Morris Museum

New Jersey-native and GRAMMY-winning drummer Evan Sherman returns to the Back Deck! Only in his 30’s, Evan has already made a name for himself as a highly sought after sideman and bandleader of many configurations including big bands and small groups. Join us for another one-of-a-kind evening with Evan Sherman &amp; Friends.
<h3>About Evan Sherman</h3>
GRAMMY-winning drummer Evan Sherman began playing professionally as a teenager. In 2011, Evan attended Manhattan School of Music with a Presidential Scholarship and before graduating in 2015, had already been hired personally to play in the bands of Ron Carter, Cyrus Chestnut, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, John Lee, and Branford &amp; Wynton Marsalis. Sherman has been credited “who, though in his mid-20s plays here like an old master” for his work on the 2017 release, Masters Legacy featuring Ron Carter. In 2022, Evan began touring and recording with multi GRAMMY winning vocalist, Samara Joy performing on five continents at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Paris Philarmonie, main stages at top jazz festivals including North Sea, Newport, Montreux, Monterey, and TV appearances on the GRAMMYs, Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Today Show, 60 Minutes, Jennifer Hudson’s &amp; Kelly Clarkson’s shows, to name a few. Sherman has recorded on 10+ albums as a sideman, and in 2021 released his debut quintet album, Sidewalkin’. He can also be heard on Samara Joy’s GRAMMY-winning 2023 recording of “Tight” and 2024, release Portrait as drummer and arranger. Evan is grateful for the support of Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drum Sticks, and Prologix Drum Pads.
<h3>Back Deck Visitor Information and Guidelines</h3>
Attendees must bring their own chairs and are welcome to bring refreshments. Guests are encouraged to bring standard-height outdoor chairs for the most comfortable seating experience. Tickets are $63 for an 8’x8’ block that accommodates up to two patrons or $33 for a block that accommodates one. There is a $3 handling fee per block included in the price. Concerts begin at 7:30 PM. Patrons are welcome to arrive as early as 6:30 PM to enjoy their picnics. In the event of inclement weather, outdoor performances will be held in the Museum’s Bickford Theatre, general admission. For assistance and to make purchases by phone, call the box office at 973-971-3706. All programs subject to change.

Local Event: Evan Sherman

Morris County

Morristown

New Jersey

Evan Sherman

New Jersey-native and GRAMMY-winning drummer Evan Sherman returns to the Back Deck! Only in his 30’s, Evan has already made a...

Grammy‑nominated vocalist Carla Cook brings a rich, soulful voice and impeccable jazz phrasing to the stage. Her interpretations are warm, witty, and deeply musical, blending swing, gospel, R&amp;B, and contemporary influences into a sound that is unmistakably her own.
Cook’s presence on the Back Deck creates an atmosphere of intimacy and connection. Whether delivering a tender ballad or a playful standard, she invites audiences into the heart of the song with grace, charm, and expressive depth.
<h3>Back Deck Visitor Information and Guidelines</h3>
Attendees must bring their own chairs and are welcome to bring refreshments. Guests are encouraged to bring standard-height outdoor chairs for the most comfortable seating experience. Tickets are $63 for an 8’x8’ block that accommodates up to two patrons or $33 for a block that accommodates one. There is a $3 handling fee per block included in the price. Concerts begin at 7:30 PM. Patrons are welcome to arrive as early as 6:30 PM to enjoy their picnics. In the event of inclement weather, outdoor performances will be held in the Museum’s Bickford Theatre, general admission. For assistance and to make purchases by phone, call the box office at 973-971-3706. All programs subject to change.

Local Event: Carla Cook

Carla Cook

Grammy‑nominated vocalist Carla Cook brings a rich, soulful voice and impeccable jazz phrasing to the stage. Her...

