Go out on this first weekend of the new year and enjoy Montclair Art Museum’s First Free Thursday Night. Egan and Sons will be there offering a full-service bar with special First Thursday Night prices and a signature cocktail. You’ll enjoy live music by the Montclair State John J. Cali School of Music Jazz Studies Program, led by saxophonist Dan Braden, tour the two soon-to-be-closing exhibits Saya Woolfalk’s The Empathics and Georgia O’Keeffe in New Mexico, and see a special presentation by Combat Paper NJ, a veteran-led program that uses the ancient art of handmade papermaking to help veterans recover from the physical, psychological, and emotional effects of war.
Free First Thursday Night
Thursday, January 3 from 5 pm – 9 pm
MAM, 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ, 07042
Free
Jacques Lacombe leads the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in Gustav Holst’s suite The Planets at NJPAC in Newark on Friday night featuring the American Boychoir. “In the ever-popular The Planets, we see ourselves reflected in Holst’s astrological characters while our imaginations race among the heavenly bodies. Michael Tippett incorporates the sound of human breathing to create the heart of his celebrated Symphony No. 4.” I had the pleasure of seeing an NJSO performance for the first time recently and was very impressed. Tickets are still available, but act fast.
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra The Planets
Friday, January 4 at 8 pm
NJPAC, One Center Street, Newark, NJ
Tickets range from $20-$88 and can be purchased online here
Or you could see Deadgood Events performance of a ARRR! A Very British Pantomime at the Burgdorff Center in Maplewood. Arrr! is a family show in the long-standing and riotous tradition of British “Panto”. The hero, Jim Ladd, has to rescue Mary-Ann, the love of his life, from the clutches of Captain Beardy and his villainous pirates, and win her hand and the approval of her father the grumpy mayor. There’s ghosts, treasure, bananas, a dancing cow, and Sirocco the goddess of the winds. Deadgood says, “It’s more than a performance—the audience shout, sing, hoot and holler!”
ARRR! A Very British Pantomime
Friday, January 4 at 7 pm
Burgdorff Cultural Center, 10 Durand Road, Maplewood, NJ
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online here
NOTE: CANCELLED: “Due to unforeseen circumstances the Saturday show with Arne Englund is cancelled.”
On Saturday night, you can go to Ruthie’s BBQ & Pizza in Montclair to enjoy the music of Arne Englund and Eric Heilner. They’ll be playing some great Blues while Ruthie’s offers up good food. Most people agree that Ruthie’s serves up some good pizza, but I suggest you try the best Mac and Cheese in town. Trust me, it’s so good you’ll be singing the Blues when you’ve finished it wanting more. Check our Arne Englund’s bluesy guitar playing in this video:
Arne Englund and Eric Heilner Live Blues at Ruthie’s BBQ
Saturday, January 5 from 7 pm – 9 pm
Ruthie’s BBQ & Pizza, 64 1/2 Chestnut Street, Montclair, NJ, 07042
BYO and no cover
Perhaps you, like most others, made a New Year’s resolution to get fit and healthy. If so, you may want to try fitness and yoga expert Danielle Diamond’s Twisting Yoga Workshop on Sunday at Garden State Yoga in Bloomfield. Wring out the new year in a creatively sequenced twisting workshop that will leave you feeling as refreshed as this year’s intention. “Twisting creates flexibility in the spine, detoxes the organs, encourages circulation, and leaves the body feeling rejuvenated and restored.”
Twisting Workshop with Danielle Diamond
Sunday, January 6 from 1 pm – 3 pm
Garden State Yoga, 71 Washington Street, Bloomfield, NJ
$30 Pre-register / $35 day of. Register online here
To find out what else is going on this weekend, be sure to check our calendar.
Free Thursday at MAM was a great success. We took our children and although there weren’t many kids there, they had a fab time. We listened to the music, saw some Georgia O’Keefe paintings and listened to the speakers from the Combat Paper NJ group. See you in February!