NJSO presents Chinese New Year Celebration

Feb 2 at NJPAC in Newark

• Orchestra’s first Chinese New Year special event features cultural festivities, entertainment and fine dining
• Xian Zhang conducts program blending Eastern and Western musical traditions, featuring Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Peking University Alumni Chorus, New York Festival Singers and more

NEWARK, NJ—The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents its first annual Chinese New Year Celebration on February 2 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. The event includes an NJSO performance led by Music Director Xian Zhang, as well as pre-concert cultural festivities and a post-concert gala dinner.

Zhang says: “This season, the NJSO focuses on community, and our first Chinese New Year concert is a big part of that effort. Chinese New Year is an opportunity to deepen our connections not only with the Chinese community but also with the general public throughout the state, coming together to celebrate a very old tradition. It’s a great chance to showcase the talent we have in New Jersey, and I feel very pleased and satisfied that we can bring this opportunity to many families and audiences of all ages.”

The 7:30 pm concert program blends Eastern and Western musical traditions, with NJSO premieres of Li Huanzhi’s Spring Festival Overture and Tan Dun’s The Triple Resurrection. Concertmaster Eric Wyrick, Principal Cello Jonathan Spitz and pianist Min Kwon take center stage for Tan Dun’s concerto. The Orchestra welcomes the Peking University Alumni Chorus, New York Festival Singers and Starry Arts Group Children’s Chorus for works including Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, the “Anvil Chorus” from Verdi’s Il Trovatore, “Jasmine Chorus” from Puccini’s Turandot and traditional Chinese songs. The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company gives a special performance choreographed to the “Humming Chorus” from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, and the Edison Chinese School Lion Dance Team performs a traditional dragon dance. Actress Elena Kampouris hosts.

Special pre-concert festivities designed for the whole family include traditional Chinese music performers, calligraphy demonstrations, crafts and more, beginning at 6 pm in the Prudential Hall lobby.

Zhang says: “Audience members will see a pre-show in the lobby that will be just as amazing as the main concert. When you walk into the lobby, you will immediately experience the culture firsthand, with Chinese calligraphy, dancing and performances. When I first started to organize the program for Chinese New Year, I purposefully wanted to bring Eastern and Western music together. The event mixes dragon dances, traditional Chinese folk songs, modern music and very well-known Western opera excerpts. Musically, it will be very attractive for the audience, and visually, this concert will be very colorful and vibrant.”

Concert tickets start at $20 and include both the NJSO performance and pre-concert festivities. Gala event tickets include a post-concert dinner with Zhang and special guests.

Learn more at njsymphony.org/cny.

This concert and celebration are generously supported in part by an anonymous donor in honor of Music Director Xian Zhang.

 

CONCERT PROGRAM

Chinese New Year Celebration

Sat, Feb 2, at 7:30 pm | NJPAC in Newark

Xian Zhang, conductor
Eric Wyrick, violin
Jonathan Spitz, cello
Min Kwon, piano
Peking University Alumni Chorus
The New York Festival Singers
Starry Arts Group Children’s Chorus | Rebecca Shen, director
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company | Nai-Ni Chen, choreographer
Edison Chinese School Lion Dance Team
Elena Kampouris, host
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

TRADITIONAL Dragon Dance
LI HUANZHI Spring Festival Overture (NJSO Premiere)
TAN DUN The Triple Resurrection (NJSO Premiere)
VERDI “Anvil Chorus” from Il Trovatore
TRADITIONAL CHINESE SONG (Arr. Nicholas Hersh) “Farewell”
BEETHOVEN Choral Fantasy
PUCCINI “Humming Chorus” from Madama Butterfly
PUCCINI “Jasmine Chorus” from Turandot
TRADITIONAL CHINESE SONG (Arr. Nicholas Hersh) “Let’s Paddle Together”
TRADITIONAL CHINESE SONG “Gōng xǐ Gong xǐ”

Concert tickets start at $20 and include both the NJSO performance and pre-concert festivities. Learn more at njsymphony.org/cny.

 

GALA EVENT TICKETS

Jade VIP Dinner Ticket—$1,000
Admission for one to the pre-concert festival, champagne reception, concert and dinner seating. ($715 is tax-deductible)

Ruby Dinner Ticket—$500
Admission for one to the pre-concert festival, concert and dinner. ($265 is tax-deductible)

Sponsorship and dinner table packages ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 are also available. For more information, please contact Laura Bessey, NJSO Manager of Special Events, at Lbessey@njsymphony.org or 973.735.1729.

Full gala information is available at njsymphony.org/chinesenewyear.

 

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.

Music Director Xian Zhang—a “dynamic podium presence” The New York Times has praised for her “technical abilities, musicianship and maturity”—continues her acclaimed leadership of the NJSO. The Orchestra 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 State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick, Count Basie Center for the Arts 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; NJSO Youth Orchestras family of student ensembles, led by José Luis Domínguez; and El Sistema-inspired NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project). NJSO musicians annually perform original chamber music programs at community events in a variety of settings statewide through the NJSO Community Partners program.

For more information about the NJSO, visit njsymphony.org or email information@njsymphony.org. Tickets are available for purchase by phone at 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.

 

PRESS CONTACT

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

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