Cirque de la Symphonie returns to NJSO for pops opener | Oct 17–18

Sat, Oct 17, at NJPAC in Newark

Sun, Oct 18, at State Theatre in New Brunswick

• Troupe of aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, jugglers and strongmen join Orchestra on stage
• Associate Conductor Gemma New leads program
• NJSO Accents include pre-concert sing-alongs
• State Theatre co-presents New Brunswick performance

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWARK, NJ (September 8, 2015)—Acrobatic performers from Cirque de la Symphonie return to New Jersey Symphony Orchestra stages for the NJSO POPS season opener on October 17 and 18 in Newark and New Brunswick. Cirque’s troupe of exceptional artists—aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, jugglers and strongmen—will perform on stage as the Orchestra performs classical favorites. NJSO Associate Conductor Gemma New conducts.

Performances take place on Saturday, October 17, at 8 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and Sunday, October 18, at 3 pm at the State Theatre in New Brunswick. The State Theatre co-presents the October 18 performance.

The program includes music from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol, Bizet’s Carmen, Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Eugene Onegin, Respighi’s La Boutique fantasque, Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Saint-Saëns’ Samson and Delilah, Kabalevsky’s Colas Breugnon Overture and Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, among others.

Cirque de la Symphonie has garnered acclaim for its aerial feats and compelling programs. The Baltimore Sun has praised the “the brilliant flying, juggling, contorting troupe,” writing, “It was cool to hear collective ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ rise from the crowd [and] hear shouts of approval.”

The Boston Globe writes that the “triumphant taking of bows” after Cirque de la Symphonie’s sold-out performances with the Boston Pops “were well-earned.”

The Seattle Times lauds Cirque de la Symphonie’s “every breathtaking feat of strength and agility,” writing that “a symphony orchestra has a lot in common with circus acts. Both involve developing and maintaining suspense. Both involve spectacle and modulating emotional pitch, capturing the rapt attention of an audience willing to surrender to every nuance or peak … The clearest sign that ‘Cirque’ was working was in the way kids in the audience were just as absorbed by the stand-alone musical portions of the program as they were by the ones featuring the performers.”

The NJSO presents special NJSO Accent festivities beginning one hour before each concert. Patrons can join in a sing-along highlighting the classic genres—from Broadway showstoppers to James Bond film theme songs—the five-concert NJSO POPS season will feature. Additional information about this season’s NJSO Accent events is available at www.njsymphony.org/accents.

 

TICKETS

Tickets start at $20 and are available for purchase online at www.njsymphony.org, by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or in person. The NJSO Patron Services and Sales office is located at 60 Park Place, 9th floor, in Newark; tickets are available by phone or in person Monday–Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

Tickets for the October 18 performance are also available from the State Theatre ticket office online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org, by phone at 732.246.SHOW (7469) or in person. The State Theatre ticket office is located at 15 Livingston Ave in New Brunswick—hours are Monday–Friday, 10 am to 6 pm; Saturday, 1 to 5 pm, and at least three hours prior to curtain on performance dates unless otherwise specified.

The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey is concert sponsor of the October 17 performance. The October 18 performance is presented in collaboration with the State Theatre. The Prudential Foundation generously sponsors NJSO Accents in Newark.

 

THE ARTISTS

Gemma New, conductor

Renowned for her insightful interpretations and thrilling performances, New Zealand-born conductor Gemma New is music director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra in Ontario, Canada; associate conductor for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and director of the Lunar Ensemble, a contemporary music collective in Baltimore, Maryland. This season, New has additional engagements with several ensembles, most notably the Long Beach and Toledo symphonies, and the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio.

New was a Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the 2014–15 season. As a fellow, she led nine LA Phil concerts and was mentored by its music director, Gustavo Dudamel. In September 2014, at the invitation of Kurt Masur, New was a Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Fellow residing in Leipzig, Germany, where she studied Mendelssohn’s music under Masur and led the Leipziger Symphonieorchester in the historic Lindensaal of Markkleeberg.

New has most recently guest conducted the Atlanta and Miami symphonies, as well as the Christchurch Symphony and Opus orchestras in New Zealand. In 2013, she made her Carnegie Hall conducting debut, leading works by Adams, Norman and Ives on the American Soundscapes series.

