NJPAC in Newark

Long before The Voice, Wagner created the original drama about a singing competition with his only comedy, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. This rousing overture prominently features the “Prize Song” which wins the whole contest—a real catchy tune!

Rachmaninoff’s final work for piano and orchestra, this masterpiece of invention transforms a seemingly simple melody 24 different times, taking full advantage of the expressive and technical possibilities of the piano. Rachmaninoff himself was the soloist at the world premiere—hear the next best thing as “true poet of the keyboard” (Pianist magazine) Tony Siqi Yun navigates every twist and turn.

Travel “Under the Sea” with Alexander Zemlinsky for his shimmering musical retelling of the legendary Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. While a relative rarity, Xian Zhang has long championed this work, reveling in its romantic sweep and glittering orchestrations—you’ll wonder why it took so long for this piece to be “Part of Your World.”

Sibelius’ music is quintessentially Finnish, with a warmth easily found beneath its initial chill. One of his first published works, this overture brims with nationalistic spirit and folksy charm.

A Venezuelan piano phenom brings pyrotechnics to her own concerto, a celebration of Latin America in her own words, “a chiaroscuro reflection on who we are as a continent, dark and light.”

The New Jersey Symphony won a GRAMMY for its brilliant recording of this work under previous Music Director Zdeněk Mácal. Now hear Xian Zhang’s thrilling interpretation of this masterpiece, a musical postcard from Dvořák’s American travels, including the famous tune “Goin’ Home” hauntingly rendered by the English horn.