Events & Tickets
Nimbus Dance with the Music of Nina Simone & Nancy Wilson
Featuring the NJSO Chamber Players
The NJSO Chamber Players take the stage in collaboration with the Nimbus Dance Company and NJPAC. Part one of this three-part series explores the vibrant and powerful fusion of live music and dance on the Victoria Theater stage. The performance features a world premiere written for the NJSO ensemble, as well as choreography set to the music of jazz legends Nina Simone and Nancy Wilson.
This program is presented by NJPAC. For more information and tickets, please visit njpac.org or call 1.888.GO.NJPAC.
Family: Peter and the Wolf
2019–20 Season Family Series
TONG CHEN conductor
RUBÉN RENGEL violin
NYGEL WITHERSPOON cello
Join the NJSO and a guest narrator for this timeless fairy tale, in which charming melodies and fantastical characters introduce the different instruments of the orchestra.
Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto
Featuring pianist George Li
XIAN ZHANG conductor
GEORGE LI piano
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ANNA CLYNE Within Her Arms (NJSO Premiere)
A defining work in this Brooklyn-based composer’s career. Written for strings alone, this tender piece is the song of loss and memory for her mother.
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RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3
Rachmaninoff wrote this concerto to showcase his exceptional talent and blindingly fast technique. It starts with a deceptively simple melody that every beginner can play, but it quickly becomes the Everest of all piano concertos—one that few soloists attempt to conquer.
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DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8
Dvořák’s Eighth poured out of him while he was surrounded by the cherished Bohemian countryside that was his inspiration. Close your eyes and you’ll see the colors of autumn, awash in sunlight.
Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet
2020 Winter Festival: In the Spotlight
XIAN ZHANG conductor
INON BARNATAN piano
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SMETANA “The Moldau” from Má vlast
Sail with us down a fabled river, lined on either side by castles and forests full of myth and mystery.
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CLARA SCHUMANN Piano Concerto (NJSO Premiere)
A great pianist, Clara Schumann composed this glittering and graceful concerto in her teens—a remarkable achievement.
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PROKOFIEV Selections from Romeo and Juliet
Xian has won acclaim in opera and ballet houses around the world; you’ll hear why in Prokofiev’s riveting ballet about Shakespeare’s doomed lovers.
Mozart’s Don Giovanni
2020 Winter Festival: In the Spotlight
XIAN ZHANG conductor
ERIC WYRICK violin
Singers from the METROPOLITAN OPERA’S LINDEMANN YOUNG ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
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MOZART Exsultate, jubilate
One of Mozart’s most famous works—with good reason. This church solo from Mozart’s teenage years rivals his secular arias for sheer brilliance.
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MOZART Violin Concerto No. 4
NJSO Concertmaster Eric Wyrick performs a Mozart concerto into which the composer crafted too much virtuosity to perform himself!
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MOZART Scenes from Don Giovanni
Xian Zhang’s selection of magnificent arias and scenes creates a masterful abridged version of Mozart’s dramatic bad-boy opera.
Wagner’s The Ring Without Words
2020 Winter Festival: In the Spotlight
XIAN ZHANG conductor
SIMON TRPČESKI piano
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WAGNER Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin
Ten minutes of utter serenity: Wagner has painted the most delicate sound, with soft strings evoking the tenderness of silver moonlight.
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LISZT Piano Concerto No. 2
NJSO audiences demanded Trpčeski’s return. Don’t miss him in this dazzler by the composer-pianist genius Franz Liszt.
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WAGNER/arr. Maazel The Ring Without Words (NJSO Premiere)
Wagner’s four-night epic of Ring operas is full of heaven-storming music. The American conductor Lorin Maazel, who mentored Xian early in her career, arranged it into this amazing 60-minute suite.
Lunar New Year Celebration Gala
Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark
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WAGNER Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin
Ten minutes of utter serenity: Wagner has painted the most delicate sound, with soft strings evoking the tenderness of silver moonlight.
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LISZT Piano Concerto No. 2
NJSO audiences demanded Trpčeski’s return. Don’t miss him in this dazzler by the composer-pianist genius Franz Liszt.
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WAGNER/arr. Maazel The Ring Without Words (NJSO Premiere)
Wagner’s four-night epic of Ring operas is full of heaven-storming music. The American conductor Lorin Maazel, who mentored Xian early in her career, arranged it into this amazing 60-minute suite.
Lunar New Year Concert and Celebration
2019–20 Season
XIAN ZHANG conductor
Soloists, performers and program details to be announced.
