NJSO Youth Orchestras to Give Winter Performances

Audiences can experience the inspiring talent of the NJSO Youth Orchestras in a pair of upcoming featured performances in Newark. On Saturday, December 2, at 3 pm, the youth orchestra family's four ensembles give a winter concert at Science Park High School. On the eve of the NJSO Youth Orchestras concert, the Academy Orchestra takes center stage at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center to open the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra's December 1 program at 8 pm.

The December 2 winter concert, presented by M&T Bank, showcases the Academy Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, String Ensemble and Training Ensemble.

The Academy Orchestra (AO) performs under the baton of NJSO Youth Orchestras Interim Artistic Director José Luis Domínguez. AO will perform Shostakovich's Festive Overture, Berceuse and Finale from Stravinsky's The Firebird Suite and the Finale of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony. Chamber Orchestra (CO) conductor Henry Kao, an NJSO violist, leads the Chamber Orchestra in the Allegro from Vivaldi's Concerto for Four Violins and Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik.

The String Ensemble (SE), led by NJSO first violinist Naomi Youngstein, performs "Allelujah" from Mozart's Exsultate, jubilate and Newbold's "Blue-Fire Fiddler."

Domínguez leads the Training Ensemble (TE)-one of the two programs that comprise the Music Advancement for Newark-area Youth (MANY) partnership between NJPAC and the NJSO-in "Carol of the Bells," "Jingle Bells," the Icelandic folk song "Olaf and the Elf Maiden" and Newbold's "Appalachian Hymn" and "Gaelic Castle."

"As our customers and neighbors throughout New Jersey get busy with their holiday shopping and other year-end business, we hope many will take the time to pause and enjoy the performances of these fine young musicians. M&T Bank is proud to provide the support to help present these concerts to our community," says Noel Carroll, Senior Vice President for Retail Banking in New Jersey for M&T.

Domínguez says: "Our ensembles are rising to the challenge of these highly virtuosic works. These wonderful young musicians will be 'full throttle'!"

All tickets for the December 2 NJSO Youth Orchestras winter concert are $15 and are available for purchase by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476). Learn more at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/njso-youth-orchestras-winter-concert-1.

The Academy Orchestra-the top ensemble of the NJSO Youth Orchestras family-opens the NJSO's December 1 concert at 8 pm with a showcase performance of Shostakovich's Festive Overture under Domínguez's baton.

Tickets for the December 1 concert start at $20 and are available for purchase by phone or online at www.njsymphony.org. Full program information is available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/hough-plays-rachmaninoff.

NJSO YOUTH ORCHESTRAS

Part of the NJSO Academy

The NJSO Youth Orchestras give qualified middle- and high-school students-especially African-American and Latino youth in the Greater Newark area-unparalleled opportunities to achieve personal and musical excellence. Coaching by NJSO musicians and a supportive peer-to-peer environment provide quality learning and performing experiences and build a unique culture of collaboration. The achievements of this program and its impact on the lives of these young musicians have received national recognition from the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

Four distinct ensembles-the Academy Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, String Ensemble and Training Ensemble-perform two full concerts each year and participate in masterclasses and workshops with renowned guest artists. In addition, the Training Ensemble offers joint instructional and performance opportunities with its sister program, the NJPAC Symphonic Band. Through this partnership (known as Music Advancement for Newark-area Youth, or MANY), the two organizations lay the foundation for students' membership in their more advanced ensembles.

The NJSO Youth Orchestras annually serve more than 200 students from 11 counties across northern and central New Jersey.

Students who play orchestral instruments can apply for membership in the NJSO Youth Orchestras. For more information, visit www.njsymphony.org/youthorchestras.

MUSIC ADVANCEMENT FOR NEWARK AREA YOUTH (MANY)

A partnership designed to provide students in the Newark area with high-quality instrumental music instruction

Initiated by two of New Jersey's premier performing arts organizations-New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO)-MANY offers programs for beginning and experienced instrumental music students alike.

Participants study string, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments to develop musical and instrumental proficiency while building leadership skills. MANY also aims to prepare young instrumentalists for acceptance into performance-based educational programs within the community, including the Arts High School Orchestra and Concert Band, Newark School of the Arts, NJPAC Brick City Jazz Orchestra, Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens program and NJSO Youth Orchestras.

Annually serving more than 100 students, MANY bridges two programs: the NJPAC Symphonic Band and the NJSO Training Ensemble. The NJPAC Symphonic Band, for grades 5-8, is designed for students with little or no prior instrumental experience and provides a musical foundation in woodwinds, brass and percussion. The NJSO Training Ensemble, for grades 5-10, provides intensive musical instruction and leadership development to advanced beginner and intermediate string students.

Lawrence Liggins directs the NJPAC Symphonic Band; José Luis Domínguez directs the NJSO Training Ensemble.

NJSO ACADEMY

Through the education programs that comprise the NJSO Academy, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra provides intensive coaching and instruction for musicians of all ages. The lauded youth orchestra program, El Sistema-modeled NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project), NJSO Edward T. Cone Composition Institute, NJSO Coach-in-Residence Program and customized in-school clinics and master classes create participatory learning environments across the state that foster meaningful connections with live music.

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.

Music Director Xian Zhang-a "dynamic podium presence" The New York Times has praised for her "technical abilities, musicianship and maturity"-continues her acclaimed leadership of the NJSO. The Orchestra 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 State Theatre New Jersey 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 school-time Concerts for Young People, NJSO Youth Orchestras family of student ensembles and El Sistema-inspired NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project). NJSO musicians annually perform original chamber music programs at community events in a variety of settings statewide.

For more information about the NJSO, visit www.njsymphony.org or email information@njsymphony.org. Tickets are available for purchase by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or on the Orchestra's website.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra's programs are made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, along with many other foundations, corporations and individual donors.