CineConcerts and Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment Announce Elf in Concert with the New Jersey Symphony
NEWARK, NJ—Nobody spreads Christmas cheer quite like Buddy the Elf! This holiday season, CineConcerts and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences announce another once-in-a-lifetime concert event: Elf in Concert, bringing the timeless holiday classic to NJPAC in Newark and the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank. It will feature the New Jersey Symphony performing every note from John Debney’s (The Passion of the Christ, Iron Man 2, The Jungle Book, Hocus Pocus) heartwarming score while the entire film is projected on a large screen. Directed by Jon Favreau (The Lion King, The Mandalorian, Rudy, Iron Man, Iron Man 2) and starring Will Ferrell, the film is considered by many to be one of the best holiday movies of all time.
John Debney, composer and conductor explains, “I’m so thrilled to be working with Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment and CineConcerts on the upcoming Elf in Concert. Writing the score was a true highlight of my career. Seeing the joy that the music and film brings to audiences each year is truly wonderful. Elf has really become a modern classic and bringing this into concert halls worldwide is an absolute honor. I very much look forward to presenting this unforgettable concert experience to live audiences worldwide!”
In Elf, Buddy was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father.
The concert will be conducted by Conner Gray Covington.
Elf in Concert
Saturday, December 6, 2 pm | New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark
Sunday, December 7, 2 pm | Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank
Conner Gray Covington conductor
New Jersey Symphony
Presentation licensed by CineConcerts. Rated PG. ELF and all related characters and elements © & ™ New Line Productions, Inc. (s25)
More information on concerts and tickets: njsymphony.org/events
For further information about CineConcerts, visit cineconcerts.com.
Facebook: facebook.com/CineConcerts
Twitter: @CineConcertsLLC
Instagram: @CineConcerts
Hashtag: #ElfInConcert
CineConcerts
CineConcerts is one of the leading producers of live and digital music experiences performed with visual media, and continues to redefine entertainment. Founded by Producer/Conductor Justin Freer and Producer/Writer Brady Beaubien, CineConcerts will engage over 4.8 million people worldwide in concert presentations in over 3,000 performances in 48 countries through 2025, and recently launched CineConcerts +PLUS - a global digital network and app suite with hundreds of exclusive podcast episodes and produced content. CineConcerts continues to work with some of the most prestigious orchestras and venues in the world including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and more. Recent and current live and digital concert experiences include Elf in Concert, The Pinball Concert (Digital), The Polar Express in Concert, Rudy in Concert, The Passion of the Christ in Concert, The Da Vinci Code in Concert, The Harry Potter Film Concert Series, Gladiator Live, The Godfather Live, It’s a Wonderful Life in Concert, DreamWorks Animation in Concert, Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 50th Anniversary Concert Tour, Breakfast at Tiffany’s in Concert, and A Christmas Dream Live.
Connect with CineConcerts on: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences (WBDGE)
Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences (WBDGE) is a worldwide leader in the creation, development, licensing and operating of location-based entertainment based on the biggest franchises, stories, and characters from Warner Bros.’ world-renowned film, television, animation, and games studios, HBO, Discovery, Cartoon Network and more. WBDGE is home to the groundbreaking locations of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal theme parks around the world, award-winning Warner Bros. Studio Tour locations in London, Hollywood, and Tokyo, the iconic Harry Potter New York flagship store, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, The WB Abu Dhabi, The FRIENDS Experience, The Game of Thrones Studio Tour and countless other experiences inspired by Harry Potter, DC, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Game of Thrones, FRIENDS and more. WBDGE is part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Revenue & Strategy division.
