Jason C. Tramm to Conduct 2016 Summer Stars Classical Concert Series Finale August 4th

The 2016 Summer Stars Classical Concert Series will conclude with a blockbuster finale "GRAND ORCHESTRA AND GREAT ORGAN" on Thursday, August 4th (7:30 pm) in the Great Auditorium, Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Jason C. Tramm will conduct organ virtuoso Gordon Turk, the 70 member MidAtlantic Opera Orchestra and guest soloist, soprano Margaret Mezzacappa in a program featuring Joseph Jongen's Symphonie Concertante, Paul Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice and works by Rossini and Donizetti.

The concert's showpiece, Jongen's Symphonie Concertante ranks among the greatest works ever written for organ and orchestra. The work is well suited to the massive 6,500 seat Great Auditorium, home to the 1908 Hope Jone's Organ, one of the 20 largest organs in the world. Commissioned by Rodman Wanamaker in 1926, Jongen's Symphonie Concertante was to debut in the Grand Court of his palatial Philadelphia department store, Wanamaker's. The piece was intended for the re-dedication of the Wanamaker Organ, an enormous instrument of 1670 pipes and 455 ranks built for the department store in 1911. Jongen's work was one in a series of concerts Rodman Wanamaker funded with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra. A series of unfortunate events, including the death of Wanamaker himself, led to the 80 year delay of Jongen's Symphonie Concertante in 2008. Conductor Eugène Ysaÿe, a contemporary of Jongen, observed that the Symphonie Concertante might better be called a symphony for two orchestras, since "the role you assign to the King of Instruments and its abundant resources ... is not limited or restricted; it is clearly a second orchestra that enriches the first." Meg Ryan of the LA philharmonic wrote that "at 35 minutes of almost non-stop, rigorous playing, this "second orchestra" can be manifested only by a veritable Jedi Master of the organ, one who has the brawn, stamina, and grace - in a word, the force - to stand up to the thickly scored orchestra and make the King of Instruments dance.

"With Gordon Turk at the console, the audience is in for an extraordinary treat" said Tramm. Mr. Turk has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, Russia, Ukraine, and Japan in concert halls, cathedrals, and universities in both solo performances and with orchestras. His collaborations with other musicians in chamber music concerts include principal instrumentalists from the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and other distinguished musicians. He has won awards for performances of J.S. Bach and in the national AGO Improvisation Competition.

Jason C. Tramm, now in his 10th season as Director of Music Ministries at the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, is recognized as one of the most dynamic young conductors on the podium today. He has been hailed by critics and audiences alike for his work in the operatic, symphonic, and sacred music realms. He has also appeared on two National Public Radio broadcasts with organ virtuoso Gordon Turk and a large orchestra. His 2008 NJN broadcast of Verdi's Requiem, shot in The Great Auditorium, was nominated for an Emmy Award. Tramm also serves as the Director of Choral Activities at Seton Hall University, where he director two choirs, conducts the University Orchestra, and teaches classes in conducting and music education. He also serves as Artistic Director of the MidAtlantic Opera Company, with which he made his Carnegie Hall debut last October.

"GRAND ORCHESTRA AND GREAT ORGAN"

Thursday, August 4th (7:30 pm)

Great Auditorium, 54 Pilgrim Pathway Ocean Grove, New Jersey.

All facilities are handicapped accessible.

Tickets are $16.00 (General Admission) and can be ordered online at www.oceangrove.org or by phone at 800-590-4064