NJSO presents Home Alone with live orchestral accompaniment

• NJSO performs John Williams’ full film score live at screening of the classic holiday comedy
• Concerts celebrate Home Alone’s 25th anniversary
• NJSO Accents include pre-concert carol sing-alongs
• State Theatre co-presents New Brunswick performance

Sat, Dec 5, at NJPAC in Newark

Sun, Dec 6, at State Theatre in New Brunswick

NEWARK, NJ (October 28, 2015)—The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents Home Alone with live orchestral accompaniment on December 5 and 6 in Newark and New Brunswick, respectively. Conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos returns to lead the NJSO in John Williams’ full film score as the holiday classic screens above the stage. The performances—the second of this season’s NJSO POPS offerings—mark the 25th anniversary of Home Alone’s release. The New Jersey Youth Chorus joins the NJSO to bring the film score’s celebrated songs like “Somewhere in My Memory” to life.

Performances take place on Saturday, December 5, at 8 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark and Sunday, December 6, at 3 pm at the State Theatre in New Brunswick. The December 6 performance is presented in collaboration with the State Theatre.

Home Alone, dubbed a “carefree and wry” comedy by The New York Times, features Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an 8-year-old boy who is accidentally left behind when his family leaves for Christmas vacation and must defend his home against two bungling thieves.

Composer John Williams writes: “Ever since Home Alone appeared, it has held a unique place in the affections of a very broad public. Director Chris Columbus brought a uniquely fresh and innocent approach to this delightful story, and the film has deservedly become a perennial favorite at holiday time.

“I took great pleasure in composing the score for the film, and I am especially delighted that the magnificent New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has agreed to perform the music in a live presentation of the movie. I know I speak for everyone connected with the making of the film in saying that we are greatly honored by this event … and I hope that audiences will experience the renewal of joy that the film brings with it, each and every year.”

Of the film itself, Variety writes: “A first-rate production in which every element contributes to the overall smartly realized tone, [Home Alone] boasts wonderful casting, with Culkin a delight as funny, resilient Kevin, and [Catherine] O’Hara bringing a snappy, zesty energy to the role of mom. [Joe] Pesci is aces in the role of slippery housebreaker Harry, who does a Two Stooges routine with lanky side-kick [Daniel] Stern.”

NJSO Accent festivities include carol sing-alongs beginning one hour before each concert. Additional information about this season’s NJSO Accent events is available at www.njsymphony.org/accents.

At both concerts, patrons can bring new, unwrapped toys to donate to the NJSO’s annual Toys for Tots drive.

The program is the second in the 2015–16 NJSO POPS series. The NJSO’s five-concert pops series in Newark and New Brunswick opened with the return of Cirque de la Symphonie’s troupe of acrobatic performers in October. Upcoming pops concerts feature Broadway and television stars Megan Hilty and Cheyenne Jackson (the former in a Valentine’s Day-weekend program of music from the American Songbook and the latter in a program featuring music of the “Mad Men” era), as well as a retrospective of five decades of music from the films of James Bond. The new two-concert series in Red Bank includes the programs Hilty and Jackson will headline. Full series information is available at www.njsymphony.org/pops.

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 December 6 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.

Full program information is available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/home-alone-the-movie.

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.

Caroling—Sat, Dec 5, and Sun, Dec 6, before the concert
Come early and sing all your favorite carols to get you in the holiday spirit!

Toys for Tots
Bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to the NJSO’s annual Toys for Tots drive.

Learn more at www.njsymphony.org/accents.

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

THE ARTISTS

John Williams, composer

In a career spanning five decades, John Williams has become one of America’s most accomplished and successful composers for both film and the concert stage, and he remains one of our nation’s most distinguished and contributive musical voices.

He has composed the music and served as music director for more than 100 films, including all six Star Wars films, the first three Harry Potter films, Superman, JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Memoirs of a Geisha, Far and Away, The Accidental Tourist, Home Alone and The Book Thief.

His 40-year artistic partnership with director Steven Spielberg has resulted in many of Hollywood’s most acclaimed and successful films, including Schindler’s List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones films, Munich, Saving Private Ryan, The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse and Lincoln.

His contributions include scores for more than 200 television films, and he also composed themes for the 1984, 1988 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games and 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Williams has received five Academy Awards and 49 Oscar nominations, making him the Academy’s most-nominated living person and the second-most nominated person in the history of the Oscars. He received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor in December of 2004. In 2009, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and he received the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the US government.

In January 1980, Williams was named 19th music director of the Boston Pops Orchestra, succeeding the legendary Arthur Fiedler. He currently holds the title of Boston Pops Laureate Conductor, a post he assumed following his retirement in December 1993. He also holds the title of Artist-in-Residence at Tanglewood.

Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor

Constantine Kitsopoulos has made a name for himself as a conductor whose musical experiences comfortably span the worlds of opera, symphony and film, conducting in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and Royal Albert Hall, as well as leading orchestras in musical theater productions on Broadway.

Kitsopoulos is artistic director of the newly formed Amici NY Orchestra and music director of the Festival of the Arts BOCA, a multiday cultural arts event for South Florida. He served as artistic director of the OK Mozart International Festival from 2012 to 2015 and was music director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 2014.

Kitsopoulos maintains a busy opera schedule and is much in demand as a theater conductor, both on Broadway and nationwide. Most recently he was music director and conductor of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella on Broadway.

His most recent recording is the Grammy Award-winning original Broadway cast album of the Tony Award-winning Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, released in 2012 on P.S. Classics.

New Jersey Youth Chorus

The New Jersey Youth Chorus, founded in 1992 by Trish Joyce, is an auditioned choral program for children in grades two through 12, divided into five ensembles. Two hundred and fifty choristers come from six counties of New Jersey. The heart of the chorus’ mission is to provide exceptional choral music education and performance experiences, fostering expression, artistry and growth.

The chorus performs frequently with professional ensembles and performers, including the NJSO, Canadian Brass, The Chieftains, Ronan Tynan and others. The choir performed with Queen Latifah at Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. The choir has been featured at the American Choral Directors Association’s Eastern Division Conference and Chorus America’s 2009 Conference. The chorus has participated in numerous national and international music festivals, and it regularly hosts visiting youth choirs. Music educator workshops are a regular part of the chorus’ offerings.

The choir’s “Kids for Kids” mission includes opportunities to perform and assist children’s organizations and charities. The choir is donating proceeds from its CD, “Stand Together, Music of Hope and Healing,” to cancer patients at area hospitals.

NJYC Director Trish Joyce has taught at Westminster Choir College and Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and has served on the NJ American Choral Directors Association’s Board. She also presents workshops for music educators, is a clinician for choral festivals and is a freelance organist.

The NJSO performances feature two of NJYC’s ensembles: Coriste, under Trish Joyce, and Camerata, under Matt LaPine. More information is available at www.njyouthchorus.org.

THE 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 NJSO Youth Orchestras family of student ensembles 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.

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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