Opening Night Celebration

Celebration Honoree

Audrey Bartner

Celebration Chair

Michelle Merchant

Celebration Committee

Audrey Bartner (Celebration Honoree)
Michelle Merchant (Celebration Chair)
Patricia Capawana
Douglas & Monique Krohn
Ruth C. Lipper
Dimitri Nakhamkin 
Christopher Petermann
Marjorie Perry
Susan Shiff 
Stephen Sichak, Jr.
Cecilia Sweeney
Catherine Terrell
Margarita Wallach
Yannick Wood, Esq.

Celebration Summary

Everything about this event was an amazing homage to the past, present and future of the Symphony, and you were at the center of it all. When Robert Spano stepped onto the stage, we knew this would be an amazing season opening. Jazz virtuoso Aaron Diehl, along with the incredibly talented Aaron Diehl Trio, absolutely blew us away in Valerie Coleman’s Umoja and Duke Ellington’s New World A’ Comin. And, as always, the brilliant artistry of the musicians of the New Jersey Symphony was the true force powering this unforgettable evening.

It was also a tremendous privilege to honor Audrey Bartner for her decades of service to the arts and her unending support of the Symphony. As Audrey said, “music has the unique ability to unite us—It is a force that brings us together in celebration and reminds us of our shared humanity.” We could not agree more after seeing the New Jersey Symphony community coming together once again to celebrate the binding and uplifting nature of music and continuing to keep the Symphony alive and thriving.

Gallery

You can view the photo gallery from the Opening Night Celebration and opening night concert below.

View Gallery

Thank you to our Sponsors & Supporters

Diamond Sponsors
Audrey Bartner
Hackensack Meridian Health

Platinum Sponsors
Mindy Cohen & David Bershad
Norman Slonaker & Linda Dujack
Merck
Prudential

Gold Supporters
The Lipper Family Charitable Foundation
MCJ Amelior Foundation
Michael & Jane Griffinger
Elin Mueller
JP Morgan

Silver Supporters
Ann & Stan Borowiec
PFK O'Connor Davies
PNC
Verizon

Bronze Supporters
Michelle Merchant
Cecilia Sweeney
The Nakhamkin Family
Dart Analytics
McCarter & English
TD Bank