Events & Tickets

When needing an example of “genius,” look no further than this astounding product of a 17-year-old boy. Here are the lovers, the silliness and the quicksilver humor of Shakespeare’s comedy delivered in a dozen minutes of utter brilliance.

The violin leads the drama from the first bar of Mendelssohn’s masterpiece, but here too are moments of hold-your-breath beauty. These shimmer like moonlight on water when played by Joshua Bell, one of the world’s finest violinists.

He could stir up musical storm clouds like a god, but Beethoven also could part them to let the most brilliant sunlight warm the soul. The Fourth is the composer at his sunniest, and Joshua Bell, violin still in hand, leads the New Jersey Symphony from the concertmaster’s seat.

Still wrote this in the 1920s to depict the struggles of his fellow African Americans, ultimately aiming to show “the triumph of a people over their sorrows through fervent prayer.” Tenderness and toughness mark this moving testament to resilience.

In this nation of immigrants, we all have our stories. Inspired by in-depth source research, interviews with generations of immigrants, and melodies from many countries, composer Rob Kapilow has crafted an instant classic of compelling music for chorus and orchestra. The concert on January 18 does not include Rob Kapilow and his piece We Came to America.

The musical that gave the world “New York, New York,” On the Town was a hit from its wartime premiere. The story of three sailors on leave in Manhattan is filled with Bernstein’s signature restless energy, and made huge waves of its own in the 1940s with a racially diverse cast.

The tragedy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set on Manhattan’s fire escapes and sidewalks. These Symphonic Dances from West Side Story are a fountain of songs you love, from “Tonight” to “Maria” and the manic shout of “Mambo!”

The New Jersey Symphony premiered this fantastic music in 2000, catching Ludwig at the launch of a career that now finds him Dean of Juilliard. Hear again, or for the first time, the promise of a young artist in full command of a virtuoso orchestra.

You can say you heard him when, because young pianist Tom Borrow has been named “the very definition of ‘one to watch’” (International Piano). He brings his jaw-dropping technique and poet’s soul to Mozart’s most dramatic concerto.

Brass choruses will make the hall ring in this most beloved of Tchaikovsky’s six symphonies. The composer wrestled with fate in his Fifth, and filled it from start to finish with musical electricity and hope.

Berlioz exploded every idea of what an orchestra could do and be, and his Roman Carnival Overture was his calling card. It shows the New Jersey Symphony in all its full-throated glory.

Having written for every top-flight orchestra in America, Anna Clyne’s latest is for us and with the extraordinary Jeremy Denk as soloist. Find out why The New York Times chose Anna Clyne for their feature “Five Minutes that Will Make You Love Classical Music.”

Fifty minutes that made Beethoven’s name. His Third was so bold and unconventional, that it still sounds new 200-plus years after its premiere.