The Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey under the baton of Maestro Robert W. Butts returned to live in-person concerts for the 2021 Summer Music Festival.
The festival featured two live in-person concerts at the Madison Community Arts Center, Madison, New Jersey on Sunday afternoons - July 18 and August 29!
The festival featured collaboration with two leading music organizations - Keys 2 Succeess and The New York Classical Music Society!
The July 18 concert included historic landmark collaborative performances featuring arrangements of "Lift Every Voice" and "Simple GIfts" created by Maestro Butts, young Newark composer Elijah Souels, and violinist Saki Uetsuhara. The performance marked a first as young Newark piano students (grades K-6) performed as part of the orchestra, alongside the BONJ professional musicians. The music was composed and arranged especially for these youngsters and for the orchestra. It was truly a magical and special moment, hopefully the first of many.
The July concert also featured unforgettably moving performances by soprano Seunghee Park-Cha, cellist Liz Hong, and pianist Lynn Czae who is the founder and President of The New York Classical Music Society.
Composers whose works were featured on the concert were George M. Cohan, Scott Joplin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jacques Offenbach, Lerner & Loewe, The Beatles, Antonio Vivaldi, and Giacomo Puccini.
The August 29 concert featured a dazzling group of soloists performing a very varied repertoire. Soloists included oboist Nancy Vanderslice (BONJ Principal Oboist), violist Esther Kim, countertenor Andrew Egbuchiem, bass Robert Feng, and pianist Lynn Czae. It also featured the World Premiere of Timeless Lives - 1. Life Leads Us composed by Maestro Butts.
Composers whose works were featured on the concert were George Freideric Handel, Camille Saint-Saëns, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Anton Hoffmeister, and Giuseppe Verdi.
The concerts were offered with free admission thanks to the generosity of Certified Financial Services, The New York Classical Music Society, FPH Communications, and the Cynthia Platt Scholarship Fund. The concerts were enjoyed in person by over 300 attendees and an additional 300+ enjoyed special online broadcasts.
Please enjoy the video below featuring highlights from both concerts!