Classical Mystery Tour: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
2019–20 Pops Season
Beatlemania is back! Relive one of the most iconic albums in rock history as Classical Mystery Tour performs Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with the NJSO. Hear classic songs from “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” to “When I'm Sixty-Four” to “A Day in the Life”—plus more of the greatest hits from The Beatles’ entire catalogue.
CLASSICAL MYSTERY TOUR
MARTIN HERMAN conductor
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert
2019–20 Pops Season
In the spectacular climactic sixth episode of the Star Wars saga, Darth Vader readies the second Death Star to unleash the final blow to the Rebel Alliance. Luke Skywalker joins R2-D2, C-3PO and Princess Leia to free Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt and launch a desperate attack upon the entire Imperial Fleet. Watch the complete film unfold as the NJSO performs John Williams’ legendary score live.
Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto
2019–20 Season
CHRISTOPH KÖNIG conductor
SIMONE PORTER violin
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MOZART Overture to The Magic Flute
Hear the majesty and magic of Mozart’s final opera—a fantastical tale of mystery, adventure and love—distilled into this glowing overture.
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MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto
This is the diamond in the crown of violin concertos, with sparkling melodies and quicksilver beauty in every bar. Simone Porter, only in her early 20s, has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times for playing that is “lovingly lyrical, occasionally frisky. She is clearly on the cusp of a major career.”
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BRUCKNER Symphony No. 6
Bruckner was a church organist by day, but when he took up his composing pen at night, he opened a whole new world of orchestral splendor. His Sixth Symphony begins with violins playing so softly you may miss them; then, a mysterious horn call sounds, and suddenly the whole orchestra sweeps you away.
Beethoven’s Piano Concertos 2, 3 & 4
2019–20 Season—Beethoven’s Birthday Bash
XIAN ZHANG conductor
LOUIS LORTIE piano
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BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 2
When Beethoven moved from his small-town home to the big city of Vienna, he used this music to impress the Viennese with his once-in-a-lifetime virtuosity at the piano.
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BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3
You know Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. His Third Piano Concerto has the same drama and impact, and it is a thrill to witness as it unfolds through a great pianist’s hands.
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BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4
The opening is Beethoven magic: a hushed piano solo brings you to the edge of your seat for what becomes his most joyous concerto.
Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ Symphony
2019–20 Season—Beethoven’s Birthday Bash
XIAN ZHANG conductor
ROBERT WAGNER bassoon
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ROSSINI Overture to Guillaume Tell
Not just a curtain-raiser, the overture to Rossini’s 39th (!) and final opera, William Tell, is a full symphony in miniature.
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CHRISTOPHER ROUSE Bassoon Concerto (East-Coast Premiere and NJSO Co-Commission)
This lyrical new piece completes Christopher Rouse’s cycle of concertos for every wind instrument. The NJSO co-commissioned this work to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Principal Bassoon Robert Wagner, who has given so much to our organization on and off stage.
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BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”
With two thunderous opening chords, Beethoven unlocked a new world of music-making, and every performance of his “Eroica” sounds revolutionary.
Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony
2019–20 Season
HENRIK NÁNÁSI conductor
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BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
A daring 20th-century masterpiece! Revel in the sounds of the NJSO strings, accentuated by keyboard and percussion—writing so evocative that Stanley Kubrick famously used it in The Shining.
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TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
Critics of Tchaikovsky’s day crushed this new symphony (“a horde of demons struggling in a torrent of brandy,” wrote one), and even the composer said, “It is a failure.” But its hypnotic melodies and triumphant mood turned the Fifth into an audience favorite.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert
2019–20 Pops Season
Thirty years after the defeat of the Empire, Luke Skywalker has vanished, and a new threat has risen: The First Order, led by the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke and his enforcer, Kylo Ren. General Leia Organa’s military force, the Resistance—and unlikely heroes brought together by fate—are the galaxy’s only hope. Experience the complete film with the NJSO performing John Williams’ thrilling score live.
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BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
A daring 20th-century masterpiece! Revel in the sounds of the NJSO strings, accentuated by keyboard and percussion—writing so evocative that Stanley Kubrick famously used it in The Shining.
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TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
Critics of Tchaikovsky’s day crushed this new symphony (“a horde of demons struggling in a torrent of brandy,” wrote one), and even the composer said, “It is a failure.” But its hypnotic melodies and triumphant mood turned the Fifth into an audience favorite.
