Cultural Arts Series

The Montclair Foundation is proud to announce the launch of its inaugural Cultural Arts Series at Van Vleck House & Gardens, a vibrant new program that brings together world-class music, thought-provoking conversation, and community connection in a beautiful historic setting.

Musical highlights include four concerts each by the New Jersey Symphony and the Manhattan String Quartet, offering an extraordinary opportunity to experience classical music in an intimate and elegant setting. The Cultural Arts Series also includes engaging conversations with authors, actors, and public intellectuals as part of its Speaker Series.

The Cultural Arts Series also includes an engaging Speaker Series, presented in partnership with Montclair Local, which is curating the talent and topics. The speaker events will feature compelling conversations with authors, artists, and public intellectuals on issues that resonate locally and beyond.

The series begins on Saturday, September 13, 2025, with a performance by an ensemble from the New Jersey Symphony, and continues through June 2026 with eight musical performances and a growing Speaker Series. All events take place on Saturday evenings at 8:00 PM, followed by a Q&A with the performers and a wine and cheese reception in the Van Vleck main house.

The Montclair Foundation is deeply grateful to the lead supporters of the Cultural Arts Series, whose generosity made this inaugural season possible: Terrance and Charlene Connolly, Doug & Gay Lane Charitable Foundation, Turrell Fund, and The Whitehill Foundation.

In addition to the Cultural Arts Series, Van Vleck House & Gardens proudly continues its beloved Second Sunday Concerts — a longstanding tradition of free, public performances held on Sundays at 2:00 PM. For more information on the Second Sunday Concerts CLICK HERE.

• September 13, 2025 – New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players String Trio: Schubert: String Trio in B-flat Major, D.581 • Gideon Klein: String Trio • Beethoven: String Trio in G Major, op. 9 No.l • Saint-Saens: The Swan, arranged for string trio

 

• October 25, 2025 – SOLD OUT! – Speaker Series: Warren Zanes tells stories and performs music from his book, Deliver Me from Nowhere, which has been adapted into a film about Bruce Springsteen, set to release in November.

 

• November 1, 2025 – Manhattan String Quartet – Prime Time: (Revered composers from the quartet canon): Haydn: Quartet in D Major, op. 50, No.6 (“The Frog”) • Mozart: Quartet in E-flat Major, K. 428 • Beethoven: Quartet in F Major, op. 135

 

• December 13, 2025 – Manhattan String Quartet – Prodigies: (Works composed by teenagers!): Mozart: Quartet in D Major, K. 155 • Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga: Quartet in D Minor • Felix Mendelssohn: Quartet in A Minor, op. 13

 

• January 17, 2026 –  New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players Piano Trio:  Rachmaninoff:Trio No. 1 in G minor • Ryu: Early Summer • Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No.1 in D Minor

 

• January 31, 2026 – Speaker Series – “When Film Gets Intimate”:  This panel, presented in partnership with Montclair Local, will feature actors Patrick Wilson and Dagmara Dominczyk, along with director Alex Hall and moderator Claudine Ohayon.

 

• February 14, 2026 – Manhattan String Quartet – Romance” Hugo Wolf: Italian Serenade • Fanny Mendelssohn: Quartet in E-flat Major • Robert Schumann: Quartet in A Minor, op. 41, No.l

 

• March 21, 2026 – New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players Woodwind Trio: Program Details TBA

 

• March 2026 (TBD) – Specific Guest(s) TBA

 

• April 25, 2026 – Allison Loggins-Hull & New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players: Program Details TBA

 

• May 16, 2026 – Manhattan String Quartet – Newer Voices: Joaquin Turina: La Oraci6n del Torero, op. 34 • Samuel Barber: String Quartet in B Minor, op. 11 – II. Molto adagio• Grieg: String Quartet in G Minor, op. 2

 

• June 2026 (TBD) –  Specific Guest(s) TBA

 

Performances subject to change

Tickets are priced at $75, with a discounted rate of $65 for Van Vleck Members.