Anthony Puglisi previews the Essex County Free Summer Music Concert Series;
the NJSO will perform in Branch Brook Park in Newark on July 1 as part of the series.
Read the article [nj.com]

"The Monroe Township Cultural Arts Commission will present the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Jeffrey Grogan conducting, in a concert set for 8 p.m. June 25 at the Richard P. Marasco Center for the Performing Arts, Monroe Township High School, Perrineville Road. "
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"There is something about listening to music outdoors in the summertime. Maybe it’s the relaxed, laid back mood that grips you when you close your eyes while eNJoying a favorite song. Maybe it’s the aroma of flowers and wood-burning stoves that attack your senses. Maybe it’s the way the stars align in patterns that seem to dance along with the music. If you are feeling all of these things, it may be time to put down the wine glass. Or…it might mean you are at Moorland Farms on the evening of June 24th experiencing the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s evening of music under the stars at beautiful Moorland farms." http://www.njenjoy.com/feature1.php

"Jacques Lacombe, the new music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, will lead the ensemble at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank Saturday, May 22, in the final "Best Of — " program of the current season. Lacombe officially takes the reins of the orchestra for the 2010-11 season. But he is already performing with the ensemble ... On April 23, following the announcement that he was the group's Music Director Designate, Lacombe led a critically acclaimed performance with the orchestra in Newark. Now local audiences will get to hear him as well in a one-hour program themed around composers writing for the piano."

Read the article [app.com]

The Star-Ledger's Ronni Reich reviews the NJSO's Mahler Five program, led by guest conductor Christoph König.

Read the article [nj.com]

"The concert tonight, April 25, is the last performance of a program featuring the energetic new maestro Jacques Lacombe in his first appearance since being named to the position. He will lead the ensemble in a U.S. premiere and well-known masterpieces by Brahms and Dvořák."

Read the article [app.com]

"While his official tenure begins in the fall, his first NJSO concerts in the new role will take place Thursday through Sunday at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and the State Theatre in New Brunswick. The extra rehearsal, unusually far in advance, was just one indicator that Lacombe is about to be a very active, involved leader. 'I’ve always seen my role as a conductor as to be almost part of the orchestra,' Lacombe says. 'I am first, and above all, a musician.'"

Read the article [nj.com]

"Matchless Patti LuPone teamed up with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO) and conductor Joseph Thalken, who had paced her in 'Gypsy,' for an evening in the New Jersey Performing Arts Center's Prudential Hall, in Newark, on April 10, billed as 'Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda' or, as she put it, 'I'm gonna sing every song from every role I ever wanted to play!' Giving us a bit of biography, to put the songs in the context of her life story, the Broadway diva gave us not only the powerhouse numbers we associate with her, but also other familiar songs that took us by surprise here."

Read the article [qonstage.com]

"The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra performs at seven locations throughout the state, rather than being tethered to a single performance space. That is a distinct advantage, in the eyes of Jacques Lacombe, the orchestra’s new music director."

Read the article [nytimes.com]

"The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra today announced its programs for the 2010-11 season of classical, Best of ..., pops and family concerts. The season, which kicks off September 14 with a Gala Opening Night Celebration featuring violinist Joshua Bell and soprano Jeanine De Bique, marks the beginning of Jacques Lacombe's tenure as the NJSO's 13th Music Director. The wide-ranging opening night program showcases Lacombe's love of music from orchestral to opera and ballet."

Read the article [broadwayworld.com]

"[In the Schumann Cello Concerto,] the orchestra set up the soloist well, and [NJSO Principal Cellist Jonathan Spitz] had clearly put a great deal of thought into the motivic sequences and running passages. As the piece picked up speed toward the end, Mr. Spitz’s quick passages were perfectly timed with the violins. It was also clear at the work’s conclusion that Mr. Spitz is well respected by his peers in the orchestra."

Read the article [towntopics.com]

“It’s almost one of these pieces you could call perfect.” As first-time pairings evolve and stories of ideal romance are told, sparks may fly at the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s concerts this weekend.

Read the article [nj.com]

"Tony and Olivier Award-winning actress Patti LuPone will perform her concert Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra April 10 in Newark. LuPone premiered the evening at Carnegie Hall in 1999 and continues to tour the concert across the U.S. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda highlights her Broadway career and offers fans a chance to hear LuPone perform material she 'could have played, should have played, did play and will play.'"

Read the article [playbill.com]

"'Best of ... Fairy Tales' brings us great composers who never became too serious to draw on the whimsical tales and eccentric characters in their nursery books."

