State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick
15 Livingston Avenue , New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
There’s plenty to love at State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick, located in the heart of the New Brunswick arts district.
For tickets to State Theatre New Jersey events not involving the NJSO, call 732.246.7469.
For the State Theatre New Jersey’s administrative offices, call 732.247.7200.
-
Directions
-
Via New Jersey Turnpike
Take Exit 9 and bear right onto Rt. 18N local lanes. Travel approximately three miles, then exit at New St. (exit to the right immediately after overpass). Turn right at third light onto Livingston Ave. State Theatre New Jersey is one half block ahead on the left.Via I-287
Take Exit 10 (Easton Ave.). Follow Easton Ave. to end at Albany St. Turn left onto Albany and go two blocks to George St. Turn right onto George St. and go four blocks to Livingston Ave. Turn right onto Livingston Ave. State Theatre New Jersey is one half block ahead on the right. -
Parking
-
On-street meter parking is available. Meters are free after 4 pm, 5 pm or 6 pm—please refer to the instructions posted on the meters. Paid-lot parking is available behind the theater and in the Rutgers building garage at the corner of Livingston Ave. and New St.
Parking Notice: The Civic Square Deck requires $10 in exact change (bills) or a credit card for entry. Please allow extra time for parking at this location. Click here for information on alternate parking locations within walking distance of the theater.
-
Public Transportation
-
New Jersey Transit provides service to New Brunswick. For rail timetables, visit www.njtransit.com.
-
Accessibility
-
For information on venue accessibility, visit the venue’s website or call State Theatre New Jersey’s Box Office at 732.246.7469. If your venue accessibility question is not answered through the venue, the NJSO would be happy to assist. Call NJSO Patron Services at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476).
Additional information on accessibility at NJSO concerts.
-
Dining & Drink
-
Discounts listed below are available for subscribers only. Subscribe Today!
Stage Left Steak
Sophisticated place for New American cuisine & many wines plus bar with more casual dining options.
5 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901—732.828.4444- Pre-concert dinner on Saturday, or post-concert dinner for Sunday (not open for lunch).
Catherine Lombardi
Upscale Italian restaurant with homey fare & 2 fireplaces plus a cozy red interior & lively bar.
3 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901—732.296.9463- Pre-concert dinner on Saturday, or post-concert dinner for Sunday (not open for lunch).
Frog and the Peach
Gourmet American restaurant offering creative seasonal cuisine, fine wines & a coveted garden room.
29 Dennis St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901—732.846.3216- Pre-concert dinner on Saturday, or post-concert dinner for Sunday (not open for lunch).
Old Man Rafferty’s
Family-friendly American restaurant with big menu of hearty fare, outdoor seating & pub-type feel.
106 Albany St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901—732.846.6153
Other nearby options
Panico’s Brick Oven Pizza
94 Church St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Harvest Moon Brewery
392 George St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 -
Seating Chart
Upcoming Events
Art of the Double Concerto
2018–19 Season
XIAN ZHANG conductor
ERIC WYRICK violin
ANNELLE GREGORY violin
STEVEN MACKEY electric guitar
NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
-
WEBER Overture to Oberon
Exciting and suspenseful; based on a medieval story of an Elf King who must search the globe for one faithful human couple.
-
STEVEN MACKEY Four Iconoclastic Episodes
“Music driven by energy, motion and joy of playing.” Mackey’s eclectic piece for violin and electric guitar includes hints of Radiohead, Chicago blues and much more.
-
BACH Concerto for Two Violins
Riveting and inspiring; its achingly lovely second movement was unforgettably featured in Children of a Lesser God as actress Marlee Matlin “heard” music.
-
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3
Beethoven’s heroic and triumphant overture tells the story of his only opera, Fidelio, bringing this palindrome concert to a delightful close.
Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto
2019–20 Season
XIAN ZHANG conductor
GEORGE LI piano
-
ANNA CLYNE Within Her Arms (NJSO Premiere)
A defining work in this Brooklyn-based composer’s career. Written for strings alone, this tender piece is the song of loss and memory for her mother.
-
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3
Rachmaninoff wrote this concerto to showcase his exceptional talent and blindingly fast technique. It starts with a deceptively simple melody that every beginner can play, but it quickly becomes the Everest of all piano concertos—one that few soloists attempt to conquer.
-
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8
Dvořák’s Eighth poured out of him while he was surrounded by the cherished Bohemian countryside that was his inspiration. Close your eyes and you’ll see the colors of autumn, awash in sunlight.
Mozart’s Don Giovanni
2020 Winter Festival: Front & Center
XIAN ZHANG conductor
ERIC WYRICK violin
Singers from the METROPOLITAN OPERA’S LINDEMANN YOUNG ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
-
MOZART Exsultate, jubilate
One of Mozart’s most famous works—with good reason. This church solo from Mozart’s teenage years rivals his secular arias for sheer brilliance.
-
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 4
NJSO Concertmaster Eric Wyrick performs a Mozart concerto into which the composer crafted too much virtuosity to perform himself!
-
MOZART Scenes from Don Giovanni
Xian Zhang’s selection of magnificent arias and scenes creates a masterful abridged version of Mozart’s dramatic bad-boy opera.
Wagner’s The Ring Without Words
2020 Winter Festival: Front & Center
XIAN ZHANG conductor
SIMON TRPČESKI piano
-
WAGNER Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin
Ten minutes of utter serenity: Wagner has painted the most delicate sound, with soft strings evoking the tenderness of silver moonlight.
-
LISZT Piano Concerto No. 2
NJSO audiences demanded Trpčeski’s return. Don’t miss him in this dazzler by the composer-pianist genius Franz Liszt.
