NJSO presents Grieg’s Piano Concerto with Stewart Goodyear | Oct 6–9

Thu, Oct 6, at NJPAC in Newark

Fri, Oct 7, at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton

Sat, Oct 8, at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank

Sun, Oct 9, at State Theatre in New Brunswick

• Conductor Gemma New returns to NJSO podium
• Program of works by fathers of nationalistic music includes Sibelius’ Second Symphony and Lilburn’s Aotearoa Overture
• NJSO Accents include artist talkbacks with New and radio personality Naomi Lewin

NEWARK, NJ (August 31, 2016)—The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents Grieg’s Piano Concerto with pianist Stewart Goodyear, October 6–9 in Newark, Princeton, Red Bank and New Brunswick. Conductor Gemma New returns to the NJSO podium to lead a program of works by fathers of nationalistic music that includes Sibelius’ Second Symphony and Lilburn’s Aotearoa Overture.

Performances take place on Thursday, October 6, at 1:30 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark; Friday, October 7, at 8 pm at the Richardson Auditorium in Princeton; Saturday, October 8, at 8 pm at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank and Sunday, October 9, at 3 pm at the State Theatre in New Brunswick.

The Huffington Post has praised Goodyear’s interpretation of Grieg’s masterwork; reviewing his 2014 performance of the concerto “spectacular” and writing, “[his] daunting technique is immediately engaging, the arc of his musical expression is spellbinding.”

Goodyear told the outlet that this concerto is one of the works “‘that inspired me to become a concert pianist … I hear a very rustic quality in the Grieg concerto. It is filled with pride, a true celebration of where the composer came from. I hear the festivals, I hear the Halling and the Springar dances in the third movement. Both are very athletic and it’s the men who get to improvise their moves. So, with those runs on the piano, I’m seeing the dance and the athleticism.’”

The pianist says he looks forward to returning to the NJSO, with whom he has appeared multiple times since making his NJSO debut in the 1996–97 season: “Every performance is a new experience—each hall’s acoustics give the music [its own] sound, and the audiences are different. It’s always exciting, always new, always fresh.”

New, the NJSO’s former associate conductor, returns to the Orchestra for the first time since assuming the role of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s resident conductor. An NJSO audience favorite, she received critical recognition and artistic honors during her NJSO tenure, from being hailed as a “top woman conductor on the rise” by WQXR to securing a prestigious Dudamel Fellowship with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. New has won acclaim for her leadership as music director of the Hamilton Philharmonic; The Toronto Star praises her “warmth and artistry on stage.”

The program opens with a work from New’s homeland. Lilburn is considered the father of New Zealand music; the Aotearoa Overture evokes the country’s coastline and takes its title from the Maori word for New Zealand. The program closes with Sibelius’ Second Symphony, often connected to Finland’s struggle for independence.

NJSO Accent events include “Kiwi Notes” artist talkbacks following the October 8 and 9 concerts. Radio personality Naomi Lewin chats with Kiwi-born conductor New about the music of New Zealand, from indigenous to classical.

 

TICKETS

Tickets start at $20 and are available for purchase online at www.njsymphony.org or by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476).

 

THE PROGRAM

Grieg Piano Concerto with Stewart Goodyear

Thursday, October 6, at 1:30 pm | NJPAC in Newark
Friday, October 7, at 8 pm | Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
Saturday, October 8, at 8 pm | Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
Sunday, October 9, at 3 pm | State Theatre in New Brunswick

Gemma New, conductor
Stewart Goodyear, piano
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

LILBURN Aotearoa Overture
GRIEG Piano Concerto
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2

Novo Nordisk sponsors the October 7 performance.

Full concert information is available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/grieg-piano-concerto-with-stewart-goodyear.

 

NJSO ACCENTS

Inspired by the concerts and 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.

 

Artist Talkback: Kiwi Notes – Sat, Oct 8, and Sun, Oct 9, after the concert

Radio personality Naomi Lewin chats with conductor and Kiwi-born Gemma New about the music of New Zealand, from indigenous to classical.

 

THE ARTISTS

Gemma New, conductor

Sought after for her insightful interpretations and dynamic presence, New Zealand-born conductor Gemma New is music director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra in Ontario, Canada, and resident conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

She maintains a close relationship with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, where she served as associate conductor, and Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio. This season New also enjoys guest engagements with the Malmö SymfoniOrkester in Malmö, Sweden; Orlando Philharmonic; Orchestra of St. Luke’s and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra in Winnipeg, Canada.

A former Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New has led youth, school and community programs with the LA Phil, and has assisted Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen and other guest conductors. She is also founder of the Lunar Ensemble, currently in its seventh season.

New holds a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, where she studied with Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar. She graduated from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand with a Bachelor of Music (Honors) in violin performance.

 

Stewart Goodyear, piano

Stewart Goodyear is an accomplished concerto soloist, chamber musician, recitalist and composer. He has performed with major orchestras of the world, including those of Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Montreal, Toronto and Atlanta, as well as Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, MDR Symphony Orchestra (Leipzig), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and NHK Symphony Orchestra. He has recently performed in recital at the Rheingau Musik Festival, McCarter Theatre, Phillips Collection (Washington, DC) and the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas.

Goodyear’s discography includes Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas, Diabelli’s Variations, Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto, Grieg’s Piano Concerto, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concertos No. 2 and 3 and his piano transcription of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. His new recording of Ravel piano works will be released this fall on Orchid Classics.

Highlights of the 2016–17 season are recital dates at McCarter Theatre, Koerner Hall and the Phillips Collection; return engagements with the NJSO and Toronto Symphony and his debut at the Savannah Music Festival performing the complete Beethoven piano sonatas in one day. More information is available at www.stewartgoodyearpiano.com.

 

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.

The NJSO welcomes new Music Director Xian Zhang in the 2016–17 season. 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 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, NJSO Youth Orchestras family of student ensembles and El Sistema-inspired NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project). 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. In the 2015–16 season, Orchestra musicians performed at nearly 200 events, reaching more than 34,000 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.

 

PRESS CONTACT

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

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