(NEWARK, NJ) -- For the second consecutive summer, The Newark Museum of Art partners with New Jersey Symphony to bring you a vibrant outdoor series of concerts in the Alice Ransom Dreyfuss Memorial Garden. NMOA music programs span across jazz, gospel, blues, and Broadway tunes (for adults and kids) and they are curated by Visiting Curator of Performing Arts Daryl Stewart and WBGO host Sheila Anderson.
The New Jersey Symphony’s four chamber programs offer delightful evenings of classic and modern music in the beautiful garden setting. Hear concerts built on unique themes curated by Principal Bassoon Robert Wagner, Principal Bass Ha Young Jung, and Resident Artistic Catalyst Daniel Bernard Roumain.
Tickets must be purchased in advance from the NMOA and NJ Symphony websites. Ticket sales will not be available on-site.
Food and drinks will be available for purchase, courtesy of Sterling Affairs and Urban Vegan Kitchen.
The Newark Museum of Art is located at 49 Washington Street in Newark, New Jersey.
June 25 @ 10:00am - Broadway in the Bricks Jr: Disney Day. Broadway in the Bricks Jr. is a kid-friendly series that introduces families to the magic of Broadway. Local performers will sing, dance, and celebrate songs from the wonderful world of Disney. The show will feature scenes and songs inspired by musicals like Frozen, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and more. Sing along and meet your favorite Disney characters! Come dressed up in costume for a chance to win a special prize. Performers: Xavier McKnight, Indigo B. Jackson, Isaiah Rosales, and Shannen M. Doyle. This program is organized by NMOA Visiting Curator of Performing Arts Daryl Stewart, a Newark-based theatre artist.
July 8 @ 7:00pm - Broadway in the Bricks. Broadway in the Bricks is a live performance series that brings Broadway’s best and brightest talents to Newark. Broadway in the Bricks returns live onstage at Newark Museum of Art with a special “Jazz Night” honoring Broadway musicals from the 20’s, 30s, 40’s, and 50s. This anticipated evening performance will feature a live jazz quartet and a cast of sultry, show stopping actors performing from Broadway musicals like Ain’t Misbehavin, After Midnight, Chicago and Sophisticated Ladies. This program is organized by NMOA Visiting Curator of Performing Arts, Daryl Stewart, a Newark-based theatre artist. Performers: Avionce Hoyles, Daryl Stewart, Camille Upshaw, Gregory Omar Osborne, and a surprise guest. This program is organized by NMOA Visiting Curator of Performing Arts Daryl Stewart, a Newark-based theatre artist.
July 13 @ 7:00pm - Winds in the Garden. Wind music has entertained audiences for centuries. In Imperial Vienna, guests at most festive outdoor gatherings expected to be serenaded by groups of wind players, a tradition that gave us magnificent wind chamber music. The evening includes a Mozart masterpiece and music of Hummel and Gounod, but also wind music of the 20th and 21st century chosen especially for the garden courtyard of the Newark Museum of Art. Hummel Allegro con spirito from Octet Partita in E-flat Major; Mozart Serenade No. 12 for Winds in C Minor; Amanda Harberg Hall of Ghosts; Schultz Divertimento for Wind Octet; Stacy Garrop Bohemian Café; Gounod Petite Symphonie. Programs and artists are subject to change
July 27 @ 7:00pm - Moving, Believing, and Being Together. New Jersey Symphony Resident Artistic Catalyst Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) returns to the Newark Museum of Art with the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players for a program that presents music through the lens of an emotional arc that meets the moment. DBR has curated a mix of works from amazing composers like Florence Price, Mozart, Farrenc and Barber and presents his own powerful works such as Hip-Hop Study & Etude in F Major and his arrangement of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The Chamber Players will perform the Ukrainian national anthem in solidarity with the Ukraine people during the unjust war that continues. Verbytsky “State Anthem of Ukraine”; Johnson/arr. Daniel Bernard Roumain “Lift Every Voice and Sing”; Farrenc Selections from Nonet in E-flat Major; Mozart Overture to The Marriage of Figaro; Terry Riley In C; Aleksandra Vrebalov Echolocations; Price Adoration; Daniel Bernard Roumain Hip-Hop Study & Etude in F Major. Programs and artists are subject to change.
