(MOORESTOWN, NJ) -- Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown has announced the lineup for this year's House Concert series of acoustic performances featuring folk, roots music, and jazz with an international flavor. From September 2024 to April 2025, Perkins House Concerts will bring celebrated folk, jazz, and world music artists from near and far to South Jersey. This series takes place in Perkins’ historic Tudor mansion in Moorestown.
“Our audiences love these events because they’re intimate and personal – the opposite of hearing live music in a bar. You get to hear amazing artists and enjoy a wonderful community of friends and music fans putting on these shows,” said Perkins’ Folklife Center Director Marion Jacobson.
Perkins House Concerts kick off on September 20 and will run on the second Friday night of each month through April 2025.
Selected events will feature a pre-concert Community Discussion, an opportunity to meet the musicians and learn more about their music.
Tickets are expected to go quickly for these events and space is limited. A subscription to all seven concerts is $175 ($25 per concert) and single tickets are $30. Admission includes coffee, tea and sweets. Tickets are available for purchase online.
House Concerts are a project of the Perkins Folklife Center and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Friday, September 20, 2024 - Hot Club of Philadelphia. An acoustic ensemble dedicated to playing ‘gypsy jazz.’ That’s the term used to describe the music pioneered by the legendary original ‘Hot Club of France Quintet,’ which was attempting to do their own version of American ‘Hot Jazz’ as played by artists like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. They used acoustic guitars, bass and violin, rather than horns and drums, with Parisian flair. Hot Club frequently performs at venues like WorldCafe Live and City Winery. Their albums can be found/streamed here www.hotclubofphiladelphia.com. Introducing Nathalie (Talie) Cerin, Haitian Singer-Songwriter. There will be a Pre-Concert Talk at 7:00pm: “What is Gypsy Jazz?” facilitated by Tina Schofield, Perkins Conservatory Manager.
Note: This concert takes place on the third Friday due to the Moorestown Music Collective concert on September 13.
Friday, October 18, 2024 - Waterside Vibes. Led by New York-based multi-instrumentalist educator and performer (percussion and piano), Nat Aguilar, Waterside Vibes plays a mix of jazz, funk, soul, and world music.
Note this concert is rescheduled for Oct. 18 due to the Yom Kippur holiday.
Friday, November 8, 2024 - Jackson Pines. An American folk rock band from New Jersey that has been described by Billboard Magazine as a “mash-up of James Taylor and Tom Petty with serious focus on acoustic guitar.” Also featuring a performance by “New Jersey Troubadour” Valerie Vaughn, 2023 New Jersey Council on the Arts Fellow. More information about Jackson Pines here.
January 10, 2025 - Aaron Parnell Brown & The Riverside Gang. Enjoy a spirited and soulful evening of funk, jazz, and blues. Since the 2012 release of their self-released debut Sing, Aaron Parnell Brown & The Riverside Gang have captivated audiences everywhere from NYC’s jazz clubs to NPR's Mountain Stage. For more on the band, click here.
February 14, 2025 - Jaffna. Named after the Sri Lankan capital, Jaffna combines instruments and influences from the performers’ places of origin: the Middle East, India, Armenia, and anywhere else that inspires them. With roots in the world music fusion movement, the group maintains its distinct style with original songs and riffs that stretch the boundaries of their respective cultures. For more on the band, click here.
March 14, 2025 - The John Byrne Band. Americana meets Celtic folk! The John Byrne Band has been a part of the thriving Philadelphia music scene for over a decade. The Dublin native has recorded three critically-acclaimed albums, After the Wake (2011), Celtic Folk (2013) and The Immigrant and The Orphan (2015). About their latest album, one critic called it “a powerful, deeply moving work that will stay with you long after you have heard it” (Sing Out magazine). The band gets rave reviews as a supporting act for artists like Hothouse Flowers, Deep Purple’s Ian Gilllian, and rock idol Patti Smith. For more on the band, click here.
April 11, 2025 - OPA. Greek Party Band OPA! is led by astounding multi-instrumentalist Bill Koutsoros. Their final House Concert will be a joyous celebration of music from Greece, the Middle East and Balkan countries, with audiences jumping to their feet dancing to this relatable music! The son of a renowned Greek guitarist father and a belly dancer mother, Bill’s musical journey began as a teenager with his first electric guitar. Bill also plays the bouzouki, the oud, doumbek, an Egyptian goblet drum, and the riq, the Arab tambourine. Bill also founded the musical group Animus, an original world fusion ensemble who have performed at the Kimmel Center and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. For more on the band, click here.
Join them at 6:30pm for a conversation with Bill and a mini-tour of the instruments, led by Folklife Center Director Marion Jacobson.
House Concerts is a co-sponsored project of the Perkins Folklife Center and New Jersey State Council on the Arts and its partner agency, the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by the Perkins Conservatory.
The Perkins Folklife Center is one of five regional Folklife Centers supported by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA). Their mission is to contribute to the rich tapestry of their collective experience by providing vibrant, inclusive spaces where artists of all backgrounds can thrive, collaborate and innovate.
Perkins Center for the Arts is a regional multi-disciplinary arts education center with locations in Moorestown and Collingswood, New Jersey. With a mission to enrich lives, inspire life-long learning, and cultivate intercultural experiences, Perkins Center for the Arts offers a music conservatory, visual and performing arts classes, exhibitions, concerts, artist-led school residency programs, summer camp, Folklife Center, and community enrichment projects.
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