First Friday Tickets

NBMAA Non-Member Ticket$15.00 USD NBMAA Member Ticket$10.00 USD

Member # (req. for members)

First Friday of each month from 5:30-8 p.m.
$10 Members, $15 non-Members
$3 for beer and wine, soda is free
First Friday features live jazz music performed by local and nationally known musicians. Attendees have the opportunity to view the Museum’s premier permanent collection, which includes 300 years of American art. Experience art activities and have intriguing gallery talks while you mix and mingle with other art and jazz lovers. Hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer, and soda will also be served during the event.

For First Friday sponsorship information please contact the Development Manager at (860) 229-0257, ext. 246.

April 5
Lady K Allstarz
New Britain native Lynn Roby Knapp will be performing and singing Jazz standards as well as dance hits, Motown, Disco and R&B. Accompanying Lynn will be Joe Grieco on keyboard and vocals, Dean Coutsouridis on sax and guitar, and Vin Knapp on drums. Also in the Stanley Works Center will be a vintage dance performance Springtime in Paris by Joel Silvestro and Prudence Sloane.

Tantalizing our taste buds this month is Cava’s in Southington with their delicious penne marinara couple with Portofino’s tempting penne a la vodka. Complementing the Italian fare will be a Priam Vineyards wine tasting. Priam produces fourteen hand-crafted wines that they release seasonally as they finish aging.

Artist Brown Gillespie will be opening his installation in the New Media nook in the Contemporary Gallery with artist remarks at 6 p.m. Milkyway consists of a box-framed canvas with acrylic pigments and LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) inside the frame. Programmed to loop, the LEDs continuously emit light onto the pigments to create swirling effects that mesmerize the eye on a visceral level. The hope, as Gillespie explains, is “that the changing color interacts and helps open access to the less rational, more experiential side of the brain and may help to heighten perception in the same way as a quiet walk in the woods. . .”

Don’t miss Trunk Show Artist Diane Kopta who has been on a beading adventure for the last twelve years. Using unique materials like mussel and coconut shells, coral, glass, and amethyst she has an assortment of necklaces and earrings that will appeal to everyone’s taste.

May 3
Theresa Wright and the Distinguished Gentlemen
Enjoy the sounds of local favorite Theresa Wright as she shares her talented vocals with our First Friday crowd. While influenced by pop and R&B, Wright now performs strictly jazz and has recently recorded an album. Joining Theresa is the Distinguished Gentlemen comprised of Steve Clarke on bass, Dexter Pettaway on drums, and Brad Rickert on keyboard.

Celebrate Tres de Mayo with Puerto Vallarta’s flavorful enchiladas stuffed with chicken or try their bursting beef burrito along with a sampling of their fresh rice and beans. Wash it down with a Bloody Bold Margarita Mix tasting and if you’re in love try it as our signature drink. Also being tasted is Severance Foods’ specialty stone-ground tortilla chips; certified organic and kosher.

May’s Trunk Show Artist is lifelong conservationist Linda Popper who creates wearable art using environmentally responsible materials. Farm raised pearls, coral, and abalone coupled with semi-precious gemstones are coupled with Linda’s gold and silversmithing to make her beautiful natural creations. Check out her work here.

June 7
Rick Costa Quartet
Rick Costa M.M. recently graduated from the University of Rhode Island. While at URI, Costa focused his studies on jazz drum set and orchestral percussion under the direction of Ron Stabile. Outside of URI, Rick free lances as both a professional jazz drummer and percussionist. Over the past several years Rick has performed at the 2006 Panama Jazz Festival, Kosa Percussion Festival,Maryland Jazz Festival, and spent the summer of 2010 in southern France performing as a free lance jazz drummer. Rick enjoys continued freelance performance and teaching opportunities, and can often be found playing throughout New England. Rick has been awarded two Hope and Heritage Fund Scholarships to present jazz research papers at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Rick has performed with the Fall River Symphony under the musical direction of Ann Danis. Rick is currently a percussion instructor at the Symphony Music Shop located in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

Matt Dwonszyk is an upcoming acoustic bass player in the Hartford area. Starting on the electric bass at age 11, Matt grew up playing numerous types of music stemming from rock and roll. When he entered high school he was fortunate to attend the Academy of Performing Arts in Hartford where he began studying jazz with teachers such as Jimmy Greene, Kris Allen, Paul Brown, and Doug Maher. Through friends at the Academy, Matt started attending the Artist Collective and playing in the Youth Jazz Orchestra Band. He soon started performing around the Hartford area and was fortunate to perform in Russia through the Academy of the Arts. His senior year, Matt started performing with Ed Fast’s Conga Bop where he was exposed to Latin music. He continues to perform with Ed Fast and is now attending the Hartt School of Music where he is studying with Professor Nat Reeves and Professor Steve Davis.

There is a way that most people do things. There are trends and styles; common mistakes and Murphy’s Law. However, Berklee College of Music graduate, Willie Myette has been bucking the system for most of his adult life. Shortly after graduating from Berklee in ‘96 with a degree in Film Music, Willie set out to live as a jazz performer. He started by returning home to Rhode Island, where his father had taught him piano. Willie has written almost a dozen books on teaching improvisation to young students. In addition, he has presented JazzKids at conferences around the U.S. and workshops in the United Kingdom. Soon, the attention at these conferences caught the attention of some very big names in the publishing industry. MelBay, a company best known for its guitar method, published Willie’s first collection of JazzKids songs. Soon, Alfred Publishing, perhaps one of the biggest names in printed educational music, signed Willie to create music for them.

Band : Rick Costa / Drums-Leader
Willie Myetee / Piano
Matt Dwonszyk / Acoustic Bass
Steve Davis / Trombone

Thank you to our First Friday sponsors:
Joey Garlic’s | Whinstone Tavern | TD Homers | J. Timothy’s | Bloody Bold Products
Hartford Distributors, Inc. | Onyx Spirits | Savvy Tea Gourmet