(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Whether you are a mother, have a mother or any combination thereof, instead of waiting to get into an overpriced restaurant with limited seating, why not treat yourself to an innovative, tuneful concert on Mother's Day instead? The Morris Museum present The Rhythm Method, an all-female string ensemble, on Sunday, May 9th at 7:00pm. They will be performing the music of under-heard female composers.
The Rhythm Method, a string ensemble comprised of four young female performer/composers, brings the music of historical female composers into the public eye. Through research, performance, and recording, they unearth and perform under-heard musical gems composed by women. While many of the composers featured on this program achieved an impressive degree of public recognition in their lifetime, their music has often been belittled or ignored by music historians, music programmers, and musicians. This suppression of yesterday’s female voices has a direct impact on our idea of who gets to be a composer today, and contributes to the dearth of female composers, living or deceased, represented in classical and contemporary repertory.
The Rhythm Method hopes that by giving these female composers their due, they can empower young female artists, as well as non-binary artists, artists of color, and artists from other marginalized groups, to continue to create and share their work with the world and to stand up to the biases still entrenched in many of our cultural institutions. The ensemble consists of Leah Asher, violin, Marina Kifferstein, violin, Carrie Frey, viola and Meaghan Burke, cello. New Music Box called them, "fierce, fearless and virtuosic."
The program for Sunday, May 9th consists of Elizabeth Maconchy's String Quartet no. 3 (1938). Born in Ireland, Maconchy moved to London to study at the Royal College of Music with, among others, Ralph Vaughn Williams. Prolific and highly respected in her time, she once said, "For me, the best music is an impassioned argument."
Florence Price's String Quartet in G (1929), is also on the bill. After years of neglect, Price's work is finally getting its due. The first African-American composer to have her work played by a major orchestra, Price's road to recognition was rugged. At one point she pretended to be Mexican to avoid discrimination. Though classically trained in the European tradition, Price's work is uniquely original and American, steeped in her Southern roots.
The rest of the program includes two more pieces, Leah Asher's Shoulder to Shoulder (2018). A member of The Rhythm Method, she has performed extensively throughout the US and Europe.
Rounding out the program is Amanda Maier-Rontgen's String Quartet in A Major (1880). Maier-Rontgen was a Swedish violinist and composer whose remarkable body of work was cut short by her death from tuberculosis at age 41.
All blocks are $50 each and can safely accommodate two patrons. You must bring your own lawn chairs. Tickets are available for purchase online or by calling 973 971 2703. In case of bad weather, a rain date is planned for Wednesday, May 12 at 7:00pm.
Founded in 1913, the Morris Museum is an award-winning, multifaceted art and cultural institution serving the public through its exhibitions and performances which strive to interpret the past and discover the future through art, sound, and motion. The Museum is home to the historic and internationally-significant Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata. Changing exhibits of contemporary content further illuminate its Permanent Collection. The Museum’s Bickford Theatre is a 312-seat performing-arts facility, offering unique programming in film, jazz, and live performance through its innovative series, Live Arts at the Morris Museum. The Morris Museum has a proud tradition of meaningful educational programs and family events. New Jersey’s only Smithsonian Affiliate Museum, Morris Museum is also the first museum in New Jersey to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, it has been designated a Major Arts Institution and has received the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ Citation of Excellence, among other awards.
Tickets may be purchased online at morrismuseum.org, by phone at 973.971.3706, or in person at the Morris Museum. The Morris Museum’s Bickford Theatre is located at 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown, NJ, and offers free parking and full accessibility. Box office hours for phone sales are Monday through Friday, 10:00am to 5:00pm. The Morris Museum is a Blue Star Museum, offering free admission to active duty military personnel and their families, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
