2017 NJSO Winter Festival Week II: Zukerman & Beethoven’s Violin Concerto | Jan 20-22

Fri, Jan 20, at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton

Sat, Jan 21, at NJPAC in Newark

Sun, Jan 22, at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown

• Part of the 2017 NJSO Winter Festival
• Zukerman—Artistic Director of three-week Winter Festival—solos in Beethoven’s sole violin concerto
• Concerts also feature Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3, “Organ,” Barber’s Overture to The School for Scandal
• Christian Vásquez conducts
• NJSO Accents: Organ tour and recital at Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Classical Conversations, mentoring talkback

NEWARK, NJ (December 13, 2016)—The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with Pinchas Zukerman, the second program of the three-weekend 2017 Winter Festival, January 20–22 in Princeton, Newark and Morristown. Christian Vásquez conducts a program that also features Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3, “Organ,” and Barber’s Overture to The School for Scandal.

Performances take place on Friday, January 20, at 8 pm at the Richardson Auditorium in Princeton; Saturday, January 21, at 8 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark; and Sunday, January 22, at 3 pm at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown.

In a preview of the 2017 Winter Festival crafted around Zukerman, The Asbury Park Press anticipates the performances by the “violinist extraordinaire,” writing: “Zukerman is something of a legend in the classical music world, with a nearly half-century career as soloist and conductor. Deutsche Grammophon and Philips recently released a 22-disc set of his complete recordings on those labels, which yet only scratches the surface of his long, productive career.”

The legendary violinist takes center stage in Beethoven’s violin concerto, a work that, The New York Times writes in a 2014 review, “has been a staple of Mr. Zukerman’s repertory since the early days of his career. His rendition … was distinguished by its languid trills and beautiful, sweet tone” and “highly expressive playing.”

The NJSO program opens with Barber’s kinetic Overture to The School for Scandal, inspired by a satirical 18th-century Irish play. Saint-Saëns’ “Organ” Symphony weaves the titular instrument into the orchestral sound. Organist John Miller, director of music ministries at Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, joins the NJSO for these performances.

In a special NJSO Accent event inspired by the Saint-Saëns symphony, Miller will give a demonstration and mini-recital on the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart’s magnificent Schantz organ as part of a pre-concert tour of the Cathedral on January 21. Tickets for the tour and recital are $10 and must be purchased by January 12. Add-on options include a shuttle between NJPAC and the Cathedral, as well as a French-inspired supper at Maize at the Robert Treat Hotel. More information is available at www.njsymphony.org/organtour.

NJSO Accent events also include Classical Conversations before the January 21 and 22 concerts; NJSO Director of Artistic Planning Patrick Chamberlain will chat with Vásquez and Zukerman. A post-concert talkback on January 22 with student mentors in NJSO Academy education programs is inspired by Zukerman’s commitment to educating the next generation of musicians.

Spanning three weekends, January 13–29, the 2017 Winter Festival includes performances featuring Zukerman, the festival’s Artistic Director, at all six venues at which the NJSO regularly performs—NJPAC in Newark, State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick, Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, Richardson Auditorium in Princeton, Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown and bergenPAC in Englewood.

For more information on the Winter Festival and related events, visit www.njsymphony.org/winterfestival.

 

TICKETS

Tickets start at $20 and are available for purchase online at www.njsymphony.org or by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476).

 

THE PROGRAM

WINTER FESTIVAL WEEK II: Zukerman & Beethoven’s Violin Concerto

Friday, January 20 at 8 pm | Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
Saturday, January 21 at 8 pm | NJPAC in Newark
Sunday, January 22 at 3 pm | Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown

Christian Vásquez, conductor
Pinchas Zukerman, violin
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

BARBER Overture to The School for Scandal
BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto
SAINT-SAËNS Symphony No. 3, “Organ”

The January 22 concert is generously sponsored by RBC Wealth Management.

Full concert information is available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/winter-festival-zukerman-beethovens-violin-concerto.

 

NJSO ACCENTS

Inspired by the concerts and designed to inspire audiences, NJSO Accents are pre- or post-concert events that complement the concert experience and provide audience members with more opportunities to personally connect with the music and music makers.

Tour and Recital – Sat, Jan 21, starting at 5 pm
Tour Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, then relish a demonstration and mini-recital on its magnificent Schantz organ by John Miller, the Cathedral Basilica’s Director of Music Ministries, and the evening’s featured performer in Saint-Saëns’ “Organ” Symphony. Originally built in 1953–54, the Schantz organ was rebuilt with tonal alterations in 1989–90 and features 154 ranks, 193 stops and 9,513 pipes. $10 for the tour/recital, reservations required. More information.

Classical Conversation—Sat, Jan 21, and Sun, Jan 22, before the concert
Enjoy a lively Classical Conversation beginning one hour before the performances. NJSO Director of Artistic Planning Patrick Chamberlain will talk with guest conductor Christian Vásquez and soloist Pinchas Zukerman. Free for ticketholders.

Mentoring Talkback—Sun, Jan 22, after the concert
Student mentors in NJSO Academy education programs share their experiences in a talkback inspired by Zukerman’s commitment to educating the next generation of musicians. Free for ticketholders.

NJSO Accents in Newark are generously sponsored by the Prudential Foundation.

