s highlight, as always, is a performance by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO).
“The full symphony will be there in all its glory,” said Patrick Chamberlain, assistant vice president of artistic planning for the orchestra, as he described the 70 or so musicians who travel with a mobile sound stage and lighting. “It’s really something.”
Rehearsals were remote during peak periods of the pandemic. From the safety of home, players videotaped their individual parts, which subsequently were spliced together to reproduce an orchestral piece.
As more became known about the virus, the ensemble was allowed to practice at NJPAC – but without an audience. Even then, it was far from normal.
According to Chamberlain, there was rigorous testing before each session and anyone who could wear a mask and still play his or her instrument did so. The large stage at NJPAC enabled musicians to spread out, with six feet between the strings and nine feet between winds and brass, said Chamberlain.
“The players are so excited to be before a live audience again,” he said.
Not only is it safer to be outside, but it allows the orchestra to share a vast range of music with wide appeal: John Williams, Enrique Soro, Oscar Lorenzo Fernández and longtime New Jersey resident George Walker.
You’ll hear trailblazer Florence Price’s lighthearted Nimble Feet from Dances in the Canebrakes, patriotic favorites, and Aaron Copland’s classic Saturday Night Waltz from Rodeo.
“We have a very long working relationship with NJSO for 37 years,” said Werder, “and we kept in constant contact with them during the pandemic.”
Everyone in the orchestra and on the staff of Morris Arts is vaccinated, and “we feel very comfortable about that,” Werder said.
“What’s really amazing is when you get that magic, when you have a live audience that is so grateful to be experiencing what they are experiencing, and the performers respond accordingly. They can’t wait.”
Other traditional festival attractions again will include the antique ice cream truck, and the art truck from the Montclair Museum.
A variety of gourmet food trucks also will be back, along with local artists and vendors.
Morris Arts’ famous picnic contest (prizes are awarded to those with the most inventive themes) promises summer fun, and someone will win a 50/50 raffle.
New this year is a pre-concert performance featuring music from northern and southern India.
“We reached out to a contact in the Indian community,” said Werder. The result is a 45- minute set before the main attraction that will “expose the audience to music they might not be familiar with. It’s exciting and diverse.”
Ticket sales have been entirely online this year, and according to Werder, the response has been good. He advises buying tickets here, even when you are waiting on line to get into the festival.
Buying ahead of time brings discounts off the regular admission ($25 for anyone over 12, $5 for children; under 4, free); group discounts also are available. Proceeds help Morris Arts underwrite arts programs throughout Morris County.
Giralda’s gates open at 3 pm on Saturday. The Indian music starts at 3:45 pm, and the NJSO performs at 6 pm. The venue is at Dodge Drive and Madison Avenue.
Weather update: Saturday’s forecast is unsettled. Any postponement decision will be posted on the Morris Arts website after noontime on Saturday.
