The Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey under the baton of Maestro Robert W. Butts will present an afternoon of new contemporary classical music. Tickets are $20. You can purchase them on the BONJ website below.
Program
The New Contemporary – Music by David Williams, Michael DeMaio, and Robert W. Butts
Michael DeMaio
Three Poems by Maya Angelou: 1. Glory Falls – 2. The Caged Bird – 3. Life Doesn’t Frighten Me
Timothy Maureen Cole, soprano
Nan Childress Orchard, piano
Along a Peaceful Path: 1. Meandering 2. Frolic 3. Under a Tree 4. Bopping Home
Alyson Whelan – Violin, viola, cello
Nan Childress Orchard – piano
David Williams
Monument
Nan Childress Orchard – piano
Sacred Dances
String Quartet
Robert W. Butts
Selections from Vite senza tempo
Timothy Maureen Cole, soprano
Dmitri Zigrino, tenor
Nan Childress Orchard, piano
The Composers
Michael DeMaio is a musician and educator. He is a graduate of William Paterson University (B.A. Music) and Montclair State University (M.A. Music Theory and Composition). His compositions include: “A Christmas Carol – A Musical”. Twenty-nine national and inter-national productions. “Thornrose the Sleeping Beauty” – A Fairy Tale Musical”. Book by Jan Lindvik. Barn-Og Ungomsteater, Sandvika, Norway, March 8-25, 2007. Drammen Barn-og- Ungdomsteater, Drammen, Norway. “Once Upon a Christmas – A Musical”. Porchlight Players, Glen Rock, NJ. December 2011.This production was nominated for a New Jersey Perry Award. The Shawnee Playhouse, Shawnee-On-Delaware, PA. December 2015. “The Skylands” festival overture composed to commemorate the 50th season of the New Sussex Symphony. March 21, 2008. “Sleeping Beauty – A Fairy Tale Musical”. Concertized version with soloists, chorus, narrator and Orchestra. The New Sussex Symphony. March 21, 2008. “Scrooge – En Julefortelling”. Norwegian libretto by Jan Lindvik. Lillestrᴓm Kultersenter, Lillestrᴓm, Norway. November-December 2012. “Tales: A Cautionary Story About Heroin Addiction”, a film by Theresa DeSalvio. Music score, April 2016. In 2008 and 2009 Michael was recipient of the ASCAP PLUS AWARD. In August 2018 his musical “Madison Square Park” with book writer Michael F. Bruck premiered at The Medicine Show Theatre, New York City. In 2019 his musical “One Summer Morning” with book by Michael F. Bruck premiered at The Tada Theatre in Lower Manhattan. In November 2021, Michael’s musical “Full Circle” with book by Michael F. Bruck premiered at The Sargent Theatre in New York City. In November and December 2022 Michael’s musical adaptation of “A Christmas Carl” was produced by the Shawnee Playhouse, Shawnee-On-Delaware, PA. Upcoming in September 2024 Michael’s new musical adaptation of “Thornrose the Sleeping Beauty” will be produced by The Shawnee Playhouse, Shawnee-On-Delaware, PA.
David Williams is an American composer whose primary focus has been to write the music that he, himself, would like to hear written. He does this with brave melodies, repeated motifs and contrasting juxtapositions – these are the things from which his music is made. David holds a B.A in Music and an M.A. in Composition and Theory, but unlike most other composers his career was in Information Technology making time, where able, to compose. In retirement, writing new pieces takes the lion’s share of his time. He currently has artists in Europe, South America as well as the United States performing his works. Contact David at: real.williams.david@gmail.com.
Robert Butts Maestro Butts has composed popular works for orchestra, voice, and chamber ensembles. He is the first American (USA) composer to have composed and premiered an Italian opera (Vite senza tempo). His Viola Concerto has been a broadcast feature 3 times on Performance Today. His compositions have been premiered in the United States, Italy, Poland, England, and France. His songs set to the poetry of Phills Wheatley have been used as soundtrack for virtual exhibits through Revolutionary Spaces. He served as Conductor and Composer for the Alion Baltic Music Festival in Estonia and has conducted concerts in Italy, Russia, Romania, and France. He has served as conductor for Eastern Opera, Opera at Florham, Light Opera of New Jersey, and New Jersey Concert Opera. Maestro Butts was named 2019 Artist of the Year by The New York Classical Music Society and received the 2019 Exemplary Leader Award from the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. He was aslo the recipient of the 2004 Arts Council of the Morris Area (now Morris Arts) Arts Professional of the Year and has been a finalist several times for The American Prize for orchestral and opera conducting and for composing. He received the 2011 Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award, the 2011 American Prize Citation for outstanding educational and outreach work in music, was named a 2015 American Prize Honored Artist, was named 2018 Honored Artist by The New York Classical Music Society, and was the 2016 recipient of the Morris County Tourism Board Tourism Award. On June 19, 2022, Maestro Butts made his Paris debut conducting his composition Strings Along the Seine, as well as works by Mozart, Vivaldi, Handel, and Puccini. Contact Robert at: boblute@aol.com.
