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Dayna Kurtz

Saturday, May 20, 2023 @ 8:00pm



Grunin Center - Studio Theater
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754

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Over the past decade, the New Jersey born, now New Orleans (and seasonal Vermont) resident vocalist/writer/musician/producer has been bestowed with many awards and praises, including being named the Female Songwriter of the Year by the National Academy of Songwriters.  Norah Jones and Bonnie Raitt have raved about her in interviews, and she’s performed on such high-profile radio shows as World Cafe, Mountain Stage and NPR’s Morning Edition and Tell Me More.  She’s toured and opened for the likes of Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, Mavis Staples, Rufus Wainwright, B.B. King, Dr. John, Richie Havens, Keren Ann, Chris Whitley, and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

Dayna’s new disc (Here, Vol. 1 due March 2017), is a live record with career spanning tracks, culled from her 2016 Dutch theater tour with guitarist Robert Mache.  It manages to capture the heart-stopping edge-of-your-seat mesmerized silence that Dayna Kurtz seems to magic from her audiences.  “I began my career as background music in crowded beach bars,” explains Kurtz, “and I used to make a game of seeing what it would take to shut people up. I got good at it.  Although there’s some tricks to it, it was really more a kind of witchcraft than anything – I learned to draw whatever power and attention there was in the room being sent my way and sent it back out again.  Other people got caught in the loop and started paying attention too.  And as long as the crowd wasn’t shitfaced or distracted by a TV I could usually get them.  It was good training, even now that my audiences are more inclined to listening already anyway.  I write music that requires some attention.”

On her work and friendship with Robert Mache (Continental Drifters, Steve Wynn) Kurtz says,  “I’ve loved Robert’s playing for such a long time, and we’ve been friends longer than we’ve been touring partners – he was one of the first musicians to befriend me in New Orleans.  That we had such undeniable chemistry has been one of the greater recent gifts of my life, and I just wanted to document it somehow, and quite a few people in my life including my label have suggested a live record.  I’d been hesitant, only because there’s only a few live records I listen to with the devotion I’d give a beloved studio record.  It’s notoriously really difficult to capture the feeling of being there in the dark experiencing it.  Then the challenge of it intrigued me.”




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FEATURED EVENTS


Singer/Songwriter Evening In The Round

Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
Tuckerton, NJ

Something Special  a round robin evening of music featuring a group of the finest singer/songwriter from our local area who come together for this one of a kind show not be missed 



 

An Afternoon with Streisand and Garland

Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
Manasquan, NJ

Celebrate two legendary voices with Jenna Pastuszek in this soaring tribute to Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand. Backed by a full live band, she delivers stunning vocals and heartfelt storytelling that honor these icons without imitation-bringing timeless songs like "Over the Rainbow" and "Don't Rain on My Parade" vividly to life.

 

Guest Attraction: New Jersey Symphony: Rick Steves’ Europe: A Symphonic Journey

Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
Morristown, NJ

Usually you’ll find Rick Steves touring the great destinations of Europe. Now you can join him on a different journey: A Symphonic Journey. In this unique concert, Rick Steves teams up with the New Jersey Symphony for a performance that combines Europe’s most stirring romantic-era anthems with beautiful high-definition cinematography and Rick’s insights into European history.



 

Guest Attraction: New Jersey Symphony: Rick Steves’ Europe: A Symphonic Journey

Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
Morristown, NJ

Usually you’ll find Rick Steves touring the great destinations of Europe. Now you can join him on a different journey: A Symphonic Journey. In this unique concert, Rick Steves teams up with the New Jersey Symphony for a performance that combines Europe’s most stirring romantic-era anthems with beautiful high-definition cinematography and Rick’s insights into European history.



 

FREESTYLE TAKEOVER 3

Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center
Carteret, NJ

Starring Cynthia, The Jets, George Lamond, Johnny O, Nyasia, Denine and hosted by Dom G! Freaturing Dare Goes Da DJzz. After-Party available for additional fee. (Must purchase a show ticket to buy the After Party ticket)

 

New Jersey Symphony presents Rick Steves' Europe: A Symphonic Journey

Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
Morristown, NJ

Rick Steves host
Nicholas Hersh conductor
New Jersey Symphony

 

New Jersey Symphony presents Rick Steves' Europe: A Symphonic Journey

Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
Morristown, NJ

Rick Steves host
Nicholas Hersh conductor
New Jersey Symphony

 

It's a Family Affair, the play

Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Avenel Performing Arts Center
Avenel, NJ

Get ready to be part of an extraordinary theatrical experience. PHP, Arts & Entertainment presents It’s a Family Affair—a play like no other, and we want you to be there! 🎉

 

Spyro Gyra

Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 5:00pm
Hamilton Stage at Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC)
Rahway, NJ

WBGO presents All That Jazz concert series, a unique series showcasing some of the genre’s most talented and respected performers, featuring the return of 13-time Grammy nominated band Spyro Gyra, back by popular demand! This series is a partnership between WBGO, UCPAC, and Smooth Jazz NJ.

 

Spyro Gyra

Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Hamilton Stage at Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC)
Rahway, NJ

WBGO presents All That Jazz concert series, a unique series showcasing some of the genre’s most talented and respected performers, featuring the return of 13-time Grammy nominated band Spyro Gyra, back by popular demand! This series is a partnership between WBGO, UCPAC, and Smooth Jazz NJ.

 

 

EVENT PREVIEWS

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6th Annual Sip in Autumn Wine Festival to Take Place November 7-8 in Bayville

(BAYVILLE, NJ) -- The outdoor festival season may be coming to a close, but it's going out in epic style. Raise your glass and join the celebration as the 6th Annual Sip in Autumn Wine Festival returns to Veterans Park in Bayville, NJ, on Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, 2026 from 11:30am to 4:30pm each day. This event is the grand finale of New Jersey's outdoor wine festival season, and there's no better way to say goodbye to sunny days and crisp fall afternoons than by savoring the very best our state has to offer.



Maplewood Strollers presents 50th Anniversary Screening of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" with live Shadowcast

(MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Maplewood Strollers invite you to celebrate 50 years of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a screening featuring a LIVE shadow cast by The Cosmic Light Cabaret for the ultimate interactive movie experience on Saturday, November 7, 2026 at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts. Showtime is 7:00pm.



Trilogy Repertory presents "Clue"

(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- Trilogy Repertory presents Clue across two weekends from November 7-15, 2026 at The Sieminski Theater. It's a dark and stormy night. Whodunit? And how? The answer(s) may surprise you.



Albert Music Hall to Celebrate Pinelands Folklore with Annual Jersey Devil Show on Saturday

(WARETOWN, NJ) -- Halloween may have come and gone, but the Jersey Devil is always lurking in the Pines! On Saturday, November 7, 2026, Albert Music Hall will celebrate one of New Jersey's most enduring legends with its annual Jersey Devil Show, an evening combining live music, storytelling, and the rich folklore of the New Jersey Pinelands.



Bergen County Players presents "The Guys" this weekend

(ORADELL, NJ) -- As September 11 rapidly passes from living memory into recorded history—with well over a third of Americans today knowing that tragic day only through history books—Bergen County Players (BCP) invites the community to meaningfully "never forget" with a special, limited-run Second Stage presentation of Anne Nelson's The Guys.