Wharton Arts to Launch 2026–27 Season Under New Leadership

Wharton Arts, a leading provider of community music and creative youth development in New Jersey, has launched its 2026–27 Fall/Winter season under the leadership of new President & CEO Carol Chickering Burden.

The new season brings together the organization's four core programs, the New Jersey Youth Chorus, New Jersey Youth Symphony, Paterson Music Project, and Performing Arts School, along with a broad schedule of concerts, community performances, educational programs, and opportunities for musicians of all ages.

'I am delighted to join Wharton Arts and to be a part of raising the curtain on this exciting season,' said Carol Chickering Burden, President & CEO of Wharton Arts. 'Music education is about so much more than the knowledge our students gain. It is about the people they are becoming. Making music together cultivates empathy, creative solutions, discipline, collaboration, and, of course, beauty. We are all excited to share the extraordinary work of our students, faculty, guest artists, and ensembles with communities throughout New Jersey.'

Among the highlights of the 2026–27 season:

New Jersey Youth Chorus celebrates 35 years. The New Jersey Youth Chorus marks its 35th anniversary with special events throughout the season, including opportunities to reconnect with alumni, celebrate its young musicians, and honor founder Trish Joyce as she prepares for retirement. The season will culminate in May 2027 with special concerts celebrating Joyce's legacy and the future of NJYC.

Free concerts bring music to Rahway and beyond. Through support from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority's A.R.T. – Phase II Grant Program, Wharton Arts will present a series of free performances at the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway. The series includes America250: Harmony Across Cultures on October 25, featuring the NJYS Youth Symphony, Inner City Dance Ensemble, and guest artists representing Korean traditional music, tabla, and the EC Llanera harp; an America250 concert featuring the NJYS Youth Orchestra and the Plainfield Symphony Orchestra; a Gospel Music Festival on December 12; Two Nutcrackers on December 13; and Season of Joy later that evening. Free tickets must be reserved through UCPAC at ucpac.org.

The Rahway initiative also includes an education concert on October 28, when nearly 1,000 Union County students will join the New Jersey Youth Symphony for a special Harmony Across Cultures program.

Performances and programs connect communities across New Jersey. The season includes NJYS community performances, chamber music, jazz, open rehearsals, alumni events, and programs in Paterson through the Paterson Music Project. Performing Arts School offerings include a free faculty recital in Plainfield, Fall Fest and Suzuki Halloween Playdown in Berkeley Heights, a Creative Aging for Everyone Choir concert, and the Wharton Players' production of Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical JR.

Across its programs, Wharton Arts continues its mission of making high-quality performing arts education and experiences accessible to students, families, and communities.

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