Yo-Yo Ma, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and More to Perform at New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Upcoming performances will also feature an event with some of the most iconic film music of all time performed by The New Jersey Symphony.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Dec. 01, 2025
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center will welcome a lineup of world-class talent, including Yo-Yo Ma and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Audiences can also look forward to a celebration of iconic film music performed by the New Jersey Symphony, and more!
Sat 01.03 @ 8:00 p.m. HOLLYWOOD IN NEW JERSEY: David Newman & SEBASTIAN KNAUER with the NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY
New Jersey Symphony
Sebastian Knauer - piano
David Newman - conductor
Hooray for Hollywood! Hear some of the most iconic film music of all time performed by The New Jersey Symphony. Guest conductor and Oscar-nominated film composer David Newman carries on the legacy of his father, Alfred Newman, the golden-age composer of legendary film scores (and creator of the famous 20th Century Fox fanfare). Award-winning German pianist Sebastian Knauer joins the orchestra for an evening of silver-screen favorites. You'll hear music from a variety of composers, including the Newman family, who have amassed 13 Academy Awards and an incredible 93 nominations. A Beautiful Mind, Spartacus, The Robe, How the West Was Won, Basic Instinct - and more!
Sun 01.25 @ 3:00 p.m. (pre-show talk @ 2:00 p.m.) THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA with RAY CHEN, CONDUCTED by VASILY PETRENKO
Vasily Petrenko - conductor
Ray Chen - violin
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Celebrating its 80th anniversary this season, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra returns to NJPAC. Under the baton of the brilliant Vasily Petrenko, hear the UK's most in-demand orchestra perform Nielsen's Helios Overture, Sibelius's Symphony No. 2, and Tchaikovsky's blazing Violin Concerto featuring guest soloist Ray Chen. The Washington Post raves: "Ray Chen can do pretty much anything he wants on the violin." As well as a busy schedule of national and international performances, the Orchestra enjoys an annual season of concerts in London's Royal Albert Hall (where the RPO is Associate Orchestra), the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall and Cadogan Hall, where it recently celebrated its 20th Season as Resident Orchestra. The RPO was the first UK orchestra to launch its own record label achieving well over 50 million streams of its recorded music each year. The RPO is recognized as one of the world's most open-minded, forward-thinking and accessible symphony orchestras.
Free for ticketholders, Classical Overtures is a pre-show talk held an hour prior to the show in the Chase Room. It is an interactive presentation hosted by Maestro George Marriner Maull of New Jersey's Discovery Orchestra.
Thu 2.05 @ 7:30 p.m. YO-YO MA
Technical prowess and emotional depth combine to make Yo-Yo Ma endlessly watchable and listenable. A United Nations Messenger of Peace since 2006, he uses those extraordinary musical gifts to bring people together across nations and cultures, always reinforcing our shared humanity. Despite the grandeur of the venue, this solo performance promises to be particularly intimate, with a curated selection of his favorite pieces. Yo-Yo has recorded more than 120 albums, is the winner of 19 Grammy Awards, and has performed for nine American presidents, most recently on the occasion of President Biden's inauguration. He has received numerous awards, including the National Medal of the Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Birgit Nilsson Prize. He has been a UN Messenger of Peace since 2006, and was recognized as one of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
Videos