Bria Skonberg is a Juno-award winning artist, 10x Downbeat Rising Star, recipient of the Legend Award by the Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook and a 2025 nominee for the prestigious “Academie du Jazz” awards. The trumpeter, vocalist, and songwriter has been called the “shining hope of hot jazz” (NY Times) and is considered “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” (WSJ).
Skonberg’s Back Deck performance is a summer highlight: spirited, stylish, and full of rhythmic spark. She brings both virtuosity and approachability, creating a concert that feels like a celebration of jazz’s past, present, and future.
<h3>Back Deck Visitor Information and Guidelines</h3>
Attendees must bring their own chairs and are welcome to bring refreshments. Guests are encouraged to bring standard-height outdoor chairs for the most comfortable seating experience. Tickets are $63 for an 8’x8’ block that accommodates up to two patrons or $33 for a block that accommodates one. There is a $3 handling fee per block included in the price. Concerts begin at 7:30 PM. Patrons are welcome to arrive as early as 6:30 PM to enjoy their picnics. In the event of inclement weather, outdoor performances will be held in the Museum’s Bickford Theatre, general admission. For assistance and to make purchases by phone, call the box office at 973-971-3706. All programs subject to change.

Local Event: Bria Skonberg

Bria Skonberg

Bria Skonberg is a Juno-award winning artist, 10x Downbeat Rising Star, recipient of the Legend Award by the Society for the...

Lynette Sheard returns to the Back Deck, this time featuring legendary bassist John Lee. Together, they will celebrate the music of Charlie Parker and Dinah Washington, both of whom have birthdays on August 29th!
Accomplished muralist and Sheard’s daughter, Monet Sheard, will capture the atmosphere of the event by live painting throughout the performance.
Lynette Sheard is a versatile vocalist. She is an award winning actor, producer, director and vocal coach, and mental health advocate. She performs Jazz, Blues, R&amp;B, Gospel, Soul and Pop music. Theater credits include principal roles in: Dream Girls, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and Ragtime. Broadway World declared that “she is fabulous with a voice that shakes the rafters” Lynette is also featured in the “Encyclopedia of Newark Jazz.” 
From 1984 thru 1993, John Lee was Dizzy Gillespie’s bassist. Performing and recording in the trumpet master’s various bands including the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, and Dizzy’s Grammy Award winning United Nation Orchestra. After Dizzy’s passing, his family asked John to create an ongoing tribute to the great man and his music—and the concept for the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars was born. John is the bassist and director of the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, and the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Latin Experience. John has worked in the bands of Gary Bartz, Larry Coryell, Jon Faddis, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Gambarini, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Gregory Hines, Miriam Makeba, James Moody, Claudio Roditi, Sonny Rollins, and McCoy Tyner. John is also a Grammy Award winning record producer and audio engineer. He has produced over 100 recordings and is the co-founder of the record label JLP, Jazz Legacy Productions. The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Band’s have performed in major concert halls and jazz festivals throughout the world including; Angola, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Curaçao, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, and Wales.
Monet Sheard is a visionary muralist and public artist based in West Orange, New Jersey, whose vibrant work transforms urban spaces into immersive storytelling experiences. A proud West Orange native, Monet gained regional acclaim with her mural “Imagine”, a centerpiece of the town’s “Imagination Alley” project. Funded by a Main Street New Jersey Transformation Grant, the mural was selected from a competitive national call for artists and now serves as a beacon of creativity and community pride.
Her artistic footprint extends beyond West Orange, with installations featured at Newark International Airport and the Newark Visitors Center, showcasing her ability to blend bold color palettes with themes of hope, diversity, and imagination. Monet’s work invites viewers to engage with their surroundings in new ways, sparking dialogue and reflection through visual storytelling.
<h3>Back Deck Visitor Information and Guidelines</h3>
Attendees must bring their own chairs and are welcome to bring refreshments. Guests are encouraged to bring standard-height outdoor chairs for the most comfortable seating experience. Tickets are $63 for an 8’x8’ block that accommodates up to two patrons or $33 for a block that accommodates one. There is a $3 handling fee per block included in the price. Concerts begin at 7:30 PM. Patrons are welcome to arrive as early as 6:30 PM to enjoy their picnics. In the event of inclement weather, outdoor performances will be held in the Museum’s Bickford Theatre, general admission. For assistance and to make purchases by phone, call the box office at 973-971-3706. All programs subject to change.

Local Event: Lynette Sheard: With John Lee and Friends

Lynette Sheard: With John Lee and Friends

Lynette Sheard returns to the Back Deck, this time featuring legendary bassist John Lee. Together, they will celebrate the...

