Announcing EMERGE: An NJSO Concert Film Trilogy featuring Daniil Trifonov, Simone Dinnerstein, Inon Barnatan

• Three-film series fuses orchestral performances with visual meditations, dance sequences and format-bending filmic elements
• Grammy winner and 2019 Musical America Artist of the Year Daniil Trifonov performs Shostakovich
• Inon Barnatan performs Florence Price’s celebrated Piano Concerto in F
• Simone Dinnerstein, known for her unique Bach interpretations, performs composer’s Keyboard Concerto No. 5
• First film features East Coast premiere of Nokuthula Ngwenyama’s Primal Message
• Music Director Xian Zhang conducts
• Films directed by Yuri Alves
• Produced by DreamPlay Films
• Films premiere in April, May and June at njsymphony.org and on YouTube

NEWARK, NJ—The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and DreamPlay Films present EMERGE, an NJSO Concert Film trilogy pairing orchestral performances with stunning visuals, mesmerizing dance sequences and format-bending on- and off-stage elements. Music Director Xian Zhang conducts programs featuring a trio of star pianists—Daniil Trifonov, Simone Dinnerstein and Inon Barnatan. The films are directed by award-winning, Newark-raised filmmaker Yuri Alves and produced by DreamPlay Films, part of Newark-based DreamPlay Media.

The films premiere through June at njsymphony.org/emerge and on the NJSO’s YouTube channel. They will be available for free.

EMERGE Part 1 premieres April 28. Zhang leads the East Coast premiere of Primal Message by American composer Nokuthula Ngwenyama, whom Gramophone has hailed for the “bold mesmerizing character” of her music. Simone Dinnerstein, whose “individual, compelling” (New York Times) interpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations propelled her to international fame, performs Bach’s Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056. The program closes with Schumann’s Fourth Symphony.

The film features captivating images of and inspired by the people of Newark, and is presented in 4K anamorphic widescreen.

In EMERGE Part 2, premiering May 26, Inon Barnatan brings his “penetrating musicianship, compelling interpretive insight and elegant pianism” (BBC Music) to Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement. Zhang pairs the celebrated American concerto with Mozart’s Symphony No. 39.

The film features dance performances by local dancers Cori Barnes and M.A. Taylor, behind the scenes images of the NJSO musicians, and is presented in black-and-white 4K Ultra HD.

Grammy Award winner and Musical America 2019 Artist of the Year Daniil Trifonov—“without question the most astounding young pianist of our age” (The Times)—returns to the NJSO in EMERGE Part 3, premiering June 23. He performs Shostakovich’s First Piano Concerto, which also features NJSO Assistant Principal Trumpet Anderson Romero. Zhang brings the series to a close with Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony.

The film features riveting images of and inspired by the people of New Jersey, presented in 4K Ultra HD.

Zhang says: “For these programs, it was a thrill to reunite with the woodwind and brass players of the NJSO along with three world-class soloists for performances of some of my very favorite repertoire. From works by pathbreaking female composers of color like Nokuthula Ngwenyama and Florence Price to audience favorites from Shostakovich, Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, I hope you’ll join me and the musicians of the NJSO as we emerge from this difficult year and look to a brighter and more inclusive future.”

Director Yuri Alves says: “We aimed to exceed audience expectations for a filmed orchestral performance. I think people will be excited and surprised by this trilogy. All three films are united by an overarching concept and immersive style, yet each one varies significantly from the others—including in the format itself, as we go from anamorphic to black and white to behind the scenes to 360 video and more. And on all of them, you will see Xian, the amazing orchestra and the guest musicians at their best.”

To provide a high-quality video and audio experience on audiences’ televisions and speakers, DreamPlay Films filmed these performances live on RED cinema cameras. Longtime NJSO audio engineer and multiple Grammy Award winner Tim Martyn recorded and mixed the audio for the concert, recorded on stage at NJPAC in Newark in February and March 2021.

Producer Igor Alves says: “This tremendous collaboration between Yuri, the DreamPlay team, Xian, NJSO and the musicians has created a strikingly memorable series. I hope the EMERGE trilogy, like the companion TRANSCEND film, will be seen as a historic series due its unique sensibility and artistic quality, and also for advancing diversity in this space: here we have a project featuring a female Asian conductor, musical works by composers of color, in a film directed by a Newark-raised Brazilian immigrant, whose images also feature dancers and residents from the neighboring area.”

NJSO President & CEO Gabriel van Aalst says: “NJSO Concert Films have taken audiences inside the concert hall and out into the world through the NJSO and Xian Zhang’s brilliant performances and DreamPlay Films’ captivating imagery of the people and scenery of New Jersey during the pandemic. This new trilogy will pair powerful concerts with evocative visuals for cinematic experiences that inspire and that speak to our time.”

