New Jersey Symphony Orchestra announces open-air park concerts for August

(NEWARK, New Jersey) – The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra announced an outdoor concert series featuring music by composers from the Americas, with José Luis Domínguez on the podium. The orchestra gives free concerts at Ocean County College in Toms River (August 18 at 7:30 p.m.) and Branch Brook Park in Newark (August 26 at 7:30 p.m.), and is returning to the Giralda Music and Arts Festival in Madison (August 28 at 5:00 p.m.).

The concert program includes music by John Williams, Pedro Elías Gutiérrez, Oscar Lorenzo Fernández and the late New Jersey composer George Walker. Highlights include the ‘nimble feet’ of pioneer Florence Price from Dances in the Canebrakes, patriotic favorites and Aaron Copland’s “Saturday Night Waltz” Rodeo.

Ocean County College and Branch Brook Park programs are free and open to the public.

The Giralda Music & Arts Festival, presented by Morris Arts, returns for its 37th year. The event includes activities for kids, an art exhibit, a picnic contest and more. Tickets are available on morrisarts.org.

The NJSO continues to present chamber concerts by chamber players of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in the garden of the Newark Museum of Art in conjunction with the museum until August 14. Solo violin Eric Wyrick hosts a program by Mendelssohn and Coleridge-Taylor (July 13 at 7:00 p.m.) and a program featuring Beethoven’s Septet and Krommer’s Octet Partita in F major (July 21 at 7:00 p.m.). Resident artistic catalyst Daniel Bernard Roumain is the curator of a daring program in the series “NJSO & DBR: Now, New and Next” (August 11 at 7:00 p.m.). Family concerts include Prokofiev’s Pierre and the Wolf (July 31 at 10:00 a.m.) and an interactive storytelling program for children (August 14 at 10:00 a.m.). Tickets are available on njsymphony.org/museum.

To round out the summer season, the Orchestra presents new music from the 2021 composers NJSO Edward T. Cone Composition Institute at the NJPAC in Newark (July 24 at 8:00 p.m.). Tickets are available on njsymphony.org/scores.

The performance of the NJSO will follow security measures in partnership with these sites and based on guidance provided by the CDC and the State of New Jersey.

The Arts in the Garden performances on July 7 and 21 are sponsored by the PSEG Foundation. Arts in the Garden is presented in partnership with the Newark Museum of Art. The August 18 performance is sponsored by PNC Bank in partnership with Ocean County College. The August 26 performance is sponsored by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Essex County; it is part of the 2021 Essex County Free Summer Music Series. The August 28 performance is presented by Morris Arts.

Bank of America is proud to support the resident artistic catalyst of the NJSO. DBR as a resident artistic catalyst is made possible in part by Judith Musser.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra connects with the people and diverse communities of New Jersey through the power of live symphonic music to inspire, entertain and educate. Internationally renowned Music Director Xian Zhang received critical acclaim from the podium and reinforced the NJSO’s commitment to presenting diverse voices that reflect the communities the orchestra serves.

The NJSO embraces its heritage as a statewide orchestra through stage and chamber performances at venues across New Jersey, as well as partnerships with other Garden State arts organizations, universities and civic organizations. The Orchestra’s education and community engagement programs foster meaningful and ongoing engagement with live music.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NJSO has made free virtual performances and online educational programs available, reaching more than 10 million people on the Orchestra’s digital channels. NJSO Concert Films combines world-class NJSO performances with stunning images of the people and cityscapes of New Jersey. The NJSO showcased innovative programs with other arts organizations, community ensembles and statewide partners. Musicians perform solo and chamber works from iconic New Jersey locations in NJSO Everywhere. NJSO at Home highlights intimate in-home performances, instrument demonstrations, educational videos, and hours of concert recordings. The Orchestra’s online hub for free music content is njsymphony.org/virtual.

The youth orchestras of the ONJ not only continued virtual education, but introduced a whole new dimension to the program. Students work together on a year-long creative composition project – a unique and engaging opportunity for students to explore their own musical voices and shape new works that draw from all the genres that inspire them.

The safety of our clients, musicians and staff is of the utmost importance to the ONJ. Please visit njsymphony.org for constantly updated details focused on the well-being of the participants in our performances.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra programs are made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, as well as many other foundations, societies and individual donors.

Photos of Fred Stucker