HAWORTH, N.J.—On Aug. 17, Memorial Field in Haworth was the setting for a marvelous night of music. The borough’s annual Midsummer Night’s Jam featured a non-stop cavalcade of talent from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
It was a beautiful summer evening, as 14 performances in varied music genres, including classical, cultural, Broadway and rock, entertained an audience of several hundred people of all ages.
Many families with young children as well as teens make the Jam a regular event on their summer agenda.
One of the elements that makes the Haworth Midsummer Night’s Jam unique is that every act has at least one local resident.
The Midsummer Night’s Jam was hosted by the Haworth Arts Committee—Chairperson Claudia Gaard, along with Sharon Grosso, Tara Kohut and Janet Cohen.
Carol Kenny, who’s been playing and teaching piano as well as coaching voice for over 40 years, accompanied many of the performers, some of whom are her students.
“It’s a wonderful event because everyone feels free to express their talent,” Kenny said.
A jubilant group of Haworth students sold tattoos, glow sticks and “silly band” rubber bracelets. Another Haworth youngster, 10-year-old Juliette, helped sell franks.
Stephen Gaard served as the evening’s emcee, and soundman David Lehner ensured that the performances all had excellent sound quality.
Councilwoman Heather Wasser was on hand to help sell tickets and greet people.
“Haworth is a wonderful town,” Wasser said, “because everyone takes care of each other.”
Wasser’s daughter, Olivia, one of the featured singers, is a longtime fan of the Jam.
“I’ve been performing at the Midsummer Night’s Jam since I was 3 years old,” said Olivia. I love this event because it brings our community together and everyone has such a great time.”
Vocalist Nicole Brennan’s powerful voice brought to life songs by Adele and Louis Capaldi.
“[The Jam] highlights so much talent that we have in our town that we would not know about otherwise,” Brennan said.
This year’s Midsummer Night’s Jam featured a wide variety of performances by Karen Stern, Lexi Lee, Nicole Brennan, Liam Cristello & Carol Kenny, the Note Singers, Alexa Weiss, Hannah Stratton, Andrew Zwernemann, Sasha Bogdanowitsch, Rebekah Zelman, Olivia Wasser, Maddy Cohen and Sarah Kate Zelman.
Another standout act was Gaard’s own band, Shoreline Anthem, a group of lifelong friends and neighbors.
All the talented participants—ranging from 12 years of age to adults—delivered spectacular performances with great confidence. Several of the vocalists were accompanied by pianist Kenny as well as Liam Cristello on guitar and Garrett Luongo on drums.
Many of the performers are seasoned professionals, even the youngest.
Alexa Weiss, 12—who has been a regular at the Jam since she was 7—has had starring roles in the Helen Hayes Youth Theater.
Liam Cristello, 20, plays trumpet in the Northeastern University Pep Band and the Teaneck Community Band.
Rebekah Zelman, a singer-songwriter and parent to third generation Haworthians, has performed in The Blend and is the owner of Sway Music Group.
Midsummer Night’s Jam is funded by the Borough of Haworth, as well as donations from local families and businesses. Gaard is particularly pleased with the success of the event as these funds, along with the Jam’s revenue from ticket, food and novelty item sales, are used to support other Haworth Arts Committee events throughout the year, all of which are free and open to the public. These events include the Haworth Coffee House open mic shows and the Halloween “Ghost Stores at the Pond” event.
The Haworth Arts Committee is a huge asset to the Borough of Haworth, which is home to about 3,500 residents. All of their events are filled with talented performers and lots of enthused spectators. The Midsummer Night’s Jam is a highlight of the community.
“I founded the Jam over 10 years ago on a dare,” Gaard explained. “I was standing here one night watching a band that the town had hired on a stage that the town had paid for, all of which cost a lot of money. I said, ‘We have so much talent right here in our community, we should put on our own concert.’
“My friend, Joe Allegro, said, ‘Well, why don’t you do it!’ I took that as a challenge and I set about tackling it. The result has been marvelous!”