Read the article [njo.com]

"Presenting a full-scale opera on Super Bowl Sunday is always a risk, but those who chose to combine football and opera witnessed a concise and solid production, with some unusual directorial twists ... Mezzo-soprano Kirstin Chávez stepped into the lead role of Carmen for the ailing Denyce Graves, and it was hard to imagine the production staged for anyone else ... In both the “Habanera” and subsequent “Seguidilla,” Ms. Chávez turned up the heat."

Read the article [nj.com]

"Presenting a full-scale opera on Super Bowl Sunday is always a risk, but those who chose to combine football and opera witnessed a concise and solid production, with some unusual directorial twists ... Mezzo-soprano Kirstin Chávez stepped into the lead role of Carmen for the ailing Denyce Graves, and it was hard to imagine the production staged for anyone else ... In both the “Habanera” and subsequent “Seguidilla,” Ms. Chávez turned up the heat."

Read the article [towntopics.com]

"The latest production is a joint effort between Opera New Jersey and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, which has just opened at Princeton's McCarter Theatre to a packed house, despite warnings of a major snowstorm. And the audience saw a production that broke new ground—for staging and dance as well as developing new stars for the opera firmament ... It is perfectly obvious that [Kirstin Chávez] is well on her way to becoming one of the most definitive Carmens of all time."

Read the article [newjerseynewsroom.com]

"Far from a mere substitute, Chávez has been described by Opera News as “the Carmen of a lifetime” and entranced critics as well as Don Josés at New York City Opera, Australia Opera and in Austria, Tokyo, and all over the U.S. She even stepped in for Graves once before, singing from the wings in Orlando when the star singer suddenly became unable to use her voice. She has also appeared in other roles at houses such as the Metropolitan Opera and festivals such as Caramoor."

Read the article [nj.com]

"Kirstin Chávez will step in to sing the title role of the Bizet opera at performances Feb. 5 at the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton; Feb. 7 at the State Theatre in New Brunswick; Feb. 12 at NJPAC; and Feb. 14 at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore."

Read the article [nj.com]

"Renowned mezzo-soprano Kirstin Chávez will play the title role in Opera New Jersey and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra's co-production of Bizet's Carmen. The production is scheduled to play three venues in New Jersey in February ..."

Read the article [theatremania.com]

"In Graves' place will be celebrated mezzo-soprano Kirstin Chávez, dubbed 'the Carmen of a lifetime' by Opera News. 'With her dark, generous mezzo, earthy eroticism, volcanic spontaneity and smoldering charisma, Chávez has it all, including a superb command of French and a sense of humor,' Opera News wrote of the mezzo-soprano’s Austria performance."

Read the article [playbillarts.com]

"Continuing a partnership that thrilled New Jersey audiences last summer, Opera New Jersey and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra present Carmen, Bizet’s immortal opera of passion, jealousy and murder, in three venues across the state. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center partners with the two organizations to present the Newark performance."

Read the article [musicalamerica.com]

"The word may mean 'rest,' but in the hands of Verdi, conflict dominates the Requiem. To close its Winter Festival of Italian music, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra could hardly have chosen a more powerful work than Verdi’s Requiem—or a more ceremonious return for conductor laureate Neeme Järvi, who led three performances over the weekend."

Read the article [nj.com]

Ronni Reich speaks with guest artist Terrence Wilson, a Montclair resident, about his performance with the NJSO this weekend and previews Pines of Rome: "It may be the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the historic architecture or even a plateful of gnocchi that first springs to mind when daydreaming about a visit to Rome. But the city also offers a musical legacy that’s not to be forgotten. As the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra continues its 2010 Winter Festival, 'Italy: Land of Song and Expression,' this weekend, the capital takes the spotlight."

Read the article [nj.com]

"Rather than classic dinner-theater arias and duets like 'La donna è mobile' (from Verdi’s 'Rigoletto') or 'O soave fanciulla' (from Puccini’s 'La Bohème'), the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is serving up a more substantial program of overtures, instrumental interludes and choruses at its 'Best of ... Italian Opera' [program]."

Read the article [nj.com]

The New York Times previews the NJSO's Italian Winter Festival. "'We were kind of intrigued by the idea that Italy is not exactly the sort of country you would think of as producing symphonic music,' said André Gremillet, 43, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s president and chief executive officer. 'We started discussing it and realized how much was there.'"

Read the article [nytimes.com]

"January, with its short days, gray skies and single-digit temperatures, would be a perfect time to visit Italy. But if you can’t get there in person, instead take a musical journey with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s 2010 Winter Festival, Italy: Land of Song and Expression. From chamber music to beloved Italian opera and Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem, the concerts promise to warm the spirit."

Read the article [centraljersey.com]

"As each [Christmas present of his childhood] revealed a new surprise, so should each piece Tynan will sing when he performs with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and New Brunswick’s State Theatre this weekend. Rather than rank one carol above another, the tenor tries to sing each song with the same kind of excitement a child might bring to a new toy."