-
WAGNER/arr. Maazel The Ring Without Words (NJSO Premiere)
Wagner’s four-night epic of Ring operas is full of heaven-storming music. The American conductor Lorin Maazel, who mentored Xian early in her career, arranged it into this amazing 60-minute suite.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert
2019–20 Pops Movie Series
In the spectacular climactic sixth episode of the Star Wars saga, Darth Vader readies the second Death Star to unleash the final blow to the Rebel Alliance. Luke Skywalker joins R2-D2, C-3PO and Princess Leia to free Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt and launch a desperate attack upon the entire Imperial Fleet. Watch the complete film unfold as the NJSO performs John Williams’ legendary score live.
-
WAGNER Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin
Ten minutes of utter serenity: Wagner has painted the most delicate sound, with soft strings evoking the tenderness of silver moonlight.
-
LISZT Piano Concerto No. 2
NJSO audiences demanded Trpčeski’s return. Don’t miss him in this dazzler by the composer-pianist genius Franz Liszt.
-
WAGNER/arr. Maazel The Ring Without Words (NJSO Premiere)
Wagner’s four-night epic of Ring operas is full of heaven-storming music. The American conductor Lorin Maazel, who mentored Xian early in her career, arranged it into this amazing 60-minute suite.
Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto
2019–20 Season
CHRISTOPH KÖNIG conductor
SIMONE PORTER violin
-
MOZART Overture to The Magic Flute
Hear the majesty and magic of Mozart’s final opera—a fantastical tale of mystery, adventure and love—distilled into this glowing overture.
-
MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto
This is the diamond in the crown of violin concertos, with sparkling melodies and quicksilver beauty in every bar. Simone Porter, only in her early 20s, has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times for playing that is “lovingly lyrical, occasionally frisky. She is clearly on the cusp of a major career.”
-
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 6
Bruckner was a church organist by day, but when he took up his composing pen at night, he opened a whole new world of orchestral splendor. His Sixth Symphony begins with violins playing so softly you may miss them; then, a mysterious horn call sounds, and suddenly the whole orchestra sweeps you away.
Beethoven’s Piano Concertos 2, 3 & 4
2019–20 Season—Beethoven’s Birthday Bash
XIAN ZHANG conductor
LOUIS LORTIE piano
-
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 2
When Beethoven moved from his small-town home to the big city of Vienna, he used this music to impress the Viennese with his once-in-a-lifetime virtuosity at the piano.
-
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3
You know Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. His Third Piano Concerto has the same drama and impact, and it is a thrill to witness as it unfolds through a great pianist’s hands.
-
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4
The opening is Beethoven magic: a hushed piano solo brings you to the edge of your seat for what becomes his most joyous concerto.
Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony
2019–20 Season
HENRIK NÁNÁSI conductor
-
BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
A daring 20th-century masterpiece! Revel in the sounds of the NJSO strings, accentuated by keyboard and percussion—writing so evocative that Stanley Kubrick famously used it in The Shining.
-
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
Critics of Tchaikovsky’s day crushed this new symphony (“a horde of demons struggling in a torrent of brandy,” wrote one), and even the composer said, “It is a failure.” But its hypnotic melodies and triumphant mood turned the Fifth into an audience favorite.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert
2019–20 Pops Movie Series
Thirty years after the defeat of the Empire, Luke Skywalker has vanished, and a new threat has risen: The First Order, led by the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke and his enforcer, Kylo Ren. General Leia Organa’s military force, the Resistance—and unlikely heroes brought together by fate—are the galaxy’s only hope. Experience the complete film with the NJSO performing John Williams’ thrilling score live.
-
BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
A daring 20th-century masterpiece! Revel in the sounds of the NJSO strings, accentuated by keyboard and percussion—writing so evocative that Stanley Kubrick famously used it in The Shining.
-
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
Critics of Tchaikovsky’s day crushed this new symphony (“a horde of demons struggling in a torrent of brandy,” wrote one), and even the composer said, “It is a failure.” But its hypnotic melodies and triumphant mood turned the Fifth into an audience favorite.
Brahms, Vivaldi & Beethoven
2019–20 Season
NICHOLAS MCGEGAN conductor
RUBÉN RENGEL violin
EDUARDO RIOS violin
ADRIANA ROSIN violin
-
BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Brahms reimagined an old German hymn tune in eight different ways, then wove these variations together into one breathtaking showpiece.
-
VIVALDI Concerto for Two Violins in B-flat Major, RV 529
With Nicholas McGegan at the harpsichord, NJSO Assistant Concertmaster Adriana Rosin pairs up with 2018 Sphinx Competition winner Rubén Rengel for dazzling Vivaldi.
-
VIVALDI Concerto for Violin and Cello in B-flat Major, RV 547
2015 Sphinx Competition winner Eduardo Rios partners with newly named NJSO Assistant Principal Cello Na-Young Baek for Baroque fireworks in this virtuosic showpiece.
-
VIVALDI Concerto for Three Violins in F Major, RV 551
Both Sphinx winners and Rosin perform together in the give and take of Vivaldi’s brilliant melodies as if in sparkling conversation.
-
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2
The program concludes with the sunniest of an often-stormy composer’s symphonies.
Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto
2019–20 Season
ANDREY BOREYKO conductor
AKIKO SUWANAI violin
-
MASON BATES Attack Decay Sustain Release (NJSO Premiere)
A four-minute joyride, with the strings and brass tumbling over each other, and a touch of groove inspired by Mason Bates’ love of electronic dance music.
-
TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto
Famous for blending elegance with fireworks, Suwanai performs one of the most beloved of all violin concertos.
-
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 10
For decades early in his career, Shostakovich was hounded and harassed by Soviet leader Josef Stalin. Shostakovich’s 10th was written just after Stalin’s death; it is a towering testament to resilience over tyranny.