Join us for a night of woodwind virtuosity with a stellar quintet from the celebrated Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Travel from the 15th-century courts of Provence to the jazz-steeped banks of the Mississippi in a concert that blends serenades and dances of Darius Milhaud, Antonin Dvořák and Ludwig van Beethoven, with the fiery music of American phenoms Valerie Coleman and Jim Parker, and the Afro-Cuban pulses of Paquito d’Rivera. It’s a celebration of dance and storytelling under the stars at the Morris Museum.
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a radical experiment in musical democracy, proving for over fifty years what happens when exceptional artists gather with total trust in each other and faith in the creative process. Orpheus began in 1972 when cellist Julian Fifer assembled a group of New York freelancers in their early twenties to play orchestral repertoire as if it were chamber music. In that age of co-ops and communes, the idealistic Orpheans snubbed the “corporate” path of symphony orchestras and learned how to play, plan, and promote concerts as a true collective, with leadership roles rotating from the very first performance. It’s one thing for the four players of a string quartet to lean into the group sound and react spontaneously, but with 20 to 30 musicians together, the complexities and payoffs are magnified exponentially. Within its first decade, Orpheus made Carnegie Hall their home and became a global sensation through tours of Europe and Asia.
<h3>Program</h3>
<ul><li>Darius Milhaud, La Cheminée du Roi René, Op.205</li><li>Valerie Coleman, Tzigane</li><li>Antonin Dvořák, Slavonic Dancesfrom Op.46 /72</li><li>Jim Parker, Mississippi Five</li><li>Paquito d’Rivera, Aires Tropicales</li></ul>
<h3>Back Deck Visitor Information and Guidelines</h3>
Attendees must bring their own chairs and are welcome to bring refreshments. Guests are encouraged to bring standard-height outdoor chairs for the most comfortable seating experience. Tickets are $63 for an 8’x8’ block that accommodates up to two patrons or $33 for a block that accommodates one. There is a $3 handling fee per block included in the price. Concerts begin at 7:30 PM. Patrons are welcome to arrive as early as 6:30 PM to enjoy their picnics. In the event of inclement weather, outdoor performances will be held in the Museum’s Bickford Theatre, general admission. For assistance and to make purchases by phone, call the box office at 973-971-3706. All programs subject to change.

Local Event: Orpheus Chamber Players: Night Revels

Orpheus Chamber Players: Night Revels

Join us for a night of woodwind virtuosity with a stellar quintet from the celebrated Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Travel from...

Send off the summer in Roaring Twenties style with Mike Davis and the New Wonders! Featuring familiar favorites and forgotten gems of the jazz age, dancers and listeners alike will enjoy this program of sizzling hot jazz. Show off your seersucker and linen one more time as we enjoy another evening of hot jazz on the back deck!
“Eloquent trumpet prodigy” Mike Davis (Wall Street Journal) has a voice beyond his years on his instrument. His playing is imbued with the sounds of prohibition-era speakeasies, Hoovervilles of the depression, and glittering jazz palaces of the swing era, creating a timeless cocktail of American music. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Mike began his trumpet instruction at age nine with Jerry Oram in Seattle and went on to study with Laurie Frink during his undergraduate years. Both encouraged his interest in early jazz styles, which led to his beginning to work professionally in New York City while still in college. He now appears regularly around New York City as the leader of the New Wonders and with Dandy Wellington and his band, Emily Asher’s Garden Party, Glenn Crytzer, Terry Waldo, Baby Soda, Dan Levinson, and many other traditional jazz and swing bands. A regular at the celebrated jam session at Mona’s Bar, Mike is one of the vanguard of young musicians bringing traditional jazz to the forefront of the NYC music scene.
<h3>Back Deck Visitor Information and Guidelines</h3>
Attendees must bring their own chairs and are welcome to bring refreshments. Guests are encouraged to bring standard-height outdoor chairs for the most comfortable seating experience. Tickets are $63 for an 8’x8’ block that accommodates up to two patrons or $33 for a block that accommodates one. There is a $3 handling fee per block included in the price. Concerts begin at 7:30 PM. Patrons are welcome to arrive as early as 6:30 PM to enjoy their picnics. In the event of inclement weather, outdoor performances will be held in the Museum’s Bickford Theatre, general admission. For assistance and to make purchases by phone, call the box office at 973-971-3706. All programs subject to change.

