New Jersey Symphony announces 2025 summer season concerts
NEWARK, NJ—The New Jersey Symphony kicks off its summer season with its annual summer outdoor concert series which brings a fun-filled orchestral program to locations around the state. This summer’s program features selections from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute, Gioachino Rossini’s Overture to William Tell, a celebration of Duke Ellington’s music, highlights from the Broadway show Wicked, and patriotic favorites. New Jersey Symphony Colton Conducting Fellow Gregory D. McDaniel conducts. The concerts in Red Bank, Toms River, South Amboy, Newark and Jersey City are free to attend, thanks to generous support from local and county governments, as well as cultural arts organizations. The concert in Madison is part of Morris Arts’ annual fundraiser, the Giralda Music & Arts Festival, with tickets going on sale in early May.
More information and ticket/registration links can be found on New Jersey Symphony’s website: njsymphony.org/summer.
Summer Outdoor Concerts
- Wednesday, June 18 at 7 pm: Marine Park in Red Bank, part of the North2Shore Festival
- Saturday, June 21 at 6 pm: Giralda Farms in Madison
- Tuesday, June 24 at 8 pm: Ocean County College in Toms River
- Wednesday, June 25 at 7:30 pm: Raritan Bay Waterfront Park in South Amboy
- Friday, June 27 at 7:30 pm: Branch Brook Park in Newark, part of the North2Shore Festival
- Sunday, June 29 at 7:30 pm: Liberty State Park in Jersey City
Program includes:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Overture to The Magic Flute
Florence Price “Silk Hat and a Walking Cane” from Dances in the Canebrakes
Béla Bartók Romanian Folk Dances
Gioachino Rossini Overture to William Tell
Richard Rodgers Carousel Waltz
Duke Ellington / arr. Custer Duke Ellington!
Various Composers / arr. Ricketts Satchmo!
Stephen Schwartz / arr. Ricketts Highlights from Wicked
Various Composers / arr. Lowden Armed Forces Salute
Gregory D. McDaniel is the 2024–25 Colton Conducting Fellow, made possible by the generous support of Judy and Stewart Colton.
The Marine Park concert is presented by Red Bank RiverCenter and is presented in collaboration with the Prudential North to Shore Festival.
The New Jersey Symphony’s appearance at the Giralda Music & Arts Festival is presented by Morris Arts.
The Ocean County College concert is sponsored by the Ocean County College Foundation and supported by the Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission and Ocean County Board of Commissioners.
The Raritan Bay concert is sponsored by Middlesex County and is presented in collaboration with the Arts Institute of Middlesex County.
The Branch Brook Park concert is sponsored by the County of Essex and is presented in collaboration with the Prudential North to Shore Festival.
The Liberty State Park concert is supported by Mayor Steven M. Fulop, the Jersey City Municipal Council, and the Office of Cultural Affairs. Supported with public funds from the Arts and Culture Trust Fund and the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation. Paid for with State of NJ UEZ funds.
Classical Favorites: Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and More!
Wednesday, July 9 at 7 pm | New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Victoria Theater) in Newark [Free with registration!]
Experience highlights of the Symphony’s upcoming season featuring works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Ludwig van Beethoven. Conducted by the Symphony’s Colton Conducting Fellow, Gregory D. McDaniel, the program will feature pieces from the upcoming season, including Fauré’s Pavane, Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, and Sibelius’ Finlandia. This concert is free with registration, available on the Symphony’s website at njsymphony.org.
Gregory D. McDaniel is the 2024–25 Colton Conducting Fellow, made possible by the generous support of Judy and Stewart Colton.
How to Train Your Dragon in Concert
Friday, July 11, 7 pm | Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown
Saturday, July 12, 2 pm | State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick
Sunday, July 13, 2 pm | New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark
A winner with audiences and critics alike, DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon is a captivating and original story that combines humor, fire-breathing action and epic adventure! Hiccup is a young Viking who defies tradition when he befriends one of his deadliest foes—a ferocious dragon he calls Toothless. Together, these unlikely heroes must fight against all odds to save both their worlds.
How to Train Your Dragon in Concert features this acclaimed film presented in HD, with composer John Powell’s Academy Award-nominated score performed live to picture by the New Jersey Symphony in a thrilling experience for all ages.
Tickets are available at njsymphony.org.
© 2010 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.
New Scores: The Cone Composition Institute Concert
Saturday, July 19 at 8 pm | Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
The Symphony, in partnership with the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute, will present its annual performance New Scores: The Cone Composition Institute Concert, with Christopher Rountree conducting the New Jersey Symphony, performing the works of four emerging composers:
Claire Cope Agita
Max Eidinoff Kairosclerosis
Hannah Ishizaki Fractured Transformations
Nicole Knorr as the garden bows
Institute Director Steven Mackey will also present his work Tonic on the program.
Tickets are $25 and available for purchase at njsymphony.org.
The Symphony presents the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute in collaboration with the Princeton University Department of Music.
Major underwriting support for the New Jersey Symphony Edward T. Cone Institute is generously provided by the Edward T. Cone Foundation and Princeton University.
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 2026.
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
Local press contact
Geoffrey Anderson, New Jersey Symphony, Vice President of Marketing & External Affairs
973.735.1713 | ganderson@njsymphony.org
National & international press contacts
Beverly Greenfield, Kirshbaum Associates, Director of Public Relations
bgreenfield@kirshbaumassociates.com
Shirley Kirshbaum, Kirshbaum Associates, President
skirshbaum@kirshbaumassociates.com
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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.
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