Morven Hosts 1774 Tavern Concert and Dance
John Burkhalter, founder of Practitioners of Musick, performs on the recorder.
An evening in 1774 with a concert and dance will be re-created by the Historical Society of Princeton and Morven Museum & Garden on Friday, November 8 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Morven’s Stockton Education Center, 55 Stockton Street.
Arranged by The Practitioners of Musick, the event will reimagine an actual concert and dance that took place in Princeton on August 22, 1774 at the “Sign of the College” tavern. Located directly across from Nassau Hall, the tavern was leased by William Whitehead from Morven’s Richard Stockton.
The performers for the entertainment will be The Practitioners of Musick, featuring John Burkhalter playing English and small flutes, and harpsichordist Donovan Klotzbeacher, with guest artists soprano Abigail Chapman and Baroque violinist Elizabeth Rouget. The dance component will be directed by Susan Nabors Braisted, a choreographer with an extensive background in the performance of Baroque dance.
Light refreshments, including coffee and tea, will be served prior to the performance, which will begin at 7 p.m.
Program tickets include access to visit Morven’s newest exhibition, “Morven Revealed: Untold Stories from New Jersey’s Most Historic Home,” from 5 to 6 p.m. prior to the concert.
In the spirit of the celebration, the wearing of fun hats and outfits is encouraged to express the participants’ vision, modern or historic, for a colonial dance party.
Individual tickets are $45; and tickets for two are $80.
Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
The Practitioners of Musick ensemble was founded to survey the musical riches of 17th and 18th century Great Britain and Ireland and the Colonial and early Federal periods in America. The ensemble has provided music for an audio tour hosted by Revolutionary New Jersey sites in The Crossroads of the American Revolution historic area. In addition, The Practitioners have presented or supported scholarly programs under the auspices of the National Park Service, the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, the National Trust of Great Britain, Fund for Irish Studies at Princeton University, Historic Deerfield, Colonial Williamsburg, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Princeton University Art Museum, The New Jersey State Park Service, New York State Historical Association, The Holland Society of New York, New Jersey Historical Society, Princeton University Library, Ireland House of New York University, the Yale Center for British Art, and the Museum of the American Revolution. amongst many others.