Cirque de la Symphonie

Cirque de la Symphonie brings the magic of cirque to the music hall, showcasing many of the best cirque artists in the world. The performers include world record holders, gold-medal winners of international competitions, Olympians and some of the most original talent ever seen. For more information, visit www.cirquedelasymphonie.com.

Alexander Streltsov is a Russian aerial artist who started working with famed cirque choreographer Pavel Brun and producer Valentin Gneushev at age 12, performing on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre.

Christine Van Loo performed as a professional aerialist and acrobat in the 2002 Winter Olympics and at two Grammy Awards, the American Music Awards (with Aerosmith) and the Miss Universe pageant.

The mind-boggling strength and agility of Jarek and Darek’s “Duo Design”—former Polish national hand-balancing champions Jaroslaw Marciniak and Dariusz Wronski—have thrilled audiences at several NBA halftimes, Cirque du Soleil, Busch Gardens, Circus Circus and the national tour of Cirque Ingenieux.

Aloysia Gavre is an incredible aerial performer from the prestigious École National de Cirque, Montréal, with early training from Master Lu-Yi and the Pickle Family Circus School. She is a veteran of Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam and O.

Vladimir Tsarkov provides a spellbinding performance combining mime and juggling feats. A graduate of Russia’s prestigious State College of Circus and Theater Arts, he won the gold medal at France’s Cirque de Demain International Festival.

Elena Tsarkova, the “Lady in White,” is a graduate of the famed Moscow Circus School and first-place winner of the prestigious National Russian Circus Festival. She has performed with the Big Apple Circus, Switzerland’s Circus Knie and Germany’s Circus Roncalli.

A graduate of the prestigious Kiev Circus School, Andrey Moraru was a hand-balancing specialist in the cast of Le Reve in Las Vegas and has performed with Symbiotic, Quixotic and Troupe Vertigo. He was recently a finalist on “America’s Got Talent.”

 

NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Named “a vital, artistically significant musical organization” by The Wall Street Journal, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra embodies that vitality through its statewide presence and critically acclaimed performances, education partnerships and unparalleled access to music and the Orchestra’s superb musicians.

Under the bold leadership of Music Director Jacques Lacombe, the NJSO presents classical, pops and family programs, as well as outdoor summer concerts and special events. Embracing its legacy as a statewide orchestra, the NJSO is the resident orchestra of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and regularly performs at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, Richardson Auditorium in Princeton, Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown and bergenPAC in Englewood. Partnerships with New Jersey arts organizations, universities and civic organizations remain a key element of the Orchestra’s statewide identity.

In addition to its lauded artistic programming, the NJSO presents a suite of education and community engagement programs that promote meaningful, lifelong engagement with live music. Programs include the three-ensemble NJSO Youth Orchestras, school-time Concerts for Young People performances and multiple offerings—including the El Sistema-inspired NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project)—that provide and promote in-school instrumental instruction as part of the NJSO Academy. The NJSO’s REACH (Resources for Education and Community Harmony) chamber music program annually brings original programs—designed and performed by NJSO musicians—to a variety of settings, reaching as many as 17,000 people in nearly all of New Jersey’s 21 counties.

For more information about the NJSO, visit www.njsymphony.org or email information@njsymphony.org. Tickets are available for purchase by phone 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or on the Orchestra’s website.

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.

 

STATE THEATRE

The State Theatre is a premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. The theater exists to enrich people’s lives, contribute to a vital urban environment and build future audiences by presenting the finest performing artists and entertainers and fostering lifetime appreciation for the performing arts through education. The State Theatre’s programs are made possible in part by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations and individuals.

 

PRESS CONTACT

NJSO National & NYC Press Representative:

Dan Dutcher, Dan Dutcher Public Relations | 917.566.8413 | dan@dandutcherpr.com

NJSO Regional Press Representative:

Victoria McCabe, NJSO Communications and External Affairs | 973.735.1715 | vmccabe@njsymphony.org

State Theatre Press Representative:

Kelly Blithe, State Theatre Director of Communications | 732.247.7200, ext. 542 | kblithe@statetheatrenj.org

 

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