John Debney
John Debney is the ultimate film music character actor. In equal demand for family films such as Elf, as he is for adventure films like Iron Man 2, the Oscar-nominated composer also scored the powerful and poignant The Passion of the Christ. Debney is an agile jack-of-all-genres, composing for comedies (Bruce Almighty), sci-fi action (Predators), horror (Dream House) and romance (Valentine’s Day) with the same confidence and panache. Debney is also known for his work in such films as Princess Diaries, Sin City, Liar Liar, Spy Kids, No Strings Attached, The Emperor’s New Groove, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Hocus Pocus. Debney’s work also includes Disney’s The Jungle Book directed by Jon Favreau, Fox’s Ice Age: Collision Course directed by Mike Thurmeier, and Twentieth Century Fox’s award-winning musical The Greatest Showman starring Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron. Debney’s most recent films include The Beach Bum starring Matthew McConaughey and directed by Harmony Korine, the Warner Bros. comedy feature Isn’t It Romantic starring Rebel Wilson, Paramount Pictures’ family adventure feature Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and Bleecker Street’s biopic Brian Banks. Upcoming for Debney is Come Away directed by Brenda Chapman and starring Angelina Jolie.
Born in Glendale, California, Debney’s professional life began after he studied composition at the California Institute of the Arts, when he went to work writing music and orchestrating for Disney Studios and various television series. He won his first Emmy in 1990 for the main theme for The Young Riders, and his career soon hit a gallop. Since then he has won three more Emmys (Sea Quest DSV), and been nominated for a total of six (most recently in 2012 for his work on the Kevin Costner western miniseries Hatfields & McCoys). His foray into videogame scoring—2007’s Lair—resulted in a BAFTA nomination and a Best Videogame Score award from The International Film Music Critics Association.
Debney has collaborated with acclaimed directors as diverse as Robert Rodriguez, Garry Marshall, Mel Gibson, the Farrelly Brothers, Jon Favreau, Jim Sheridan, Ivan Reitman, Peter Chelsom, Rob Cohen, Brian Robbins, Tom Shadyac, Sam Raimi, Adam Shankman, Howie Deutch, Renny Harlin, Peter Hyams and Kenny Ortega. He was nominated by the Academy for his Passion of the Christ score. Inspired by that score, he then created The Passion Oratorio, performed in 2015 in the historic Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, Spain in front of 6,000 people during Holy Week. In 2005, Debney was the youngest recipient of ASCAP’s Henry Mancini Career Achievement Award.
“If I’m doing my job well,” says Debney, “I need to feel it. I really try to make sure that whatever I’m doing— even if it’s a comedy—that I’m feeling it and feeling either humor or the pathos or the dramatic impact of what I’m seeing. That’s the way I approach it.”
New Jersey Symphony
The New Jersey Symphony is a GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning orchestra. Under the direction of the Music Director Xian Zhang, the Symphony performs more than 60 concerts at mainstage venues across the state, including Newark, Princeton, New Brunswick, Red Bank and Morristown as well as schools and public spaces statewide. Programming at the Symphony reflects an unwavering commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion while providing students across the state unparalleled opportunities to achieve musical excellence through its Youth Orchestra and other outreach programs. In 2024, the Symphony announced it would continue to deliver its statewide activities from a new, permanent office, rehearsal and concert space in Jersey City, set to open in January 2027.
For more information about the New Jersey Symphony, visit njsymphony.org or email information@njsymphony.org. Tickets are available for purchase by phone 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or on the Orchestra's website.
Press contacts
New Jersey Symphony contact
Geoffrey Anderson, New Jersey Symphony, Vice President of Marketing & External Affairs
973.735.1713 | ganderson@njsymphony.org
CineConcerts contact
Andrew P. Alderete, CineConcerts, Chief XR Officer, Head of Publicity & Communications
andrew@cineconcerts.com
Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences contact
Phyllis Liu, Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences, Director of Publicity & Communications
Phyllis.liu@warnerbros.com
Press materials
Photos and information: njsymphony.org/newsroom
Press releases: njsymphony.org/pressreleases
Connect with us:
njsymphony.org
@NJSymphony on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X, formerly known as Twitter
@NewJerseySymphony on YouTube
Email: information@njsymphony.org
The New Jersey Symphony'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.
NJ.com + JerseysBest.com: Proud 2025–26 season partner and media sponsor of the New Jersey Symphony.
###