GV | CULTURE CORNER
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Butts teaches at Mont-
clair State University’s
John J. Cali School of
Music and the Casperson
School of Graduate Stud-
ies at Drew University. He
provides free tickets for his students—a
nice perk on top of his real value as an
educator. “In addition to possessing an
intellectual understanding of music,
Bob’s experience as a conductor means
that he explores more than the history
of a piece,” says Robert Cart, director
of the Cali School. “He delves into the
actual musical performance.”
“Dr. Butts is both leader and collabo-
rator,” says Peter Lewis of Eastern Opera,
“and involves his players and his singers
in the making of beautiful music.”
The BONJ hosts annual Pearl and
Julius Young Music Competition for
young musicians. Cash prizes range
from $100 to $1,000, and the first-
place winner gets to perform a com-
plete concerto at the BONJ Summer
Music Festival.
The orchestra is a nonprofit organization with new as well as seasoned
musicians. For some performers, the
orchestra serves as a launching pad for
their careers; other players are semiretired. The ensemble size varies, but
generally averages 25 musicians. They
perform year-round in a variety of settings, including concerts, a summer festival, semi-staged opera and the young
artists’ competition ;
Gregory Moomjy writes for Pro Ópera
and other publications. He lives in New
York City.
[THE ARTS] BY GREGORY MOOMJY
Baroque and Beyond
AS IT ENTERS ITS 20TH-ANNIVERSARY
season, the Baroque Orchestra of New
Jersey has clearly expanded beyond
the time period in its name. Consider
the program for its November 1 concert at the College of St. Elizabeth’s
560-seat Dolan Hall in Morristown,
the orchestra’s home since 2008. The
program includes Vivaldi’s Four Seasons—one of the most enduring works
of the Baroque period—but also a
20th-century piece, Joaquin Rodrigo’s
Concierto de Aranjuez.
The choices attest to the orchestra’s
growth since its founding in 1996. Instead
of concentrating solely on music from
the 17th and 18th centuries, the orchestra now performs a wide-ranging repertoire from every era of music history.
The expansion allows the orchestra
to broaden the audience for classical
music, explains founder, conductor and
artistic director Robert W. Butts. “This
gives you an opportunity to explore 400
years’ worth of music,” he says.
It helps that the average price for a
ticket is $40 for adults and $30 for seniors for full orchestra concerts, and $20
for seniors for smaller-scale programs.
Students under 22 pay just $5 for all
performances. This is far less than other
classical-music institutions in the New
York area. At the Metropolitan Opera, for
example, a seat for a popular opera like
La Boheme can run as high as $460.
Like many in classical music, Butts
wears numerous hats. In addition to his
work with the BONJ, Butts composes
instrumental and vocal music. His latest
piece for guitar, Early Morning Suite, had
its European premiere September 4 in
London. He has written operas based
on the lives of colorful historical figures
such as Mark Twain, Ulysses S. Grant and
Oscar Wilde—subjects chosen for their
emotional complexity.
Robert W.
Butts, left,
founded the
Baroque
Orchestra in
1996. Inset:
Bassist Norman Edge.
