Morris Museum to Present Lot Of Strings Music Festival And Jazz At The Back Deck

In its third year, Jazz on the Back Deck and Lot of Strings Music Festival will return to the Morris Museum's Back Deck beginning on June 11 with a debut Back Deck performance by The Argus Quartet. With concerts in jazz and chamber music, the line-up includes Dan Levinson, Martin Pizzarelli, Tesla Quartet, Telegraph Quartet, and more.

The Back Deck was conceived at the dawn of the pandemic and quickly became a destination for music lovers from across the east coast. This season includes 11 concerts that span a wide range of Jazz and classical music, bringing some of the finest ensembles to the Morris Museum. Since launching in July, 2020, The Back Deck has presented over 50 performances of critically acclaimed artists and welcomed nearly 10,000 patrons against all odds.

"The Back Deck began as a creative attempt to continue the important work of connecting artists and audiences in a moment where that was more difficult than ever before. What was born out of necessity has transformed into a beloved tradition." stated Brett Wellman Messenger, Curatorial Director of Live Arts at the Morris Museum.

The season kicks off on Saturday, June 11 with The Argus Quartet who will play a stellar program that includes Fanny Mendelssohn's rhapsodic String Quartet in E-flat major; Princeton faculty member and composer, Juri Seo's Respiri; Christopher Cerrone's Can't and Won't; and Of Being, a work by Jessica Meyer that was commissioned for the Argus Quartet by Chamber Music America. The next concerts in June include the return of two Back Deck veterans: Martin Pizzarelli who plays jazz favorites and Tesla Quartet whose technical command of the quartet form have made them a staple of Lot of Strings since they launched the series in 2020.

The season continues in July and August with the Telegraph Quartet playing Schoenberg, Amani bringing a Caribbean twist to local summertime favorites, Dan Levinson, and newcomer Alea who will deliver her original compositions with buttery vocals and riveting sax solos. Below is the full schedule.

Back Deck 2022 Schedule

Argus Quartet || June 11 at 8 PM

Martin Pizzarelli and Friends || June 23 at 8 PM

Tesla Quartet || June 30 at 8 PM

Telegraph Quartet || July 7 at 8 PM

Amani: Caribbean Calypso || July 9 at 8 PM

Dan Levinson || July 21 at 8 PM

Antoinette Montague || July 30 at 8 PM

Danny Jonokuchi || August 4 at 8 PM

Balourdet Quartet || August 13 at 8 PM

Evan Sherman Big Band || August 20 at 8 PM

Alea || August 25 at 8 PM

For tickets and information: morrismuseum.org/outdoor-events

Major support for Lot of Strings Music Festival is provided by Will and Mary Leland. Additional support provided by Lot of Strings founding donor, F. Gary Knapp.

Back Deck Visitor Information and Guidelines

Attendees must bring their own chairs and are welcome to bring refreshments to enjoy the live music atop the Morris Museum's elevated parking deck. All tickets are $50 for an 8'x8' block that accommodates up to two patrons. Concerts begin at 8 PM but patrons are welcome to arrive as early as 6:30 to enjoy their picnics by the evening sun. In the event of inclement weather, outdoor performances will be held inside the Museum's Bickford Theatre. Masks are required while in the Bickford Theatre.

About the Morris Museum

Founded in 1913, the Morris Museum is an award-winning, multifaceted arts 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. 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. As New Jersey's only Smithsonian Affiliate, it launched Spark!Lab, a dynamic, Smithsonian-created learning space which will inspire young visitors to create, collaborate, and innovate.

To post a comment, you must register and login.