New Concert Series Coming Friday Nights To Moorestown

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Perkins Center for the Arts has a new concert series beginning next month, with Friday night acoustic performances from an array of genres.

Perkins House Concerts will kick off Sept. 15 and then run on the second Friday of each month through April. The lineup features folk, roots music and jazz with an international flavor. (See the schedule below.)

Formerly known as DeCafe, the series will take place in Perkins' historic Tudor mansion in Moorestown.

"Perkins has had a long history of turning its intimate 'living room' space into a vibrant concert venue, bringing great music of all kinds to Moorestown," said Marion Jacobson, director of Perkins' Folklife Center. "This year we’re excited to offer a unique lineup of fabulous artists from around the world and around the corner — and the chance to discover emerging artists and types of music you might never have heard."

Selected events will feature a pre-concert community discussion with the chance to meet the musicians and learn more about their music.

Space is limited, and Perkins expects tickets to go quickly. A subscription to all seven concerts is $175 ($25 per show) and single tickets are $30. Admission includes coffee, tea and sweets.

Perkins House Concerts are a co-sponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Perkins Folklife Center. Learn more.

EVENT LINEUP

Here's the lineup, courtesy of Perkins Center.

Sept. 15

Ernesto’s Club is the piano and percussion duo of Rob Curto and Gregg Mervine, which explores the choro and samba traditions of Brazil. Celebrating their New Jersey debut, Ernesto’s Club is joined by two of South Jersey’s most accomplished Brazilian artists: Fabio Oliveira, head of Percussion Studies at Rowan University, and Fernanda da Silveira on cavaquinho, the ukulele’s Brazilian cousin.
Guests are invited for a pre-show conversation about Brazilian music.
(Note: this concert takes place on the third Friday due to the Labor Day holiday.)

Oct. 13

Alex Hiele Paris Jazz Combo takes listeners back in time to soak up the sounds of a Paris jazz club in the 1950s through arrangements of popular music from Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Michel Legrand and various French composers.

Nov. 10

The Jersey Corn Pickers are a Philadelphia-area band that plays original and traditional high-energy bluegrass and Americana music. Their style is infused with old time, folk, rock, blues, traditional country and all manner of American roots music.

Jan. 12

Slowey and the Boats is a Philadelphia-based band that plays Hawaiian-inspired steel guitar and jazz.

Feb. 9

Magdaliz and Her Latin Ensemble Crisol Crisol (the Spanish word for melting pot) is a Philadelphia-area ensemble dedicated to the interpretation of a variety of folk and traditional music genres from all over Latin America and the Caribbean (including Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, and other wonderful places).

March 8

World-renowned American experimental musician and composer Jair-Rohm Parker Wells’ blends avant-garde jazz, classical music, minimalism and ambient noise. He performs his audacious improvisations on a specially designed electro-acoustic bass that envelops the listener in an intense cloud of sound.

April 12

Armenian Social Club: Karinne' Andonian (vocals and guitar), Roger Mgrdichian (oud), and Haig Hovnanian (dumbeg) draw from folk traditions, ballads and dance rhythms of a culturally diverse region stretching from Anatolia to the Caucasus to New Jersey’s vibrant Armenian diaspora. This enchanting experience celebrates the heart and soul of Armenia’s rich musical heritage.