Brahms, Vivaldi & Beethoven
2019–20 Season
NICHOLAS MCGEGAN conductor
RUBÉN RENGEL violin
EDUARDO RIOS violin
ADRIANA ROSIN violin
NA-YOUNG BAEK cello
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BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Brahms reimagined an old German hymn tune in eight different ways, then wove these variations together into one breathtaking showpiece.
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VIVALDI Concerto for Two Violins in B-flat Major, RV 529
With Nicholas McGegan at the harpsichord, NJSO Assistant Concertmaster Adriana Rosin pairs up with 2018 Sphinx Competition winner Rubén Rengel for dazzling Vivaldi.
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VIVALDI Concerto for Violin and Cello in B-flat Major, RV 547
2015 Sphinx Competition winner Eduardo Rios partners with newly named NJSO Assistant Principal Cello Na-Young Baek for Baroque fireworks in this virtuosic showpiece.
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VIVALDI Concerto for Three Violins in F Major, RV 551
Both Sphinx winners and Rosin perform together in the give and take of Vivaldi’s brilliant melodies as if in sparkling conversation.
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BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2
The program concludes with the sunniest of an often-stormy composer’s symphonies.
Family: The ‘New World’ Symphony & Beyond!
2019–20 Season Family Series
TONG CHEN conductor
RUBÉN RENGEL violin
NYGEL WITHERSPOON cello
Hear how the rich tapestry of America has inspired music of dizzying diversity—from Dvořák’s first encounters with the “New World,” to Florence Price and more!
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BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Brahms reimagined an old German hymn tune in eight different ways, then wove these variations together into one breathtaking showpiece.
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VIVALDI Concerto for Two Violins in B-flat Major, RV 529
With Nicholas McGegan at the harpsichord, NJSO Assistant Concertmaster Adriana Rosin pairs up with 2018 Sphinx Competition winner Rubén Rengel for dazzling Vivaldi.
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VIVALDI Concerto for Violin and Cello in B-flat Major, RV 547
2015 Sphinx Competition winner Eduardo Rios partners with newly named NJSO Assistant Principal Cello Na-Young Baek for Baroque fireworks in this virtuosic showpiece.
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VIVALDI Concerto for Three Violins in F Major, RV 551
Both Sphinx winners and Rosin perform together in the give and take of Vivaldi’s brilliant melodies as if in sparkling conversation.
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BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2
The program concludes with the sunniest of an often-stormy composer’s symphonies.
Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto
2019–20 Season
ANDREY BOREYKO conductor
AKIKO SUWANAI violin
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MASON BATES Attack Decay Sustain Release (NJSO Premiere)
A four-minute joyride, with the strings and brass tumbling over each other, and a touch of groove inspired by Mason Bates’ love of electronic dance music.
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TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto
Famous for blending elegance with fireworks, Suwanai performs one of the most beloved of all violin concertos.
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SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 10
For decades early in his career, Shostakovich was hounded and harassed by Soviet leader Josef Stalin. Shostakovich’s 10th was written just after Stalin’s death; it is a towering testament to resilience over tyranny.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ Part 1 in Concert
2019–20 Season
The end begins. Harry, Ron and Hermione go hunting for Horcruxes in part one of the epic finale Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ Part 1 in Concert. Relive every harrowing moment as Harry and his friends rush to face Voldemort for the last time, with the full film accompanied by the NJSO in an experience you’ll never forget.
Season Finale: Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24
2019–20 Season
XIAN ZHANG conductor
LOUIS LORTIE piano
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BEETHOVEN Egmont Overture
A journey from darkness to light, a powerful expression of freedom and a thrilling, virtuosic conclusion—this overture encapsulates everything we love about Beethoven in just over 10 minutes.
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MOZART Piano Concerto No. 24
After making a splash for our celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday, artist-in-residence Louis Lortie returns to play Mozart’s most dramatic piano concerto—famous for its interplay of woodwinds and piano. After hearing Mozart’s concerto for the first time, Beethoven said, “We shall never be able to do anything like it!”
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STRAVINSKY Divertimento from The Fairy’s Kiss
Based on a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, Stravinsky paid homage to Tchaikovsky with this delightful ballet music ful of spiky rhythms, graceful melodies and glittering orchestration.
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BARTÓK Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin
This masterpiece from Bartók was banned after its first performance but is now recognized as one of the 20th century’s most thrilling and evocative examples of the power of a live orchestra—full of violence, love, horror and wonder.