Backstage: Gemma New chats about NJSO parks concerts
By Alex Klaassen
Last year, Gemma New sat in the grass at Hoboken, eating ice cream and listening to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra play Broadway tunes in Pier A Park. This year, she will see the NJSO’s parks concerts from a different viewpoint—from the stage as she conducts the orchestra.
The NJSO first performed outdoor summertime concerts in 1952. Though this is her first time conducting an NJSO series, New remembers experiencing the magic of a parks concert as an audience member. “I had a great time,” the NJSO’s assistant conductor says. “It’s a beautiful view of the waterfront with a stage for the orchestra. The concert had very nice music, and I really enjoyed it.” Though Music Director Jacques Lacombe will conduct the Hoboken concert this year, New will take charge of the rest, including concerts at Giralda Farms in Madison, Moorland Farms in Far Hills, Branch Brook Park in Newark, Goffle Brook Park in Hawthorne and Mercer County Park in West Windsor.
At the helm of this year’s summer series, New has turned her attention away from the fireworks and ice cream to the music she and the symphony will perform. “It’s a lot of fun putting music together [to construct an orchestral concert program],” New says. “It is very creative to get into that creative side of [concert] planning.”
New plans to carry that fun into the concert lineup itself: the recurring theme for this year’s program will be the celebration of American music. “When you go out to a park, you’ve got your picnic, your family, your dog, and you’re there to just sip some wine and eat some food on a beautiful summer evening,” she says. “Since it’s near the Fourth of July, this is the orchestra’s chance to celebrate everything that is American.” This includes several different kinds of American music—many from movies, Broadway shows and TV, all “very well known and loved.”
Some of the music includes Copland’s “Hoe Down” from Rodeo and Williams’ “Raider’s March” from the classic Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, both of which bring a Wild West flavor to the program. “Raider’s March” is New’s favorite piece to perform: “it’s a very upbeat, well known, moving piece. I just love the film and the Wild West attitude and it gets everyone really uplifted.” As a professed fan of Broadway tunes, New has also made sure to include classics such as Bernstein’s West Side Story Overture and Gershwin’s Girl Crazy Overture.
Of course, a celebration of American music must include some patriotic tunes. On the program is celebratory music such as “Colonel Bogey’s March” and the more serious Armed Forces Salute. “It’s for us to thank all the U.S. forces for their service to the country,” New says.
She also mentions that the Music at Moorland concert selection will be slightly different than other parks concerts. “For that program, we have a second half of American music and a first half of folk songs from Europe,” she says. This includes pieces by composers Dvořák and Smetana; cellist Christine Lamprea joins the Orchestra for a movement of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto. Despite the program’s dual cultures, New points out that “this folk music goes very well with American music because Dvořák had such a strong relationship with composers in America.”
For New, the difference between music selections for these outdoor concerts and a typical indoor one is a matter of celebration. “The repertoire we usually do is very thought-provoking,” New points out. “It’s inspiring and sometimes it’s very happy and celebratory, but it usually has a struggle beforehand. So we maybe go through a more deeply emotional journey with something like that. But this [series] is all light and fireworks and absolutely joyful.”
Along with this celebratory music selection comes an informal concert atmosphere. “It could be very hot,” New says with a laugh. “I won’t be able to wear tails. The outdoor concert is more relaxed, you don’t have to have your bowtie; it’s much more of an informal affair where people can just sit and relax and be interested in the setting. Every park has its own natural beauty, so it will be really nice to have a summer ambiance and warmth with rolling hills and trees.”
Despite the different challenges these concerts present, when asked what she looks forward to the most, New simply replies, “I think just the general idea of the orchestra and me being able to play together and to really enjoy sharing this music with communities across New Jersey.”
For the full list of summer parks concert dates and locations, visit www.njsymphony.org/summer.