Local Event: Blanc Aprés Labor Day: with Mike Davis and the New Wonders

Blanc Aprés Labor Day: with Mike Davis and the...

Send off the summer in Roaring Twenties style with Mike Davis and the New Wonders! Featuring familiar favorites and forgotten...

Blanc Aprés Labor Day: with Mike Davis and the New Wonders

Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ, 07960

This event is part of a lecture series, Breakfast University, dedicated to arts and culture.What is the American Sound? Does such a thing exist in the realm of concert music? During the 1920s and 30s, composers, music critics, entertainment executives and audiences believed in the idea of an American Sound, and they worked hard to promote their various points of view in the concert hall, via newspaper articles, through advertising and on film. This course explores the origins of two quintessential American masterpieces — George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Duke Ellington’s Symphony in Black — and their relationship to contemporary American culture. Using film clips, music excerpts, and popular dance steps from the 1920s and 30s, Professor Anna Celenza of Johns Hopkins University introduces participants to the wide range of musical genres and styles that influenced Gershwin and Ellington (from spirituals, blues, and Klezmer music to Tin Pan Alley songs, opera, Ragtime and even symphonic forms). 
Doors open at 9:15 AM for coffee, and the lecture starts at 10:00 AM.

Local Event: Gershwin, Ellington, and the Search for the American Sound: Anna Celenza / Johns Hopkins

Gershwin, Ellington, and the Search for the...

This event is part of a lecture series, Breakfast University, dedicated to arts and culture.What is the American Sound? Does...

Gershwin, Ellington, and the Search for the American Sound: Anna Celenza / Johns Hopkins

This event is part of a lecture series, Breakfast University, dedicated to arts and culture.From its introduction in 1839, photography has transformed the ways in which we see the world. Photographs capture events and transform them; they depict reality but also tell a story. Examining the histories of these images, and learning how to read them, provides a deeper understanding of how photographs have shaped, and continue to shape, American society and culture. We’ll explore: Dorothea Lange’s&nbsp;Migrant Mother, Joe Rosenthal’s&nbsp;Flag Raising on Mt. Suribichi, Nick Ut’s&nbsp;Napalm Girl, Stanley Forman’s&nbsp;The Soiling of Old Glory, and Thomas Franklin’s&nbsp;Raising the Flag at Ground Zero. 
Louis Masur is Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University. 
Doors open at 9:15 AM for coffee, and the lecture starts at 10:00 AM.

Local Event: Photographs That Changed America: Louis Masur / Rutgers

Photographs That Changed America: Louis Masur /...

This event is part of a lecture series, Breakfast University, dedicated to arts and culture.From its introduction in 1839,...

Photographs That Changed America: Louis Masur / Rutgers

This event is part of a lecture series, Breakfast University, dedicated to arts and culture.
While countless books have been published since the printing press, a small number have had a true impact on American culture, history, and society.  Literature tells the American story by capturing the nation’s evolving cultural landscape through a variety of diverse perspectives. Themes of individualism, race, fantasy, and even the “American Dream” bridge gaps left by traditional, objective history. This presentation will unveil the mysteries of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Joseph Heller’s&nbsp;Catch 22, Toni Morrison’s&nbsp;Beloved, Margaret Atwood’s&nbsp;The Handmaid’s Tale, and more. 
Joseph Luzzi is the Asher B. Edelman Professor of Literature at Bard College. 
Doors open at 9:15 AM for coffee, and the lecture starts at 10:00 AM.

Local Event: The Story of America in Four Remarkable Books: Joseph Luzzi / Bard

The Story of America in Four Remarkable Books:...

This event is part of a lecture series, Breakfast University, dedicated to arts and culture.
While countless books have been...

The Story of America in Four Remarkable Books: Joseph Luzzi / Bard

This event is part of a lecture series, Breakfast University, dedicated to arts and culture. This engaging talk describes empirical research showing how engaging with the arts benefits psychological and physical well-being. You’ll learn why visiting museums helps reduce anxiety, depression, and loneliness, and how simply looking at art can reduce stress and boost the immune system. We’ll also explore why creating art improves cognitive functioning as well as life satisfaction.  We’ll  investigate how music, literature and performance serve as sparks for experiencing, processing, and understanding human feeling. This talk ends by providing practical, evidence-based strategies that audience members can immediately apply to enhance well-being. Catherine A. Sanderson is the Manwell Family Professor of Life Sciences (Psychology) at Amherst College. Doors open at 9:15 AM for coffee, and the lecture starts at 10:00 AM.

