Elf in Concert
New Jersey Symphony at the Movies
Conner Gray Covington conductor
New Jersey Symphony
Buddy was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. This holiday season, relive this heartwarming holiday classic on a giant screen as every note of John Debney’s wonderful score is played live to picture in: Elf in Concert!
New Jersey Ballet’s The Nutcracker with New Jersey Symphony
Presented by New Jersey Ballet
Constantine Kitsopoulos conductor
Brent Chancellor conductor (December 19 & 20 concerts only)
New Jersey Ballet
New Jersey Symphony
New Jersey Ballet’s beloved annual tradition enchants youngsters and grown-ups alike with splendid dancing, eye-popping special effects and a touch of holiday magic, set to Tchaikovsky’s iconic score performed live by New Jersey Symphony.
Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker
Based on The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffman
Youth Orchestra Winter Concert
Youth Orchestra Showcase
Diego García artistic director, The Anna P. Drago Chair
Terrence Thornhill associate conductor & curriculum specialist
New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra, The Resident Youth Orchestra of the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University
Discover the artistry of the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra! Coached by musicians of the New Jersey Symphony, each ensemble will surprise and delight in this annual celebration of musical excellence.
Handel’s Messiah
New Jersey Symphony Holiday Tradition
Anthony Parnther conductor
Caitlin Gotimer soprano
Maria Dominique Lopez mezzo-soprano
Orson Van Gay II tenor
Shyheim Selvan Hinnant bass-baritone
Montclair State University Singers | Heather J. Buchanan, director
New Jersey Symphony
Handel’s Messiah embraces every emotion, from the first voice singing “Comfort ye,” inviting you to step aside from the season’s frenzy, to the riveting Amen Chorus at the end. In between are moments of transcendence, loss, and deeply-felt awe—what makes a classic a classic.
Hollywood in New Jersey
Music from How the West Was Won, The Greatest Story Ever Told & More
David Newman conductor
Sebastian Knauer piano
New Jersey Symphony
Hooray for Hollywood! Hear some of the most iconic film music of all time performed by the New Jersey Symphony. Guest conductor and Oscar-nominated film composer David Newman carries on the legacy of his father, Alfred Newman, the golden-age composer of legendary film scores (and creator of the famous 20th Century Fox fanfare). Award-winning German pianist Sebastian Knauer joins the orchestra for an evening of silver-screen favorites. You’ll hear music from a variety of composers, including the Newman family, who have amassed 13 Academy Awards and an incredible 93 nominations. A Beautiful Mind, Spartacus, The Robe, How the West Was Won, Basic Instinct — and more!
Randall Goosby Returns
New Jersey Symphony Classical
Xian Zhang conductor
Randall Goosby violin
New Jersey Symphony
-
Jean Sibelius Finlandia
Eight minutes that saved a nation. When Finland wrestled itself free from the Russian bear, Sibelius’ music was the Finns’ call to courage.
-
Samuel Barber Violin Concerto
The most gorgeous violin concerto of the 20th century: the first two movements exquisitely touching, and the third a wild sprint for only the bravest of soloists.
-
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2, “Ukrainian”
Three Ukrainian folksongs were all Tchaikovsky needed for inspiration. From them, he spun his most joyful symphony.
Elden Ring: Symphonic Adventure
Based Off the Award-Winning Fantasy Video Game
Eric Roth conductor
Ember Choral Arts | Deborah Simpkin King, artistic director
New Jersey Symphony
The fantasy video game Elden Ring comes to life with the New Jersey Symphony and Ember Choral Arts performing its gorgeous score. Immerse yourself in the noble quest of the Tarnished as cinematic gameplay sequences play on the big screen, synced with dramatic lighting and sound effects. Whether you’re a fan of the game, or simply love the epic beauty of orchestral music, this adventure is for you. Don your Elden Ring cosplay, and we’ll meet you in the Lands Between.
Romeo & Juliet
Featuring The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
Xian Zhang conductor
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey | Brian B. Crowe, director
Jason Flamos lighting designer
New Jersey Symphony
-
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
Tchaikovsky gives you all the passion and drama of Shakespeare’s two young lovers, as the New Jersey Symphony becomes a storyteller in real time.
-
Sergei Prokofiev Selections from Romeo and Juliet
Considered too difficult, even undanceable at its unveiling, Prokofiev’s ballet with scene after scene of strikingly original music soon became the treasure of every ballet house the world over.
2026 Lunar New Year Celebration
Celebration of the Year of the Horse
Sunny Xia conductor
Haochen Zhang piano
Peking University Alumni Chorus
Starry Arts Children’s Chorus | Rebecca Shen, director
Edison Chinese School Lion Dance Team
New Jersey Symphony
Enjoy an evening of community and cultural exchange that is wonderful for families and children, as we celebrate the Year of the Horse. Seattle Symphony Associate Conductor Sunny Xia and Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Winner Haochen Zhang make their New Jersey Symphony debuts in this festive concert that celebrates music from East and West.
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony
Time For Three Performs Contact
Markus Stenz conductor
Time For Three
Ranaan Meyer double bass | Nick Kendall violin | Charles Yang violin
New Jersey Symphony
-
Richard Wagner Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin
It begins with the strings alone playing a whisperquiet passage of holy serenity. Soon the whole orchestra joins and builds in a full-throated cry. Wagner’s operatic stage is set for the arrival of the knight Lohengrin sent on a mission from God.
-
Kevin Puts Contact
Time for Three, a self-described “classically trained garage band,” brings you the GRAMMY Award-winning concerto written for them by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts. Created during the isolation of the early pandemic, Contact is “an expression of yearning for the fundamental need” of human connection.
-
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5
Four notes—dah, dah, dah, DAH—launched Beethoven’s Fifth in 1808 and have stamped all of western classical music since.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ in Concert
New Jersey Symphony at the Movies
Constantine Kitsopoulos conductor
New Jersey Symphony
Relive the film that started it all. Watch the wand choose the wizard, a troll run amok and magic mirrors in high-definition while a live orchestra performs John Williams’ iconic score. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime event as Harry, Ron, Hermione and all your favorite characters return to the screen and enchant the world all over again.
Bartók’s Concerto
for Orchestra
New Jersey Symphony Classical
Ruth Reinhardt conductor
Eva Gevorgyan piano
New Jersey Symphony
-
Béla Bartók Romanian Folk Dances
Informed by his numerous research trips across Hungary, this short and spry set of folk dances bursts with Transylvanian flavor and energy.
-
Frédéric Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2
There are moments here that make time, and your breath, stand still. If ever you need evidence of the human spirit’s capacity for beauty, look to this remarkable creation of 20-year-old Chopin.
-
Béla Bartók Concerto for Orchestra
Every section of the orchestra gets the spotlight to dazzling effect, and the Concerto’s last moments are some of the most thrilling in all classical music.