Abington Art Center In Montgomery County Brings Back Summer Concert Series This July

ABINGTON, PA — Joe Montone’s goal is to bring communities together through live music.

He has been doing so for Doylestown and the surrounding area for more than 12 years.

Now, the Bucks County music aficionado is crossing the county line and bringing his vision to Abington Township in eastern Montgomery County.

This July, Montone, 32, will help produce the Abington Art Center’s annual summer concert series, offering a lineup of local artists to welcome in the warmer months with a live musical event at Alverthorpe Manor.

“My intention with producing concerts has always been about creating community through live music,” Montone told Patch in a recent interview.

Montone was the producer behind Distance Picnic On Pine, a concert series in Doylestown, Bucks County that began in July 2020, soon after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

His goal was to create a “very safe and socially distant outdoor concert series,” Montone said.

The event ended up being a success, and, two years later, Montone ended up connecting with the folks at the Abington Art Center, who said they loved what he did out in Doylestown and was hoping he could bring the same brand of local musicianship to Abington.

The concert series, which will take place every Thursday throughout the month of July, is now seeking sponsorship opportunities in the months before the program is set to kick off.

“To be a sponsor of this concert series means taking a leadership role in bringing arts experiences to our larger community,” Abington Art Center Executive Director Rosalie Guzofsky said in a statement.

The Art Center says that there are different tiers of sponsorship and that each tier highlights sponsors in various ways and can even be tailored to the promotional needs of local neighbors and businesses.

Spaces will also be available for local artists, artisans and food vendors who are interested in being a part of the concert series.

Montone, who is also sponsorship and marketing coordinator for the concert series, said one of his goals with the music is to create a “soundtrack of togetherness.”

“What we intend to feature is an extension of the passion and energy of a summer night,” he said.

Montone, a Bucks County guy, said he didn’t even know about the existence of the Abington Arts Center before he connected with the organization.

He said he learned about the center when he happened to meet Ashara Shapiro, who is the events manager for the Art Center.

Shapiro said she loved what Montone had done with the Doylestown picnic event, and she wanted him to bring his expertise over to the Abington concert series, according to Montone.

As for those who are scheduled to perform during the series, the lineup itself is still being crafted.

Anyone interested in learning about sponsorship opportunities, or who would like additional general information about the concert series, can visit the Abington Arts Center website.