Neighborhood Concerts

We are your New Jersey Symphony—bringing you the music you love, wherever you are. Building on our deep, long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we strive to make music accessible—and enjoyable—for all.

We meet our audiences where they are—in schools, community centers, healthcare facilities, senior living communities, houses of worship, parks, and more—in all counties of our state. We perform a wide variety of music—from classical to Broadway to movie scores. Our more than 150 community offerings every year—many free—include small ensemble performances, outdoor concerts, instrument demonstrations, and hospital-bedside serenades. We are proud to be in and of our communities, and to create innovative programs that reflect and resonate with our richly diverse audiences.

Check out this calendar of special offerings—featuring your New Jersey Symphony musicians—that are open to the public.

At the Octoroon Balls by Wynton Marsalis: Featuring the Words of Simeon Marsalis
Featuring Wynton Marsalis' String Quartet No. 1 and a performance of original spoken word by Simeon Marsalis
Original concept by The Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Program

In partnership with Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies

Simeon Marsalis spoken word
New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players
   Héctor Falcón violin
   Bryan Hernandez-Luch violin
   Brett Deubner viola
   Nayoung Baek cello

Performance 1:
Thursday, February 9, 2023, 6:00 pm
New Hall at Newark School of the Arts
89 Lincoln Park, Newark, NJ 07102

Performance 2:
Friday, February 10, 2023, 7:00 pm
Clement’s Place: In the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall at Rutgers University–Newark
15 Washington St, Newark, NJ 07102

Program Description:
Join us for an evening at the intersection of jazz, classical music, and creative writing. Featuring Wynton Marsalis’ String Quartet No. 1, performed by the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players and interspersed with original spoken word by Simeon Marsalis, writer and faculty member at Rutgers University-Newark.

Simeon Marsalis Biography:
Simeon Marsalis is a writer from New Rochelle, NY, who earned a BA in Religious Studies from the University of Vermont in 2013, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Rutgers University-Newark in 2019. His first novel, As Lie Is to Grin, was published by Catapult in 2017 and was on the shortlist for the Center for Fiction's first novel prize. His short story, "The Exterminator", appeared in the Fall 2021 Founder's Issue of Lampblack, a magazine and literary organization he helped to co-found. Marsalis is working on his second novel entitled, End Times, and is currently an Assistant Professor of Jazz Literature at Rutgers University-Newark, where he was a part-time lecturer from the fall of 2017 to the Spring of 2022.

Photo Credit: Lawrence Sumulong

This event is sponsored by the TD Charitable Foundation.

New Jersey Symphony musicians collaborate with community partners on in-person and virtual musical events through New Jersey Symphony Everywhere. To learn more about New Jersey Symphony Everywhere programs, please contact Ann Kim at akim@njsymphony.org or 973.735.1737.