NJSO presents ‘A Take 6 Holiday with the NJSO’

10-time Grammy Award-winning vocal sextet brings fusion of R&B, gospel and pop to program of Christmas favorites

Orchestra premieres #ChoraleYou: Audience members can join ‘Gospel Hallelujah’ sing-in session after Dec 13 performance

NJSO Accents also include pre-concert caroling in New Brunswick and Prelude performance by Newark Boys Chorus in Newark

State Theatre co-presents New Brunswick performance

Sat, Dec 13, at NJPAC in Newark
Sun, Dec 14, at State Theatre in New Brunswick

 

NEWARK, NJ (October 30, 2014)—Take 6 joins the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra for “A Take 6 Holiday with the NJSO” December 13–14 in Newark and New Brunswick. The NJSO POPS series opener will feature the 10-time Grammy Award-winning vocal sextet, who will bring their patented fusion of R&B, gospel and pop on a program of Christmas favorites including “Joy to the World” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Joseph Joubert conducts.

Performances take place on Saturday, December 13, at 8 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark and Sunday, December 14, at 3 pm at the State Theatre in New Brunswick. The December 14 performance is presented in collaboration with the State Theatre.

The New York Times has praised Take 6’s “creamy vocal blends and gleaming gospel harmonies.” Of the sextet’s celebrated Christmas performances, Smooth Jazz Ride writes: “Take 6, one of the most competent and most recognizable groups to ever successfully compete with any instrument we could possibly associate with the contemporary jazz genre, adds this sparkling touch to the season and gives us reason to close our eyes for a gleeful moment and realize that there is much for which to be joyful.”

The NJSO invites audiences and members of the NJSO to sing the “Gospel Hallelujah” at the first-ever #ChoraleYou—a massive “sing-in” in the lobby following the December 13 concert at NJPAC. Donald Morris, music director of the Newark Boys Chorus, will conduct a brief rehearsal and performance. Concert attendees can watch the session unfold from one of the lobby’s many vantage points and can share their photos and comments on social media using the #ChoraleYou hashtag.

An NJSO Accent event, #ChoraleYou is inspired by the excitement of last season’s #OrchestraYou, which garnered national attention on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” More information—including downloadable sheet music for the three-part soprano-alto-bass arrangement—is available at www.njsymphony.org/choraleyou.

NJSO Accents also include special festivities preceding each concert. In a prelude performance, the Newark Boys Chorus will sing holiday favorites in the NJPAC lobby on December 13; audiences can join in a sing-along of Christmas carols at the State Theatre on December 14.

The Orchestra invites patrons to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots.

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 are also available, by phone only, on concert-weekend Saturdays, 11 am to 5 pm. Tickets for the December 14 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, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10 am to 6 pm; Wednesday, 11 am to 7 pm; Saturday, 1 to 5 pm, and at least three hours prior to curtain on performance dates unless otherwise specified.

THE PROGRAM

A Take 6 Holiday with the NJSO
Saturday, December 13, at 8 pm | NJPAC in Newark
Sunday, December 14, at 3 pm | State Theatre in New Brunswick

Take 6
Joseph Joubert, conductor
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

The December 13 concert is sponsored by The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey. The December 14 concert is presented in collaboration with the State Theatre.

Full program information is available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/a-take-6-holiday-with-the-njso.

NJSO ACCENTS

Designed to inspire audiences, NJSO Accents are pre- or post-concert events that complement the concert experience and provide audience members with more opportunities to personally connect with the music and music makers.

Prelude Performance—Sat, Dec 13
Arrive early to enjoy the festive sounds of the Newark Boys Chorus singing holiday favorites.

#ChoraleYou—Sat, Dec 13
Join audience members and members of the NJSO for the first-ever #ChoraleYou—a massive “sing-in” in the lobby following the concert. Donald Morris, music director of the Newark Boys Chorus, will conduct a brief rehearsal and performance. #ChoraleYou is inspired by the very successful and fun premiere of #OrchestraYou in March 2014. More information is available at www.njsymphony.org/choraleyou.

Caroling—Sun, Dec 14
Come early and sing all your favorite carols to get you in the holiday spirit.

Learn more at www.njsymphony.org/accents.

NJSO Accents in Newark are generously sponsored by the Prudential Foundation.

THE ARTISTS

Take 6
Take 6 is the most-awarded a cappella group in history, with 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards (Gospel Music Awards), induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Best Jazz Vocal Group honors for seven consecutive years in Downbeat’s prestigious Readers and Critics Polls, a Soul Train Music Award, BRE (Black Radio Exclusive) Vocal Group of the Year and two NAACP Image Award nominations, amid countless other musical and humanitarian citations.

Showing the global appeal of this phenomenal group, Take 6 celebrated its 25th anniversary with a world tour of Asia, South America, Eastern and Western Europe and the United States. Take 6 has reached new markets, including its debut tours of Australia and Canada, to rave reviews and overwhelming audience reception.

From New York’s famed Blue Note to the Montreux Jazz Festival, from PBS to ABC TV specials, Take 6’s 25th year has been a smashing success. It remains the quintessential and pre-eminent a cappella group in the world.

Joseph Joubert, conductor
Joseph Joubert has served as the conductor of Motown The Musical on Broadway and keyboardist/assistant conductor for Billy Elliot. His accomplishments are wide ranging and his talent has taken him not only across the continent, but also throughout the world. He has performed with the Bronx Arts Ensemble, New Philharmonia and the Manhattan, West Palm Beach, Mobile, Marin, Lancaster and Colonial symphonies. Joubert has appeared in New York City’s major concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall.

For two seasons, he served as staff pianist for the Metropolitan Opera revival of Porgy and Bess. Abroad, he has performed in the International Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, and in Nice, France. Joubert has performed at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia, and was the pianist/associate conductor for the Broadway show The Color Purple. He was an orchestrator for the film Nights in Rodanthe. He also has a solo piano CD, “Total Praise: Classic Hymns for Piano.”

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 school-time Concerts for Young People performances and multiple offerings—including the three-ensemble NJSO Youth Orchestras and 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. United is the official airline of the NJSO.

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 Public Relations | 732.247.7200, ext. 542 | kblithe@statetheatrenj.org

###