Events & Tickets
Handel’s Messiah
Featuring guest conductor Roderick Cox
RODERICK COX conductor
SARAH SHAFER soprano
J’NAI BRIDGES mezzo-soprano
FREDERICK BALLENTINE tenor
DOUGLAS WILLIAMS bass-baritone
MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY SINGERS | Heather J. Buchanan, conductor
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HANDEL Messiah
The opening aria begins with, “Comfort ye …” In the rush of the holiday season, set aside time for glorious music that touches the soul.
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.
Beethoven’s Piano Concertos 1 & 5
2019–20 Season—Beethoven’s Birthday Bash
XIAN ZHANG conductor
LOUIS LORTIE piano
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BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1
Beethoven was considered a great pianist in his time, and this early showcase for his own talent holds an affectionate nod to his hero, Haydn.
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BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”
Full of Beethoven’s most beautiful melodies and powerful rhythms, his final piano concerto more than earns its regal title.
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.
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.