Live Music *
Dancing *
Cocktails *
Heavy Hors D’oeuvres *
After the smashing success of our 2023 Great Gatsby at Blairsden event, we’re more excited than ever to host our next gala on October 5, 2024! This time, prepare to be transported back in time to The Gilded Age! The evening’s festivities will feature word class music of the era, and fashions inspired by the theme are encouraged. If you were with us last year, you know just how much fun it was, and if you weren’t, well, trust us when we say you won’t want to miss this next one!
READ THOROUGHLY & ACT FAST! ⬇️
Prelude Pricing:
The first 100 tickets to be sold will be $250 each. SOLD OUT!
Postlude Pricing:
Once we reach a capacity of 100, the remaining tickets can be purchased for $300 each.
Purchasing Options:
- Tickets can be purchased through our Humanitix page with the addition of a booking fee. A portion of the booking fee is donated to charities that help disadvantaged children all over the world get access to education, healthcare and life's basic necessities. Click here to learn more about how Humanitix is turning booking fees into a force for good!
- To avoid paying additional fees, you may pay via check for your tickets. To pay via check, please first fill out this google form to reserve your tickets. Your payment is due within 5 days of submitting the form. If payment is not received within 5 days, your tickets on hold may be released.
- You may also pay for tickets through Venmo. To pay via Venmo, please first fill out this google form to reserve your tickets and then proceed to make your payment. Your payment is due within 5 days of submitting the form. If payment is not received within 5 days, your tickets on hold may be released. To help us cover Venmo's fees, we ask that you add $6 to each ticket - $306 each for postlude pricing
If you have questions or require assistance, feel free to give us call 973-339-7719.
DRESS CODE 🎩
Embrace the extravagant spirit of the era and dress to impress! While dressing to the theme is encouraged, it is not mandatory. Both literal and modern interpretations are all welcome. Click here for some fashion inspiration. The bottom line is, anything goes, so have fun with it!
VALET PARKING 🚗
There will be free valet parking available. Tips are welcome. For more information on how to access the event, click here.
Sponsorship Opportunities
This event is a fundraising evening for Music in the Somerset Hills, and we are offering Sponsorship Packages and Underwriting Opportunities to assist with our mission of Education, Artistry and Community through music. Will you please consider helping us?
Blairsden Mansion, photographed by North Jersey Drone Shots.
Featuring
The Daniel Schlosberg Viennese Orchestra
The Daniel Schlosberg Viennese Orchestra - Brooklyn-based composer, pianist, and conductor Daniel Schlosberg will lead his Viennese-style string orchestra for the full ballroom experience. Guests will enjoy waltzing the night away! Daniel is the Music Director of Heartbeat Opera, for which his re-orchestrations of classic operas have garnered national acclaim; a core member of Cantata Profana; and rotating principal pianist of NOVUS NY.
Pictured: Daniel Schlosberg and the Dover Quartet* (from David Lynch's Festival of Disruption) in LA, 2018. *Not reflective of the ensemble for Great Gatsby at Blairsden.
Patricio Molina, Piano
Named a “gifted artist” by the New York Times, Dr. Patricio Molina has gained a reputation as a composer, pianist, and educator. He regularly appears on stages such as Carnegie Hall and OPERA America. Dr. Molina is a Yamaha Artist. The New Jersey Youth Symphony, White Snake Projects, and Ulysses Quartet are among many who have recognized his talents with commissioned works. Inspiration for his compositions include his Chilean Syrian heritage, and his experience as an immigrant. His accomplishments in the field of arts education were recognized by the New Jersey Education Association with their prestigious Award for Excellence. He earned the first double doctorate in the history of Rutgers University. He is Founder and President of the Pan-Global Music Initiative (501c3). Patricio is engaged in a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Universidad Católica Nordestana (DR) and is writing a book for student pianists based on Caribbean melodies (2026).
Eddie Allen Ensemble
The Eddie Allen Ensemble is a 6-piece group performing Scott Joplin's Rags, Dixieland, and Swing era dance selections. Eddie Allen, a versatile trumpeter, composer, arranger, and educator, excels in jazz, R&B, Latin, symphonic, and Broadway music. He's collaborated with legends like Art Blakey, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, and Kool & the Gang. Allen has recorded and performed with artists such as Louis Hayes, Natalie Merchant, and Mongo Santamaria. His Broadway credits include Ain't Misbehavin', Black & Blue, and The Color Purple.
Sonya Headlam, Soprano
With a voice described as “golden” (Seen and Heard International) soprano Sonya Headlam performs music that spans centuries, from the Baroque era to the present. Sonya has garnered acclaim as a soloist on prestigious stages across the United States and beyond. Recent highlights include debuts with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, and the New York Philharmonic. She has collaborated with other esteemed ensembles, such as Apollo’s Fire, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and TENET Vocal Artists. In summer 2024, Sonya made her solo debut with the Summer for the City Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center singing Mozart and Bologne. Upcoming highlights of the 2024–25 season include her debut with the New Jersey Symphony, singing Handel’s Messiah (December 2024), as well as a meaningful return to her home state of Ohio to perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Akron Symphony Orchestra (March 2025).
Merynda Adams, Harp
Known for her exquisite use of color and musicality in her playing, Merynda Adams is a seasoned solo and chamber musician who has played throughout the United States, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands and as soloist for events honoring Andrea Bocelli and the late Beverly Sills. Her musicality was praised by The Star-Ledger as “having color and great facility”. She has performed Off Broadway in “The Fantasticks,” with the Celtic Woman tour, and frequently collaborates with violinist Christopher Collins Lee. In addition, she has accompanied renowned soprano Aprile Millo her New York, Delaware, Toronto, and London recitals. Of their concert at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, a New York Times review stated: “Those four Irish tunes, delicately accompanied...by harpist Merynda Adams, were the highlight of the night.” She is founder of Chamber Music for Charity and an Adjunct Instructor of Music at Drew University.
