Morris Museum announces dozens of outdoor concerts from April to September

by JAY LUSTIG
MORRIS MUSEUM BACK deck 2021

JACK GRASSA

Members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra perform at the Morris Museum’s outdoor stage in 2020.

The Morris Museum in Morris Township — which presented outdoor, socially distanced shows on a parking deck behind the museum, last year — will do so again in 2021, and has announced 36 classical and jazz concerts to take place from mid-April to late September. More shows, of course, are likely to be added.

Multi-show ticket packages are currently on sale. Tickets to the April shows are now available, and tickets to the other shows will become available on a rolling basis as we proceed through the year (see schedule below). Visit morrismuseum.org/outdoor-events for more details and to purchase tickets.

Here is the schedule:

April 15: “Jazz on the Back Deck: Amani Performs the Works of Lionel Richie.”
April 25: Nicholas Tzavaras. Program includes Bach’s Cello Suites 1-3.
May 6: Mike Davis’ “Belated Bix Beiderbecke Back Deck Birthday Bash.”
May 9: Rhythm Method, “Hidden Mothers.” Program includes Elizabeth Maconchy’s String Quartet No. 3; Florence Price’s String Quartet in G; Leah Asher’s Shoulder to Shoulder and Amanda Maier-Rontgen String Quartet in A Major.
May 16: Catalyst Quartet. Program includes selections from the quartet’s Uncovered project.
May 20: Dan Levinson, “Singin’ and Swingin’ the Clouds Away.” Program includes music associated with performers such as Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Fats Waller, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire and Shirley Temple.
May 23: Members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra: Woodwind Quintet. Program includes Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue, BWV 542 (arr. Alan Kay); Ravel’s Tombeau de Couperin (arr. Jones); Valerie Coleman’s Red Clay and Mississippi Delta; Carl Nielsen’s Wind Quintet, op. 43.
May 27: The Antoinette Montague Experience.
May 30: Members of the American Symphony Orchestra: Woodwind Trio. Program devoted to 20th Century French chamber music includes Charles Koechlin’s Trio, op. 206; Jean Francaix’s Divertissement for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon; Alexandre Tansman’s Suite for Wind Trio; Claude Arrieu’s Suite en trio; Albert Roussel’s Andante from An Unfinished Wind Trio, for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon: Adagio; Joseph Canteloube’s Rustiques 1. Pastorale; Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon; Silvestrini’s Oboe etude.
June 3: Empire Wild, “Americans in Paris.”
June 6: Members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Program includes Kenji Bunch’s String Circle; Mendelssohn’s Quintet No. 1 in A Major, op. 18.
June 10: Colin Hancock’s Red Hot Eight featuring Colin Hancock, cornet; Mike Davis, trombone, vocals; Dan Levinson and Troy Anderson, reeds; Arnt Arntzen, banjo, vocals; Albanie Falletta, guitar, vocals; Julian Johnson, drums; Vince Giordano, bass, tuba, bass sax, vocals.
June 13: Tesla Quartet.
June 17: Evan Arntzen, reeds, and Jon-Erik Kellso, trumpet, with Dalton Ridenhour, piano, Tal Ronen, bass, and Mark McLean, drums.
June 20: Members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Program includes Turina’s La Oración del Torero; Dvorak’s String Quintet No. 2, op. 77.
June 24: Bria Skonberg.
June 27: Nicholas Tzavaras. Bach’s Cello Suites, part 2 (see April 25).
July 1: Dan Levinson.
July 8: Martin Pizzarelli Quartet. Tribute to the late Bucky Pizzarelli, featuring Martin Pizzarelli, bass; Linus Wyrsch, saxophone and clarinet; Hyuna Park, piano; Aaron Weinstein, violin.
July 11: Members of the American Symphony Orchestra. 20th century Mexican modernist program with string quartet works of Manuel Ponce, Carlos Chávez and Silvestre Revueltas.
July 18: Alumni from Itzhak Perlman’s Perlman Music Program. Program includes Brahms’ String Quintet in F Major and Max Bruch’s String Quintet in E Flat Major.
July 22: Mariel Bildsten.
July 25: Montclair Orchestra.
Aug. 5: Don Braden. Songs of Earth, Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder.
Aug. 8: PUBLIQuartet.
Aug. 12: Jazz at Lincoln Center: Sherman Irby Trio.
Aug. 15: Tesla Quartet.
Aug. 19: Jazz at Lincoln Center: Marcus Printup.
Aug. 22: Imani Winds.
Aug. 29: ETHEL string quartet.
Sept. 2: Adrienne Haan, “Cabaret Français: A Tribute to the French Chanson.”
Sept. 5: Attacca Quartet.
Sept. 9: Dan Levinson.
Sept. 12: Tesla Quartet.
Sept. 19: The New Jersey String Quartet. Program includes compositions by Schubert.
Sept. 26: American Contemporary Music Ensemble. Program includes selections from Jóhann Jóhannsson’s works for strings; Max Richter’s On the Nature of Daylight; Schubert’s String Quintet in C Major, II. Adagio; Caroline Shaw’s In manus tuas; Clarice Jensen’s For this from that will be filled (a); Ingram Marshall’s Entrada.

Here is the on-sale schedule:
April 8: May concerts for museum members
April 15: May concerts for the general public
April 22: June concerts for museum members
April 29: June concerts for the general public
May 20: July concerts for museum members
May 27: July concerts for the general public
June 17: August concerts for museum members
June 24: August concerts for the general public
July 22: September concerts for museum members
July 29: September concerts for the general public

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