Tesla Quartet to Return To The Morris Museum's Lot Of Strings Music Festival

Tesla Quartet will return to the Morris Museum's Lot of Strings Music Festival on Sunday, June 30 at 8:00 PM. Tesla dazzled audiences these past two summers when they became a favorite in the Lot of Strings Music Festival. This appearance marks the 60th outdoor performance at the Morris Museum since July 2020, and Tesla's 6th outing in the series. They will bring their signature musicianship to works by Haydn, Ravel, Jessie Montgomery, and Grażyna Bacewicz.

"Tesla opened Lot of Strings Music Festival when it initially began as an experiment in 2020 and have since become part of the fabric of the series. Their technical brilliance and emotive musical prowess helped establish this series early on as one that is top rate and adventurous." said Brett Wellman Messenger, Curatorial Director of Live Arts at the Morris Museum.

Praised for their "superb capacity to find the inner heart of everything they play, regardless of era, style, or technical demand" (The International Review of Music), Tesla Quartet brings refinement and prowess to both new and established repertoire. Dubbed "technically superb" by The Strad, the Tesla Quartet has won top prizes in numerous international competitions, most recently taking Second Prize as well as the Haydn Prize and Canadian Commission Prize at the 12th Banff International String Quartet Competition.

Described by The New York Times as "Live Music Splendor in a Parking Lot", the Back Deck was conceived at the dawn of the pandemic and quickly became a destination for music lovers from across the east coast. This season includes 11 concerts that span a wide range of Jazz and classical music, bringing some of the finest ensembles to the Morris Museum. Since launching in July, 2020, The Back Deck has presented over 50 performances of critically acclaimed artists and welcomed nearly 10,000 patrons against all odds.

Tesla's Full Program on June 30 at 8 PM

Joseph Haydn Op. 71, No. 2

Maurice Ravel (arr. Ross Snyder):

Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn

Menuet antique

Menuet in C-sharp minor

Jessie Montgomery Strum

Bacewicz Quartet No. 4

Back Deck 2022 Schedule

Martin Pizzarelli and Friends || June 23 at 8 PM

Tesla Quartet || June 30 at 8 PM

Telegraph Quartet || July 7 at 8 PM

Amani: Caribbean Calypso || July 9 at 8 PM

Dan Levinson || July 21 at 8 PM

Antoinette Montague || July 30 at 8 PM

Danny Jonokuchi || August 4 at 8 PM

Balourdet Quartet || August 13 at 8 PM

Evan Sherman Big Band || August 20 at 8 PM

Alea || August 25 at 8 PM

For tickets and information: morrismuseum.org/outdoor-events

Major support for Lot of Strings Music Festival is provided by Will and Mary Leland. Additional support provided by Lot of Strings Music Festival founding donor, F. Gary Knapp.

Back Deck Visitor Information and Guidelines

Attendees must bring their own chairs and are welcome to bring refreshments to enjoy the live music atop the Morris Museum's elevated parking deck. All tickets are $50 for an 8'x8' block that accommodates up to two patrons. Concerts begin at 8 PM but patrons are welcome to arrive as early as 6:30 to enjoy their picnics by the evening sun. In the event of inclement weather, outdoor performances will be held inside the Museum's Bickford Theatre. Masks are required while in the Bickford Theatre.

About the Morris Museum

Founded in 1913, the Morris Museum is an award-winning, multifaceted arts and cultural institution serving the public through its exhibitions and performances, which strive to interpret the past and discover the future through art, sound, and motion. The Museum is home to the historic and internationally-significant Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata. The Museum's Bickford Theatre is a 312-seat performing-arts facility, offering unique programming in film, jazz, and live performance through its innovative series, Live Arts. As New Jersey's only Smithsonian Affiliate, it launched Spark!Lab, a dynamic, Smithsonian-created learning space which will inspire young visitors to create, collaborate, and innovate.

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