Indie icon Ben Folds joins the New Jersey Symphony for two performances of his greatest hits
NEWARK, NJ—Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter-composer Ben Folds joins the New Jersey Symphony for two unique and unforgettable performances of music from across his career.
Performances take place on Saturday, June 13, at 7:30 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark and Sunday June 14, at 2 pm at the State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick. The Saturday performance includes a free Instrument Discovery Zone with New Jersey Symphony musicians at 6:30 pm in NJPAC’s lobby for patrons to explore making music with various instruments. Come try out an instrument for yourself before the performance! After the Sunday, June 14 performance, the New Jersey Symphony Next Gen program will host a happy hour event at 4 pm in the State Theatre New Jersey Donor Lounge. The Next Gen program is a membership program for young music enthusiasts between the ages of 21 and 40 to network with other passionate music lovers from across the state. For the latest details and more information, visit njsymphony.org/nextgen.
Ben Folds with New Jersey Symphony
Saturday, June 13, 7:30 pm | New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark
Sunday, June 14, 2 pm | State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick
Ben Folds piano & vocals
Edwin Outwater conductor
New Jersey Symphony
Tickets are available at njsymphony.org.
The June 14 performance is presented in collaboration with State Theatre New Jersey.
Ben Folds
Ben Folds is an Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter who has created an enormous body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, a holiday album, and numerous collaborative records.
He currently tours as a pop artist, while also performing for over two decades with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras.
Folds, who served for eight years as the first ever Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, stepped down from his post when Donald Trump announced his takeover of the Center. Just days before the US presidential election, Folds recorded two sold out performances with the NSO which he released as a live album in 2025 that debuted at the top of the Billboard classical and classical crossover charts. A New York Times Best Selling author, Ben also creates new music for film, TV, and theatre, including original songs for an ongoing series of animated Peanuts specials on Apple TV.
In 2022, he launched a music education charitable initiative in his native state of North Carolina entitled “Keys for Kids,” which provides funds and keyboards to existing nonprofits that offer free or affordable piano lessons to school-age children from historically marginalized communities. For the past 15 years he has been an outspoken advocate for arts funding, music education, and music therapy in the US as a member of Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund.
Edwin Outwater
Edwin Outwater is redefining the concert experience as a groundbreaking conductor, curator, and producer, known for his dynamic approach and genre-blending collaborations. Working with a wide range of artists from Metallica to Wynton Marsalis, Renée Fleming, and Yo-Yo Ma, Outwater’s creative vision and ability to seamlessly navigate between musical worlds has made him one of the most sought-after conductors, with the legendary Michael Tilson Thomas aptly describing him as “one of the most innovative conductors on the scene today.”
Outwater currently serves as Music Director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he leads their ensembles and oversees the institution’s bold artistic initiatives. He is also Principal Guest Conductor and Curator of the BBC Concert Orchestra, delivering an exciting range of concerts over three seasons with yearly appearances at the BBC Proms; and is Music Director Laureate of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, recognizing his decade-long tenure.
Outwater has conducted major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, where he headlined a multi-concert series at the grand opening of Steinmetz Hall in Florida, and San Francisco Symphony, with whom he has a long-standing relationship. His work often blends classical music with pop culture, producing original shows with drag icon Peaches Christ, with his collaborations also extending to the symphonic shows of stars such as Diana Ross, Beck, Trey Anastasio, Leslie Odom Jr., Cynthia Erivo, and Lang Lang.
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 55 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 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 Contact
Geoffrey Anderson, New Jersey Symphony, Vice President of Marketing & External Affairs
973.735.1713 | ganderson@njsymphony.org
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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.
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