NJSO presents Winter Festival Week I- America, Inspiring: Respighi & Prokofiev

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Music Director Xian Zhang conducts a pair of NJSO premieres in the first program of the 2018 Winter Festival, "America, Inspiring." The program-presented January 11-14 in Englewood, Newark and New Brunswick-features Chinese-American composer Chen Yi's Ge Xu and Respighi's Fountains of Rome.

In a nod to Zhang's own journey to America and New Jersey, she leads Respighi's Pines of Rome-a work she conducted in her first-ever performances with the NJSO in 2010. Chinese pianist George Li, the 22-year-old silver medalist of the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition, performs Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto.

Performances take place on Thursday, January 11, at 7:30 pm at bergenPAC in Englewood; Saturday, January 13, at 8 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark; and Sunday, January 14, at 3 pm at State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick.

The 2018 Winter Festival highlights the myriad ways America has inspired not only those who call it home but also those who have visited its welcoming shores. Leveraging the power of art to transcend differences, a series of NJSO Accents and special events further explore the immigrant experience and how foreign artists have illustrated American inspiration in their work.

NJSO Accent events during the Festival's first weekend include two post-concert talkbacks with NJSO musicians. On January 11, members of the Orchestra's international roster of musicians describe their own journeys to the United States and New Jersey. On January 14, Principal Bassoon Robert Wagner discusses the NJSO's efforts to reach out to the many diverse communities in the Garden State.

A pre-concert wine tasting on January 13 features wine and music expert Ron Merlino. Tickets for this Accent event are $15; reservations are required. More information is available at www.njsymphony.org/grapes.

For more information on the Winter Festival and related events, visit www.njsymphony.org/winterfestival.

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