July 29 @ 7:00pm - A Night of Jazz and Soul with Antoinette Montague. Hear Newark Native Antoinette Montague perform music from The Great American Songbook with Danny Mixon on piano, Melissa Slocum on bass, Bobby Sanabria on drums, and AC Lincoln on tap dance. A Night of Jazz and Soul is organized by Sheila Anderson, WBGO host and jazz event curator.
August 3 @ 7:00pm - Summer, Time, and Jazz. Rhythm and harmony are on the menu for a program filled with jazz and jazz-inspired classical music expertly curated by New Jersey Symphony Resident Artistic Catalyst Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR). The concert features the music of Paquito D’Rivera, Valerie Coleman and DBR’s own Hip Hop Study & Etude in G Minor. Experience the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players in the beautiful garden setting at The Newark Museum of Art.
August 6 @ 7:00pm - Simply Simone: The Music of Nina Simone. Prodigy. Superstar. Activist. Exile. One of the true divas of the 20th century, vocal powerhouse Nina Simone defied classification and defined a generation. This electric musical lays bare the rich legacy of an American icon whose work spans different genres, from jazz to gospel to blues to Broadway to rock and roll. It features such definitive classics as I Loves You Porgy, Young, Gifted and Black, and My Baby Just Cares for Me. Heart-melting and hopeful, Simone’s spellbinding story comes to life through four actresses in this theatrical journey. Simply Simone is performed in two acts with one 15-minute intermission. The total run time is approximately two hours and 10 minutes. Performers: K. Desiree, Joy Brown, Kia Stewart, Rhyan McNeil; Associate Director: Kim Awon; Movement Director: Nikia Neal. This program is organized by NMOA Visiting Curator of Performing Arts, Daryl Stewart, a Newark-based theatre artist.
August 11 @ 7:00pm - A Night of Jazz and Soul with Patience Higgins and the Sugar Hill Quartet. Patience Higgins and the Sugar Hill Quartet have kept Harlem swinging for more than twenty years. Come hear the band play live in our Alice Ransom Dreyfuss Memorial Garden. “If you like your jazz up tempo and overflowing with vitality, look no farther.”—Jazz Times magazine. A Night of Jazz and Soul is organized by Sheila Anderson, WBGO host and jazz event curator.
August 17 @ 7:00pm - Bass & Flute Extravaganza. New Jersey Symphony Principal Bass Ha Young Jung has crafted a chamber music program starring the bass and flute! The concert features modern and contemporary sounds from composers Dorothy Rudd Moore, Morton Gould and Valerie Coleman, with classic favorites from Bach, Rossini and Schulhoff. Join us in The Newark Museum of Art’s Alice Ransom Dreyfuss Memorial Garden to enjoy the sounds of the New Jersey Symphony Chamber players in a perfect summertime setting. Dorothy Rudd Moore TRANSCENSION (“I have been to the mountaintop”); Bach Selection from Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007; Gould Benny’s Gig; Rossini Selection from Six String Sonatas; Schulhoff Concertino for Flute, Viola and Double Bass; Valerie Coleman Maombi Asante. Programs and artists are subject to change.
The Newark Museum of Art is located at 49 Washington Street in Newark, New Jersey. It is the state’s largest museum. It holds fine collections of American art, decorative arts, contemporary art, and arts of Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the ancient world. Its extensive collections of American art include works by Hiram Powers, Thomas Cole, John Singer Sargent, Albert Bierstadt, Frederick Church, Childe Hassam, Mary Cassatt, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Joseph Stella, and Tony Smith.
Founding Director John Cotton Dana believed that museums were established to promote the appreciation, understanding, and enjoyment of the arts and sciences. Together with a group of public officials, prominent businessmen and local collectors, he established the Museum in 1909 at the Newark Public Library. He provided the intellectual leadership that made it one of the most progressive cultural institutions in the country.