The film series, which will be available on demand after the premiere, is part of NJSO Virtual 20–21, the Orchestra’s digital season. For more information, visit njsymphony.org/virtual.

 

EMERGE: An NJSO Concert Film Trilogy

A musical journey without boundaries.

 

EMERGE Part 1: An NJSO Concert Film

Wed, Apr 28, at 7:30 pm

This moment invites us to discover hidden dimensions within, and to see the world with fresh eyes. A new beginning awaits.

Xian Zhang, conductor
Simone Dinnerstein, piano
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Yuri Alves, director
Igor Alves, producer
DreamPlay Films
Tim Martyn, audio producer

BACH Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056
NOKUTHULA NGWENYAMA Primal Message (East Coast Premiere)
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4

The film features the NJSO and Simone Dinnerstein on stage and captivating images of and inspired by the people of Newark. Presented in 4K anamorphic widescreen.

 

EMERGE Part 2: An NJSO Concert Film

Wed, May 26, at 7:30 pm

In tune with hope and beauty, the world beckons us to move ahead in solidarity and in purpose. Let us create—from love—a better world.

Xian Zhang, conductor
Inon Barnatan, piano
Cori Barnes, dancer
M.A. Taylor, dancer
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Yuri Alves, director
Igor Alves, producer
DreamPlay Films
Tim Martyn, audio producer

PRICE Piano Concerto in One Movement
MOZART Symphony No. 39

The film features the NJSO and Inon Barnatan on stage, dance performances by Cori Barnes and M.A. Taylor and behind-the-scenes images of NJSO musicians. Presented in black-and-white 4K Ultra HD.

 

EMERGE Part 3: An NJSO Concert Film

Wed, June 23, at 7:30 pm

Light and sound guide our path to grace in the collective soul. It is time to embrace humanity anew and to thrive in the abundance of our destiny.

Xian Zhang, conductor
Daniil Trifonov, piano
Anderson Romero, trumpet
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Yuri Alves, director
Igor Alves, producer
DreamPlay Films
Tim Martyn, audio producer

SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 1
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4

This film features the NJSO and Daniil Trifonov on stage and riveting images of and inspired by the people of New Jersey. Presented in 4K Ultra HD.

 

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra connects with the people and diverse communities of New Jersey through the power of live symphonic music to inspire, entertain and educate. Internationally renowned Music Director Xian Zhang has garnered critical acclaim on the podium and has deepened the NJSO’s commitment to presenting diverse voices that reflect the communities the Orchestra serves.

The NJSO embraces its legacy as a statewide orchestra through mainstage and chamber performances at venues across New Jersey, as well as partnerships with fellow Garden State arts organizations, universities and civic organizations. The Orchestra’s education and community engagement programs promote meaningful, lifelong engagement with live music.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NJSO has made virtual performances and educational online programs available for free, reaching more than 10 million people across the Orchestra’s digital channels. NJSO Concert Films pair world-class NJSO performances with stunning imagery of the people and cityscapes of New Jersey. The NJSO has presented innovative programs with fellow arts organizations, community ensembles and statewide partners. Musicians perform solo and chamber works from iconic New Jersey locations in NJSO Everywhere. NJSO at Home spotlights intimate at-home performances, instrument demonstrations, educational videos and hours of concert recordings.

The NJSO Youth Orchestras have not only continued virtual instruction but have introduced an entirely new dimension to the program. Students are working together on a yearlong creative composition project—a uniquely engaging opportunity for students to explore their own musical voices and shape new works that draw from all the genres that inspire them.

The Orchestra’s online hub for free musical content is njsymphony.org/virtual.

Connect with Us:
Website: njsymphony.org
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @NJSymphony
YouTube: @NewJerseySymphony
Email: information@njsymphony.org

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s programs are made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, along with many other foundations, corporations and individual donors.

 

Yuri Alves

Filmmaker Yuri Alves has written and directed films, primetime television programs and commercial projects in the US and Europe. Alves’ films have screened at over 100 film festivals worldwide, earning 20 awards. Alves’ projects include Grind, On the Cusp and Exit Road and the European primetime television series “Tempo Final” and “Filha da Lei.” Alves is the co-founder and creative director of DreamPlay Media and served as head of production at Fox Digital Studios. Alves is represented by the agency Brawler Los Angeles. Alves was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Portuguese parents, and grew up in Newark, New Jersey. For more, visit yurialves.com | Instagram: @yurialvescinema.

 

DreamPlay Films

DreamPlay Films develops and produces narrative and documentary films, television programming and more. DreamPlay Films is a division of DreamPlay Media, an original and creative media company, based in Newark, NJ. For more, visit dreamplayfilms.com | dreamplaymedia.com.

 

Press Contact

Victoria McCabe, NJSO Director of Public Relations & Communications | 973.735.1715 | vmccabe@njsymphony.org

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