NJSO concerts in Wall Street Journal, Star-Ledger’s top picks

The Wall Street Journal and The Star-Ledger name the NJSO’s concerts featuring Stravinsky’s The Firebird and Hilary Hahn’s performance of Brahms’ Violin Concerto among the weekend’s best.

The Wall Street Journal writes:

Violinist Hilary Hahn moves from short pieces—she has recently been commissioning and recording encores—to one of the violin warhorses: the Brahms violin concerto. Ms. Hahn joins the New Jersey Symphony for a program that also includes Stravinsky’s "Firebird Suite" and Esa-Pekka Salonen's "Giro." After Saturday’s concert, as part of an education initiative dubbed #OrchestraYou, instrumentally inclined audience members are invited to play alongside orchestra members for a rehearsal and performance of a movement from Bizet’s "Carmen Suite." Guest conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier conducts.

The Star-Ledger writes:

Leading violinist Hilary Hahn joins the NJSO to tackle Brahms’ challenging Violin Concerto in a concert presented jointly by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center . The program that also includes Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” Suite (1945 version) and Esa-Pekka Salonen’s “Giro.” Yan Pascal Tortelier conducts at NJPAC Thursday and Saturday, at the Richardson Auditorium Friday, and at the Mayo Performing Arts Center Sunday, njsymphony.org

Classicallite gets excited about #OrchestraYou—a special post-concert session in which audience members can perform their own orchestral instruments alongside NJSO musicians.

Jacques Lacombe and the NJSO are thriving there in Newark with a lot of great ideas.

Case in point: On Saturday, March 15, #OrchestraYou will celebrate music educators, music students as well as their families and supporters with a special concert from Jersey’s best band (sorry, Bruce) at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

This latest initiative from the NJSO is part of their larger Music Education Night, which will feature young talented musicians thoughout [sic] the community, as well as Yan Pascal Tortelier conducting Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Giro and Stravinsky’s 1945 Firebird Suite.

And speaking of fresh classical talent, they don’t get any more fresh than violinist Hilary Hahn performing Brahms’ Violin Concerto.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this concert will debut the NJSO’s very first pro-am orchestra...#OrchestraYou

Specifically, #OrchestraYou will consist of students, teachers, administrators, subscribers, music lovers and NJSO musicians congregated together for the Jeff Grogan-led “Toreadors Song” from Bizet’s Carmen.
There is no charge to get involved, of course, but you do need a concert ticket and pre-registration creds to participate.

You can purchase tickets and register by calling 1-800-ALLEGRO. Brilliant!

So, in the meantime, break out your dusty instruments and start practicing because, once again, Jersey (not New York) is hosting a truly magical event for music enthusiasts of all ages and kinds.

Learn more about #OrchestraYou.