New Jersey Symphony's SPRING INTO MUSIC GALA Set for Tonight

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra hosts its 2014 Spring into Music Gala tonight, April 26, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark. The event includes cocktails, dinner and a silent auction, followed by an NJSO POPS concert featuring a screening of The Wizard of Oz with live orchestral accompaniment. The gala's honorees are former Governor Brendan Byrne and his wife, Ruthi, in honor of the Governor's 90th birthday. Former Governors Richard J. Codey, James J. Florio, Thomas H. Kean and Christine Todd Whitman are honorary gala chairs.

NJSO Board of Trustees Co-Chairs Ruth Lipper and Stephen Sichak Jr. said: "Governor Brendan Byrne is a wonderful leader and true state treasure. He and his wife, Ruthi, have been tremendous friends to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and to the arts in our state. We are thrilled to honor Governor Byrne and Ruthi Byrne at our Spring into Music Gala in celebration of all they have given to New Jersey."

The Orchestra's third NJSO POPS concert of the season caps the evening. Conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos returns to the NJSO stage to lead the Orchestra in Harold Arlen's full score for The Wizard of Oz as the film screens in NJPAC's Prudential Hall.

All proceeds from the gala event will support the NJSO as it enriches lives through its artistic, music education and community engagement programs.

More information on the gala is available at www.njsymphony.org/spring. More information on the concert program is available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/the-wizard-oz-with-orchestra.

4:30 pm Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction

6 pm Dinner

8 pm The Wizard of Oz with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Dress Code: Cocktail Attire

Parking: Complimentary valet parking will be provided for all gala attendees

EVENT TICKETS & SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES:

Event Ticket - $1,250

Admission for one to the cocktail reception, silent auction, dinner and performance. Includes a $950 tax-deductible donation.

Over the Rainbow Sponsor - $10,000

An invitation for four guests; preferred seating for the concert; special recognition as an Over the Rainbow Sponsor on event materials; a full-page color ad prominently placed in the event journal; your company and logo featured on the NJSO and online auction websites. Includes an $8,800 tax-deductible donation.

Emerald City Sponsor - $15,000

An invitation for six guests; preferred seating for the concert; special recognition as an Emerald City Sponsor on event materials; a full-page color ad prominently placed in the event journal; your company and logo featured on the NJSO and auction websites. Includes a $13,200 tax-deductible donation.

Road to Oz Sponsor - $25,000

An invitation for 10 guests (one table); preferred seating for the concert; prominent recognition as a Road to Oz Sponsor on event materials; premier placement of a full-page color ad in the event journal; your company and logo featured on the NJSO and auction websites. Includes a $22,000 tax-deductible donation.

Gala ticket and package reservations and payments are due by Wednesday, April 2. For more information, contact Alice Golembo, Senior Manager of Special Events, at agolembo@njsymphony.org or 973.735.1729.

Concert Tickets - starting at $20

Concert tickets for The Wizard of Oz with live orchestral accompaniment start at $20 and are available for purchase online at www.njsymphony.org or by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476). In addition to the April 26 performance at 8 pm at NJPAC, the NJSO presents The Wizard of Oz on Sunday, April 27, at 3 pm at the State Theatre in New Brunswick in collaboration with the theater. Additional concert information is available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/the- wizard-oz-with-orchestra.

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 the three-ensemble Greater Newark Youth Orchestras, school-time Concerts for Young People performances and multiple initiatives that provide and promote in-school instrumental instruction. The NJSO's Resources for Education and Community Harmony (REACH) 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.