Local Event: Happiness, Health, and the Arts: Catherine Sanderson / Amherst

Happiness, Health, and the Arts: Catherine...

This event is part of a lecture series, Breakfast University, dedicated to arts and culture. This engaging talk describes...

Happiness, Health, and the Arts: Catherine Sanderson / Amherst

This event is part of a lecture series, Breakfast University, dedicated to arts and culture. While it may be interesting to know which are the most expensive, the most famous, or the most historically significant works, such lists rarely bring us a greater understanding of what art is really all about. For that, you need to turn to a very different set of paintings that stand out in their own way; paintings that can provide new insight into unique and unexpected possibilities of art. This presentation will look at five exemplary works from different times, places, and genres.  The specific paintings discussed  are  by  Rembrandt, Raphael, van Eyck, Monet and Jackson Pollock. Bonus: a painting from the Morris Museum will be discussed as well! Tina Rivers Ryan is internationally renowned as one of the leading experts on contemporary art and art history. Doors open at 9:15 AM for coffee, and the lecture starts at 10:00 AM.

Local Event: Paintings Every Art Lover Should See: Tina Ryan / Columbia

Paintings Every Art Lover Should See: Tina Ryan...

This event is part of a lecture series, Breakfast University, dedicated to arts and culture. While it may be interesting to...

Paintings Every Art Lover Should See: Tina Ryan / Columbia

This event is part of a lecture series, Breakfast University, dedicated to arts and culture. Einstein’s name is synonymous with genius. His wild-haired, thoughtful-eyed face has become an icon of modern science. His ideas changed the way we see the universe, the meaning of truth, and the very limits of human knowledge. Einstein’s elevation to worldwide fame was closely tied to political and social developments such as World War I, Zionism, and the rise of the Nazis. As he became an incarnation of genius, people sought out his views on everything from world peace to the nature of God – and his opinions often had surprising links to his scientific work. The picture of Einstein we end up with, and what we’ll explore in this presentation, is a figure somehow both revolutionary and deeply traditional, emblematic of the modern age, but also profoundly uncomfortable with it. Matthew Stanley teaches and researches the history and philosophy of science. Doors open at 9:15 AM for coffee, and the lecture starts at 10:00 AM.<table><tbody><tr><td></td></tr>
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Local Event: Albert Einstein - The Man Behind the Myth: Matthew Stanley / NYU

Albert Einstein - The Man Behind the Myth:...

This event is part of a lecture series, Breakfast University, dedicated to arts and culture. Einstein’s name is synonymous...

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Posting Activity

Evan Sherman

AUG

13

7:30 PM

Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ

Carla Cook

AUG

20

7:30 PM

Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ

Bria Skonberg

AUG

26

7:30 PM

Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ

Lynette Sheard: With John Lee and Friends

AUG

29

7:30 PM

Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ

Orpheus Chamber Players: Night Revels

SEP

3

7:30 PM

Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ

Blanc Aprés Labor Day: with Mike Davis and the New Wonders

SEP

10

7:30 PM

Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ

Gershwin, Ellington, and the Search for the American Sound: Anna Celenza / Johns Hopkins

OCT

13

9:15 AM

Morristown, NJ

Photographs That Changed America: Louis Masur / Rutgers

NOV

17

9:15 AM

Morristown, NJ

The Story of America in Four Remarkable Books: Joseph Luzzi / Bard

DEC

8

9:15 AM

Morristown, NJ

Happiness, Health, and the Arts: Catherine Sanderson / Amherst

JAN

12

9:15 AM

Morristown, NJ

Paintings Every Art Lover Should See: Tina Ryan / Columbia

FEB

9

9:15 AM

Morristown, NJ

Albert Einstein - The Man Behind the Myth: Matthew Stanley / NYU

MAR

9

9:15 AM

Morristown, NJ

Happiness, Health, and the Arts: Catherine Sanderson / Amherst