Jersey Arts Podcast

Hot music for a cold month - that's the idea behind Centenary Stage's January Thaw Music Fest in Hackettstown, NJ. Producer Susan Wallner talks with Eddie Allen, leader of 3hree for Louis, a six-piece ensemble playing the music of the great Louis Armstrong. "Louis had a way of putting his signature stamp on every tune he played. There’s no way to improve on what he did with his music," says Allen. "So, this three trumpet ensemble has taken some of the music Louis performed and rearranged them with “Louis-isms” throughout the music." 3hree for Louis performs Sunday, January 22. The January Thaw Music Fest begins this Saturday, January 14, with the Hoo Doo Loungers, called "the East Coast's New Orleans Party Band." The festival concludes on January 28 with Sweet Plaintain, a quartet fusing Western classical traditions with hip-hop, jazz, and Latin rhythms.

Hot music for a cold month - that's the idea behind Centenary Stage's January Thaw Music Fest in Hackettstown, NJ. Producer Susan Wallner talks with Eddie Allen, leader of 3hree for Louis, a six-piece ensemble playing the music of the great Louis Armstrong. "Louis had a way of putting his signature stamp on every tune he played. There’s no way to improve on what he did with his music," says Allen. "So, this three trumpet ensemble has taken some of the music Louis performed and rearranged them with “Louis-isms” throughout the music." 3hree for Louis performs Sunday, January 22. The January Thaw Music Fest begins this Saturday, January 14, with the Hoo Doo Loungers, called "the East Coast's New Orleans Party Band." The festival concludes on January 28 with Sweet Plaintain, a quartet fusing Western classical traditions with hip-hop, jazz, and Latin rhythms.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Whitney Houston’s smash hit single "I Will Always Love You" was everywhere in the nineties. It was the musical centerpiece of the 1992 Oscar-nominated romantic thriller "The Bodyguard," starring Houston and Kevin Costner. In a way, the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack was as big as the movie. Now, a musical version of "The Bodyguard" has been created for the stage, and the songs are front and center. It recently opened at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey – not far from Whitney Houston’s hometown, Newark. Christopher Benincasa spoke with Paper Mill’s Producing Artistic Director Mark Hoebee about what it takes to pull off a musical based on a blockbuster and some of the most iconic pop songs of an era. "The Bodyguard" runs through January 1 at Paper Mill Playhouse.

Whitney Houston’s smash hit single "I Will Always Love You" was everywhere in the nineties. It was the musical centerpiece of the 1992 Oscar-nominated romantic thriller "The Bodyguard," starring Houston and Kevin Costner. In a way, the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack was as big as the movie. Now, a musical version of "The Bodyguard" has been created for the stage, and the songs are front and center. It recently opened at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey – not far from Whitney Houston’s hometown, Newark. Christopher Benincasa spoke with Paper Mill’s Producing Artistic Director Mark Hoebee about what it takes to pull off a musical based on a blockbuster and some of the most iconic pop songs of an era. "The Bodyguard" runs through January 1 at Paper Mill Playhouse.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

"Hunger"is a new work based on old Irish songs and first-hand accounts of Ireland’s Great Famine of 1845-1852. It's an opera in the sense that it tells a big story through music. The composer, Donnacha Dennehy, and the lead singer, Iarla Ó Lionáird, join producer Susan Wallner to discuss singing in Irish and the connection between the dark times of the Great Famine and today’s world. The Princeton University Fund for Irish Studies presents excerpts from "Hunger" and a discussion with Donnacha and Iarla on Friday, November 18 at 4:30 pm at the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University. The event is free.

"Hunger" is a new work based on old Irish songs and first-hand accounts of Ireland’s Great Famine of 1845-1852. It's an opera in the sense that it tells a big story through music. The composer, Donnacha Dennehy, and the lead singer, Iarla Ó Lionáird, join producer Susan Wallner to discuss singing in Irish and the connection between the dark times of the Great Famine and today’s world. The Princeton University Fund for Irish Studies presents excerpts from "Hunger" and a discussion with Donnacha and Iarla on Friday, November 18 at 4:30 pm at the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

In an election season as outlandish as this one, it’s probably healthy to take a breather from the news – or get some perspective by seeing what a group of visual artists have to say about it. At The Printmaking Center of New Jersey in Branchburg, a new exhibit titled Election 2016 is on view through October 29. Christopher Benincasa recently spoke with artist Ken Schnall, who was the sole juror of Election 2016, in the Printmaking Center’s main gallery, surrounded by art that was equal parts political, editorial, and beautiful.

In an election season as outlandish as this one, it’s probably healthy to take a breather from the news – or get some perspective by seeing what a group of visual artists have to say about it. At The Printmaking Center of New Jersey in Branchburg, a new exhibit titled Election 2016 is on view through October 29. Christopher Benincasa recently spoke with artist Ken Schnall, who was the sole juror of Election 2016, in the Printmaking Center’s main gallery, surrounded by art that was equal parts political, editorial, and beautiful.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

On October 7th, The Growing Stage - The Children’s Theatre of New Jersey kicks off its 35th season with the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit "Peter and the Starcatcher." It tells the story of how a wayward orphan became Peter Pan – the famous, flying boy from Neverland who wouldn’t grow up. Cutthroat pirates, unlikely heroes, a treacherous jungle island, a giant crocodile, mermaids and a treasure chest full of mysterious starstuff make "Peter and the Starcatcher" a family-friendly adventure worthy of J. M. Barrie’s classic "Peter Pan" (which premiered as a play in 1904, then appeared in the form of a novel in 1911). Christopher Benincasa recently spoke with director Stephen L. Fredericks about bringing this beloved and critically acclaimed work of theatre to The Growing Stage.

On October 7th, The Growing Stage - The Children’s Theatre of New Jersey kicks off its 35th season with the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit "Peter and the Starcatcher." It tells the story of how a wayward orphan became Peter Pan – the famous, flying boy from Neverland who wouldn’t grow up. Cutthroat pirates, unlikely heroes, a treacherous jungle island, a giant crocodile, mermaids and a treasure chest full of mysterious starstuff make "Peter and the Starcatcher" a family-friendly adventure worthy of J. M. Barrie’s classic "Peter Pan" (which premiered as a play in 1904, then appeared in the form of a novel in 1911). Christopher Benincasa recently spoke with director Stephen L. Fredericks about bringing this beloved and critically acclaimed work of theatre to The Growing Stage.

Thanks for listening!

• Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.

The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

• Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
• Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.