 

MORE 2017 WINTER FESTIVAL PROGRAMS

WEEK III: Zukerman Performs Bach

Thursday, January 26, at 7:30 pm | bergenPAC in Englewood
Saturday, January 28, at 8 pm | State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick
Sunday, January 29, at 3 pm | NJPAC in Newark

Pinchas Zukerman, conductor and violin soloist
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

BACH Violin Concerto No. 2
SCHOENBERG Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”

NJSO ACCENTS: Riffs—Sat, Jan 28, after the concert
NJSO French horn player Chris Komer’s other musical love is jazz. Showcasing marvelous versatility, he performs a set of smooth jazz tunes. Free for ticketholders.

Full concert information is available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/winter-festival-zukerman-performs-bach.

 

THE ARTISTS

Pinchas Zukerman, violin

2017 NJSO Winter Festival Artistic Director

Pinchas Zukerman’s 2016–17 season, his eighth as principal guest conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London and his second as artist-in-association with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, includes more than 100 concerts worldwide. Orchestral engagements include the Cleveland Orchestra and Boston, Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Montreal symphonies, plus overseas appearances with the Berlin and Israel philharmonics, Camerata Salzburg, Sydney Symphony, Korean Chamber Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Miyazaki Festival Orchestra. European recitals with pianist Yefim Bronfman and chamber concerts with the Zukerman Trio round out the season.

Zukerman’s extensive discography contains more than 100 titles and has earned him two Grammy Awards and 21 nominations. His complete recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and Philips were released in July 2016 in a 22-disc set spanning Baroque, Classical and Romantic concertos and chamber music. In October, Analekta released Baroque Treasury with Zukerman, National Arts Centre Orchestra, cellist Amanda Forsyth and oboist Charles Hamann in works by Handel, Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann and Tartini.

Born in Tel Aviv, Zukerman came to America in 1962, where he studied at The Juilliard School with Ivan Galamian. He has been awarded a Medal of Arts, the Isaac Stern Award for Artistic Excellence and was appointed as the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative’s first instrumentalist mentor in the music discipline. A devoted and innovative pedagogue, Zukerman chairs the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music, where he has pioneered the use of distance-learning technology in the arts. He currently serves as conductor emeritus of the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada, as well as artistic director of its Young Artist Program.

 

Christian Vásquez, conductor

Christian Vásquez became chief conductor of Norway’s Stavanger Symphony Orchestra at the beginning of the 2013–14 season, inaugurating the start of an initial four-year term with Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in the orchestra’s new hall in August 2013. The 2015–16 season saw him become the principal guest conductor of the Het Gelders Orkest in Arnhem, Netherlands, starting his tenure with a tour of the Netherlands featuring an all-Latin program. He is also music director of the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, most recently leading them on a tour of Europe, performing in London, Lisbon, Toulouse, Munich, Stockholm and Istanbul.

Following his debut with the Gävle Symfoniorkester in October 2009, one of his first appearances in Europe, Vásquez was appointed principal guest conductor (2010–13). He has worked with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Vienna Radio Symphony, Camerata Salzburg, State Symphony of Russia, Tokyo Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa and Los Angeles Philharmonic. This season, Vásquez debuts with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. He also will reunite with the Turku and Helsinki philharmonics and collaborate with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra.

Born in Caracas, Vásquez joined the San Sebastian de los Reyes Symphony Orchestra as a violinist at the age of 9. He began conducting studies under the tutelage of José Antonio Abreu in 2006 and was appointed music director of the Aragua Juvenile Symphony Orchestra Jose Felix Ribas soon after.

 

NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Named “a vital, artistically significant musical organization” by The Wall Street Journal, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra embodies that vitality through its statewide presence and critically acclaimed performances, education partnerships and unparalleled access to music and the Orchestra’s superb musicians.

The NJSO welcomes new Music Director Xian Zhang in the 2016–17 season. The Orchestra presents classical, pops and family programs, as well as outdoor summer concerts and special events. Embracing its legacy as a statewide orchestra, the NJSO is the resident orchestra of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and regularly performs at the State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick, Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, Richardson Auditorium in Princeton, Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown and bergenPAC in Englewood. Partnerships with New Jersey arts organizations, universities and civic organizations remain a key element of the Orchestra’s statewide identity.

In addition to its lauded artistic programming, the NJSO presents a suite of education and community engagement (ECE) programs that promote meaningful, lifelong engagement with live music. Programs include school-time Concerts for Young People performances, NJSO Youth Orchestras family of student ensembles and El Sistema-inspired NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project). The NJSO’s REACH (Resources for Education and Community Harmony) chamber music program annually brings original programs—designed and performed by NJSO musicians—to a variety of settings. In the 2015–16 season, REACH ensembles performed at nearly 200 events, and ECE programs served more than 66,000 New Jerseyans in nearly 21 counties.

For more information about the NJSO, visit www.njsymphony.org or email information@njsymphony.org. Tickets are available for purchase by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or on the Orchestra’s website.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s programs are made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, along with many other foundations, corporations and individual donors.

 

PRESS CONTACT

Victoria McCabe, NJSO Senior Manager of Public Relations & Communications | 973.735.1715 | vmccabe@njsymphony.org

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