NJSO to Host College Night, 11/1

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra hosts its first College Night of the 2013-14 season on Friday, November 1, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark. A special $10 student ticket includes entrance to the Orchestra's 8 pm performance of Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto and a post-concert all-student party with light refreshments and live entertainment provided by student musicians and performing groups from various New Jersey colleges and universities.

The NJSO will provide free round-trip bus transportation to the concert from select New Jersey college campuses. Pick-up times and locations will be posted at www.njsymphony.org/college as buses become available.

The Orchestra has set aside a block of tickets as Tweet Seats, from which college students can post live concert commentary on social media. The NJSO (@NJSymphony) will tweet live commentary during the performance.

Following the success of last year's inaugural College Night, the NJSO will host three college events this season; additional events take place at the March 2 performance of Grieg's Piano Concerto at NJPAC and April 5 performance of Verdi's Requiem at the State Theatre in New Brunswick.

Dynamic pianist Lukáš Vondrá?ek, a star on the rise, makes his NJSO debut with the Tchaikovsky concerto; guest conductor Christoph König returns to the NJSO stage. The program also features Kodály's Dances of Galanta and Schumann's Symphony No. 4.

"These are three great works from three different important parts of the Romantic and early modern periods in Europe," Music Director Jacques Lacombe says of the works on the program. "Each has different European influences. The Kodály and Tchaikovsky works both have links to folk music; the Tchaikovsky and Schumann are connected in that Tchaikovsky's music has a German twist and Schumann [drew on the Viennese symphonic tradition]."

The November 1 performance begins at 8 pm; a pre-concert Classical Conversation about the music begins at 7 pm.

For more information on College Night, visit www.njsymphony.org/college.

College Night student tickets are $10 and include the concert and a post-concert party. Regular concert tickets start at $20. Student tickets are available for purchase online at www.njsymphony.org/college (using promo code COLLEGE14) or by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476); Tweet Seats are available by phone only.