NJPAC in Newark

Stirring and poignant; rising British composer Kate Whitley’s work is based on Malala Yousafzai’s legendary speech to the United Nations advocating the right of every girl to have an education.

We perform this celebrated work in memory of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker—a Montclair resident and friend of the NJSO.

An unmistakable masterpiece; the hymn’s text extolling the human bond is sung by a joyful assembly, a massed choir including singers from MSU and our surrounding communities.

French composer Milhaud heard jazz in Harlem during a 1922 visit and brought the sound back to Paris for this lively ballet based on African folk mythology.

Gershwin called this iconic piece “a musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our national pep, of our blues, our metropolitan madness.”

Florence Price was the first African-American female composer to be performed by major orchestras; her lush concerto skillfully blends classical and popular styles. Read an article from The New Yorker on the “The Rediscovery of Florence Price: How an African-American composer’s works were saved from destruction.”

Lavish, vibrant, iconic; tells the tale of the Firebird, whose power is brilliantly illustrated by the thrilling score.

Each of the four wistful and elegant movements commemorates a friend who died in battle during World War I. The oboe shines throughout.

Grand yet nuanced; generations of listeners have loved this piece, and critics have judged it to be among Beethoven’s greatest and most innovative works.

Shostakovich composed this sardonic work at 18; it was an enormous success, instantly bringing him international attention.

Sassy, comedic and very British; in its debut, poet Edith Sitwell sat behind a screen and recited her poems set to music through a megaphone, scandalizing the audience.

Warm and tender; its sublime, melancholy Adagio speaks of heartbreak and acceptance.

Mozart’s second-to-last symphony crackles with a powerful dramatic tension, a musical “appeal to eternity” as his life was cut short.

Whimsical, sparkling, emotional—was more joyous music ever put to paper? Closes with the famous Wedding March, which in its full orchestral form is a marvel.

The superlatives rack up when describing this glorious work: stunning, titanic, sweeping—even sweetly intimate in spots. A perfect conclusion to the season.