PROGRAMS & EVENTS

Piano Performance featuring pianist Jhea Hong-Park, internationally acclaimed pianist

DATE:   Sunday, October 18th 

TIME:    4:00pm

TICKETS: Free, no reservations required, light refreshments served. 

The Clifton Arts Center is proud to present a piano recital featuring pianist, Jihea Hong-Park and students from Brigham Young University.

Internationally acclaimed pianist and pedagogue Jihea Hong-Park, a Clifton High School alumna, will return to her hometown for a special piano performance featuring four of her award-winning students from Brigham Young University. 

Hong-Park emigrated from South Korea to Clifton as a seventh grader, attended Woodrow Wilson Middle School and graduated from Clifton High School in 1997. She later earned bachelor's and master's degrees from The Juilliard School, pursued postgraduate studies at Teachers College, Columbia University, and received Juilliard's prestigious William Schuman Commencement Prize for exceptional achievement, leadership, and service. A former faculty member at The Juilliard School and New York Philharmonic Education, Hong-Park is now Professor of Piano at Brigham Young University and is recognized internationally as a performer, educator, and advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration in the arts. 

Her students have earned national and international recognition, and she has received numerous honors, including the 2025 BYU Class of 1949 Young Faculty Award. Joining Hong-Park are four outstanding BYU piano performance students: 

• Abigail Billyard (Arizona), an award-winning pianist and composer whose work is inspired by storytelling, faith, and nature.

 • Norah Day (Utah), an accomplished soloist, chamber musician, and award-winning teacher with multiple concerto competition victories.

 • Bethany Parker (Colorado), an award-winning pianist and collaborative artist who has premiered new works and performed with orchestra.

 • Elizabeth "Lizzie" Weber, a pianist, collaborator, and educator known for her passion for sacred music, interdisciplinary performance, and inspiring young musicians. 

Together, Hong-Park and her students represent the next generation of artistic excellence, showcasing technical mastery, musical expression, and a shared commitment to education and community through music. This special hometown appearance celebrates City of Clifton's connection to one of its distinguished alumni while introducing audiences to some of the country's most promising young pianists. 

DATE:  Friday, Sept. 25th

TIME:    7:00pm

The celebration of America's 250th Anniversary continues with an unforgettable evening of music at the Clifton Arts Center. Acclaimed woodwind quartet Wood Vibrations will present an innovative program of contemporary chamber music that celebrates creativity, collaboration, and the American landscape. Wood Vibrations has created a program featuring works composed entirely by members of the ensemble. As multi-instrumentalists, the quartet performs on a diverse array of woodwind instruments, creating a rich and immersive soundscape that blurs the boundaries of traditional

chamber music.

The evening's program explores themes of landscapes, Americana, the moon, and moonlight, inviting audiences to experience music as a companion to the artwork on display. Listeners are encouraged to imagine their own visual landscapes through sound, creating a unique dialogue between music and the gallery environment. Among the featured works is Terra, a bass clarinet quartet by Owen G. Davitt that journeys

through four distinct landscapes, many inspired by locations throughout the United States. The concert will also feature three world premieres, with brand-new compositions by ensemble members Matthew Schmidt, Owen G. Davitt, and Matthew Weger, each written specifically for this performance and inspired by the visual art exhibited at the Clifton Arts Center.

The evening concludes with an original arrangement of an American medley, honoring 250 years of American independence through music in a fitting finale to this unique celebration of art, culture, and national heritage. Join us for an inspiring performance where contemporary music and visual art come together in celebration of America's past, present, and future. 

Ticket Information: 

$30 per person 

$25 per person groups of 5 or more 

$10 children under 12

To purchase by Check or Cash call 973-472-5499 

Purchase by credit card online here.

This program is made possible, in part, by funds from the Passaic County Culture & Heritage Council, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. 

DATE:   December 5th

TIME:    4:00-8:00pm

You are invited to a Winter Open House featuring the music students from Saddle Brook High School.  Refreshments will be served

View the Art Exhibit of “Clifton’s Quarantine Station” and Shop at the Holiday Pop Up Boutique

In case of inclement weather rescheduled date will be December, 6th

No Reservations Needed

DATE:    November 13th - December 14th

TIME:     Wednesday - Saturdays 1:00-4:00pm

 The Clifton Arts Center once again presents  “Holiday Pop Up Boutique”.  Unique handmade art and one-of-a-kind items are for sale..    

The holiday pop up boutique will run from November 13th through December 14th and is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 1pm-4pm.   

Call the Arts Center office for more information at: 973-472-5499.  

DATE: Saturday, October 14th

TIME: 12:30 - 2:30pm

Tickets: $8, Includes light reception

Join award-winning poets and authors Maria Mazziotti Gillan & Linda Hillringhouse for a poetry reading and Q&A. Learn about their journeys as writers, lessons learned along the way, and how to establish yourself as a writer. 

Maria Mazziotti Gillan is an award-winning poet, who has published 23 books. She is the Founder/Executive Director of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College, editor of the Paterson Literary Review, and Professor Emerita in creative writing at Binghamton University—SUNY. 

 Linda Hillringhouse is an award-winning poet whose recent book of poetry, The Things I Didn’t Know to Wish For, was published by New York Quarterly Press and long-listed for the Julie Suk Award and shortlisted for The Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize in 2021. 

Limited Seating Available. Pre-Registration and online payment is required: no tickets will be sold at the door.

DATE: Saturday, August 19th

TIME: 4:00 - 6:00pm

Join us at the Arts Center for a low brass recital with Clifton residents, Wes and Julie Krygsman, joined by pianist Martha Locker.  A group of accomplished musicians, Wes plays the tuba, is a teacher of band in Clifton elementary schools and tuba at Kean University, and has performed with the New Jersey Symphony, Garden State Philharmonic, and many others. Julie is a freelance trombonist in addition to an aerial musician and has performed alongside acts including Maroon 5 and Cirque du Soleil. She is the Asst Marching Band Director at Cresskill High School and coach in residence for The New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra. Martha is a piano soloist and teacher, and has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the New Juilliard Ensemble and the New York University Symphony Orchestra among many others. She is a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center, is an adjunct at the Packer Collegiate Institute and collaborative pianist at Juilliard and NYU.

A $10 Donation at the door is suggested to support the Arts Center and musicians.