New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Presents Grieg's Piano Concerto with Stewart Goodyear

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents Grieg's Piano Concerto with pianist Stewart Goodyear,October 6-9 in Newark, Princeton, Red Bank and New Brunswick. Conductor Gemma New returns to the NJSO podium to lead a program of works by fathers of nationalistic music that includes Sibelius' Second Symphony and Lilburn's Aotearoa Overture.

Performances take place on Thursday, October 6, at 1:30 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark; Friday, October 7, at8 pm at the Richardson Auditorium in Princeton; Saturday, October 8, at 8 pm at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank and Sunday, October 9, at 3 pm at the State Theatre in New Brunswick.

The Huffington Post has praised Goodyear's interpretation of Grieg's masterwork; reviewing his 2014 performance of the concerto "spectacular" and writing, "[his] daunting technique is immediately engaging, the arc of his musical expression is spellbinding."

Goodyear told the outlet that this concerto is one of the works "'that inspired me to become a concert pianist ... I hear a very rustic quality in the Grieg concerto. It is filled with pride, a true celebration of where the composer came from. I hear the festivals, I hear the Halling and the Springar dances in the third movement. Both are very athletic and it's the men who get to improvise their moves. So, with those runs on the piano, I'm seeing the dance and the athleticism.'"

The pianist says he looks forward to returning to the NJSO, with whom he has appeared multiple times since making his NJSO debut in the 1996-97 season: "Every performance is a new experience-each hall's acoustics give the music [its own] sound, and the audiences are different. It's always exciting, always new, always fresh."

New, the NJSO's former associate conductor, returns to the Orchestra for the first time since assuming the role of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's resident conductor. An NJSO audience favorite, she received critical recognition and artistic honors during her NJSO tenure, from being hailed as a "top woman conductor on the rise" by WQXR to securing a prestigious Dudamel Fellowship with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. New has won acclaim for her leadership as music director of the Hamilton Philharmonic; The Toronto Star praises her "warmth and artistry on stage."

The program opens with a work from New's homeland. Lilburn is considered the father of New Zealand music; the Aotearoa Overtureevokes the country's coastline and takes its title from the Maori word for New Zealand. The program closes with Sibelius' Second Symphony, often connected to Finland's struggle for independence.

NJSO Accent events include "Kiwi Notes" artist talkbacks following the October 8 and 9 concerts. Radio personality Naomi Lewin chats with Kiwi-born conductor New about the music of New Zealand, from indigenous to classical.

Tickets start at $20 and are available for purchase online at www.njsymphony.org or by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476).