CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD - SUMMER 2023
We are excited to announce that this free outdoor concerts series returns in 2023, and features a diverse lineup of entertainers, representing the many cultures that make up central New Jersey. They all start at 2:00 pm.
Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.
The "Concerts In The Courtyard" series is held in the East Brunswick Municipal Courtyard, between the library and the township building. Concertgoers are advised to bring something to sit on, like beach chairs or a blanket. In case of inclement weather, the performance will move indoors.
Additional funding is provided by the East Brunswick Friends of the Library.
Universal African Dance & Drum Ensemble
Sunday, May 21, 2023: 2:00pm
Traditional and authentic dance and music
UNIVERSAL AFRICAN DANCE & DRUM ENSEMBLE, founded and directed by Robert and wife Wanda Dickerson in 1984 and co-directed by their oldest son Jamal and wife Ronsha Dickerson, son Nasir Dickerson, daughters Atiya Johnson-Dickerson and husband Dwayne Johnson and Ayanna Dickerson, has grown to be one of the largest professional African Dance & Drum Ensembles in the United States of America. The Universal African Dance & Drum Ensemble headquartered in Camden, New Jersey which includes members from Camden, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Africa. This troupe has been taught by the best traditional and authentic African teachers, scholars and historians as well as great African American teachers since their beginning. Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble is blessed by having one of the best African Dance Teacher and (Djeli) Scholar, YALANI BANGOURA, from West Africa, Guinea daily on staff.
Mario Chamoun
Sunday, June 4, 2023: 2:00pm
Lebanese lute and folk music
Renowned Lebanese singer and musician, Mario Chamoun was born in Lebanon and studied at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music. He has been entertaining audiences worldwide with his Oud (a Middle-Eastern lute) and folkloric singing performances for over 20 years.
Sounds of Korea (INDOORS)
Sunday, June 11, 2023: 2:00pm
Explore the music of Korea from the Joseon Dynasty to today
This concert is indoors. From the famous historical pansori tradition of telling stories through music to contemporary arrangements of beloved Korean folk songs, “Sounds of Korea” spans more than two centuries of Korean music performed by some of New Jersey’s outstanding Korean musicians. Grace Leekyung Kang and Junghee Oh, specialists in the performance of traditional Korean music, will present music from the Joseon Dynasty as well as folk songs performed on traditional instruments (haegeum and gayageum) and in traditional attire. The program will also feature Sung Won Hwang (clarinet), Ye Ji Kim (violin), Yun Kyung Choo (piano) and Timothy Urban (voice and recorder), performing music by Isang Yun, one of the first Korean composers to make a career in Europe fusing elements of traditional Korean music with the Western style, as well as contemporary instrumental arrangements of well-known Korean folk songs.
Rhythm Bollywood
Sunday, June 18, 2023: 2:00pm
A multi-instrumental performance of Bollywood sounds
Prakash Parmar being the one and only singer in Tristate and United States that can play multiple instruments and sing, Prakash and his band have been performing with legends like Kumar Sanu, Kailas kher, Bappi lahiri, And Shahrukh Khan. He has his own entertainment company called Rhythm Bollywood.
Lisbon Express Band (**INDOORS)
Sunday, June 25, 2023: 2:00pm
A celebration of Portuguese culture
The Lisbon Express Band performs a variety of songs that celebrate Portuguese culture.
Sherjan Ahmad (**INDOORS)
Sunday, July 2, 2023: 2:00pm
World traveled Pakistani singer/songwriter
Sherjan Ahmad picked up the guitar when he was thirteen years old and by the time he became a teenager he was touring across the United States and Pakistan with his fathers band 'Junoon'. Having performed with South Asia’s biggest rock band 'Junoon', he gained a lot of musical experience and knowledge. Sherjan has also performed at prestigious venues like the Rubin Museum of Art, the Great American Music Hall, The Bowery Electric, The India Habitat Centre in India and the United Nations General Assembly. He has performed and recorded with music icons like Jason Mraz and Peter Gabriel. Sherjan has done extensive session work for many projects such as a Bollywood film titled "Rhythm" and an HBO documentary film "Open Your Eyes".
Sherjan Ahmad released his debut album “Jaan” , songs from the album which he composed and performed called “Koi”, “Chaen”, “Hum” & “Woh Lagan have aired on FM91, City FM89, Dubai’s City 1016 & BBC Radio. “Chaen” was also featured in BBC Radio’s Weekly Pakistani Top 5 Charts.
Stephen Fuller (**INDOORS)
Sunday, July 9, 2023: 2:00pm
R&B/Jazz/Calypso/Gospel Fusion
Genuine, energetic, articulate, and on a mission to soothe music lovers who venture out from their semi-urban life-styles, to melt away the daily grind. Order your favorite elixir, find a seat and sit tight. Lively conversations minimize to polite whispers as Stephen Fuller takes the stage. This rising R&B, Jazz, Calypso and occasional Gospel singer, is committed to customizing his book to fit his clientele, thus separating him from the artists who choose material for nondescript audiences.
Viva Vallenato (**INDOORS)
Sunday, July 16, 2023: 2:00pm
The pulsing rhythms and songs of Columbia
Since 2013, Viva Vallenato! Cumbia Band has been electrifying crowds with the classic folkloric music of Colombia, South America. 77-year old lead singer & percussionist Hugo Lascarro Sr. hails from the city of Barranquilla, Colombia where he performed for many years. His son Hugo Jr. sings and plays traditional handmade Colombian drums, the caja vallenata and tambora costeña. Bassist & Singer Jose Borney hails from Tolima, Colombia, a richly musical region where he is a local music star. New Jersey native Accordionist Phil “Felipe” “Caballo” Passantino formed the band after falling in love with this rich music: vallenato, the local storytelling songs of Colombia’s Atlantic coast, sung over shimmering accordions and pulsating rhythms; and Colombian cumbia, a hypnotic courtship dance created in cultural exchange between indigenous cultures and escaped African slaves. Salvatore Carollo brings the thunder on the red hot timbales, and he will make sure you’re dancing!
Na'Bodach
Sunday, July 23, 2023: 2:00pm
The sounds of Celtic tradition
In 1999 three friends, Casey Jones, George Zienowicz and Andy Redmond, decided to get together to explore the music of the Celtic countries - specifically the songs known by Irish and Scottish soldiers and the Celtic music that evolved in America. With the addition of two more friends, Bud Osthaus and Glenn Owens and, (since all members were a bit older than their “garage band” days), the name Na’Bodach, (Gaelic for “not old men”), seemed appropriate.
Today, despite some member changes, the band is still dedicated to exploring the Celtic tradition - adding older and newer songs and tunes from the Celtic diaspora. The band was never interested in reproducing the music in the "pure drop" manner of a traditional acoustic setting but modernizes the music with electric instruments and contemporary rhythms, harmonies and styles, but always with respect for the tradition.
Gypsy Funk Band (**INDOORS)
Sunday, July 30, 2023: 2:00pm
Classical Middle Eastern belly dance and psychedelic rock collide
Gypsy Funk Squad plays a mix of classic belly dance songs from Turkey, Armenia, Egypt, The Balkans, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, and other points in the Middle east. Their repertoire is also revamped rock tunes and original psychedelic surprises...done belly style! We can perform all traditional, all western (world style) or a mix. We almost always have a belly dancer or two performing with us! The emphasis is on fun and a dancing good time!