Read the article [nj.com]

"For a genre that is sometimes called 'serious music,' classical can often benefit from not taking itself too seriously. This was proven by the delight that reigned both onstage and off during the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s Sunday afternoon concert at New Brunswick’s State Theatre. Conductor James Gaffigan and the NJSO shared not only the brilliance and emotional range of works by Mozart and (to a lesser extent) Schumann, but, in the former at least, also the joy, humor and showmanship that make for real entertainment."

Read the article [nj.com]

"The [Schumann violin concerto] is an opportunity for both soloist and conductor to try new repertoire. [NJSO Concertmaster Eric Wyrick] selects a concerto to play with the orchestra each year and often tends toward the obscure, as he did last season with a Busoni piece. [Guest conductor James Gaffigan], who calls Wyrick 'a great musician,' says that in his eight or nine years of professional conducting, he has rarely had the chance to play such discoveries."

Read the article [nj.com]

"Great music will be in abundance when Perlman acts as both conductor and performer with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in an all-Beethoven concert Saturday at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The program will include the First and Third Symphonies as well as Two Romances for Violin and Orchestra."

Read the article [nj.com]

"In celebration of Robert Schumann’s 200th birthday in June 2010, the NJSO presents the composer’s rarely performed Violin Concerto in D Minor. Described by soloist and NJSO concertmaster Eric Wyrick as 'the perfect ‘Schumann year’ work,' the concerto is a rarity that was all but forgotten from the time of the composer’s death to the early 20th century. Its level of difficulty makes for a virtuosic evening under Wyrick’s bow."

Read the article [thealternativepress.com]

"[It] was in the heart of the program, in music full of subtleties and what felt like new discoveries, that Mustonen and the orchestra were able to show off an even more compelling result of their collaboration—the breathtaking artistry they achieved together."

Read the article [nj.com]

"Cadenza" host Dave Osenberg interviews Olli Mustonen, guest conductor and pianist for the NJSO's "The Pianist Conductor" program, in a webcast available on the radio station's website. Hear Part 1 of the interview at wwfm.org and check back for Part 2.

"Montreal-based conductor Jacques Lacombe is to be the 13th music director of the New Jersey Symphony, starting in Sept. 2010 and succeeding Neeme Järvi ... Lacombe has led the 87-year-old NJSO in only one program, 'Carmina Burana,' but those performances last season seem to have left an indelible impression."

Read the article [MusicalAmerica.com] (MusicalAmerica.com account required.)

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra had a good showing with its new "Best of" series - a new format featuring familiar and unusual pieces focused on a central theme - with the "Best of Beethoven" concert Thursday afternoon at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, Friday in Trenton and yesterday in Englewood. The final performance of the first concert will be on Saturday in Red Bank...

The traditional things that make orchestral concerts so wonderfully intense - their ritualistic focus on pure music, their challenge to the attention span - are also the things that can intimidate more tentative listeners. Keen on cultivating this audience, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is experimenting with an alternative series: "best of" programs - lighter, shorter, less expensive...

"It's always heartening to see difficult things done just the right way, as the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra did in Newark and New Brunswick this weekend. The NJSO presented new music - typically a challenge in the classical realm - not dutifully or dryly, but with pizzazz and a sense of occasion..."

"In an interview from her native Scotland this week, Glennie, 43, talked about her relationship with NJSO music director Neeme Järvi, as well as something she never brings up but is always part of the discussion regarding her outstanding career: her profound deafness..."

On September 26, the NJSO celebrated both the opening night of its 86th season and the accomplishments of a man who has helped the Orchestra get there. A black-tie event honored Chairman Emeritus Victor Parsonnet, M.D., who has served on the NJSO board for 22 years, 16 of them as its chairman:

Joseph Gluck writes, "As a former member of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, I can attest that Victor Parsonnet is richly deserving of the honors and tributes he received Sept. 26 at the Performing Arts Center. In fact, though no one can do anything alone, I have often contem plated whether the center would exist at all, whether world-class conductors would have led the or chestra, whether cooperation within the orchestra family would have thrilled players and audiences alike, without the energy and commitment of the good doctor..."

"The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra just received a $1 million anonymous donation in honor of Dr. Victor Parsonnet, who served as NJSO's Board Chairman from 1991-2007...An acclaimed heart surgeon, Dr. Parsonnet is an ardent supporter of the arts and the NJSO for 22 years as well as an advocate for the City of Newark..."

Susan Dougherty writes, "With a roll of powerful timpani, the strains of 'Some People' from the popular musical Gypsy signaled that everything would be "Coming Up Roses'..."

Read the article [goleader.com]