Post date: Nov 7, 2015 8:01:28 PM

Jeffrey Koc performed as a violist with NJ Youth Symphony at New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on Nov. 23, 2014.

nj.com

New Jersey Youth Symphony performs Nov. 23 at New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark

Independent Press

The New Jersey Youth Symphony has one of the longest histories of any youth orchestra in the state, having been originally established in Summit in 1979.

A highly anticipated occasion will come to pass on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 3 p.m., with a 35th Anniversary concert featuring 450 students, 13 ensembles and 9 conductors appearing in one spectacular celebration at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center under the artistic direction of conductor Jeffrey Grogan.

The concert will kick off NJYS’s 35th Anniversary season and marks the second appearance of the nearly 500 members at NJPAC. The Finale to Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 and Marquez’s Danzon #2 will be performed, as well as Rossini’s iconic William Tell Overture and Bizet’s Pastorale and Farandole.

Tickets to the 35th Anniversary concert are $20, $35, $50, and $100 and available at www.NJPAC.org.

The following ensembles will perform at the concert:

• Preparatory Strings and Junior Strings, Michelle Hatcher, conductor

• Sinfonia String Orchestra, Kristi Geronimo, conductor

• Junior Wind Ensemble and Clarinet Ensemble, Bryan Ruderrow, conductor

• Philharmonia Orchestra, Mark Gunderman, conductor

• Flute Choir, Flute Forum and Fortissimo Flutes, Diana Charos Reilly, conductor

• Percussion Ensemble, Dr. Kenneth Piascik, conductor

• NJYS Jazz Combo, Dave Schumacher, director

• Youth Orchestra, Simon Lipskar, conductor

• Youth Symphony, Jeffrey Grogan, conductor

Jeffrey Grogan, NJYS artistic director and conductor, states: “Music can change lives, young or old, regardless of nationality, race, creed, or circumstances; it is the only truly global language. The symphony orchestra, and most notably the youth orchestra, is best empowered to carry this social responsibility and preserve the common ground that music creates in the human understanding for the next generation. As a celebration of 35 years of touching hearts in New Jersey, we are extremely proud to bring the New Jersey Youth Symphony to NJPAC—the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey.”

The complete NJYS 35th Anniversary season concert schedule is available at www.NJYS.org. Tickets may be purchased by calling 908-771-5544908-771-5544.

Wharton Music Center, where creativity and expression converge with exploration, provides a diverse range of classes and programs as New Jersey’s largest independent non-profit community performing arts center. Serving nearly 1,200 students with high quality instruction in all instruments and voice, musical theatre, drama, and dance, Wharton and its esteemed faculty of talented professionals offer instruction for beginners of all ages, as well as an in-depth, sequential course of study through its Achievement Program, and orchestral and ensemble training with the New Jersey Youth Symphony, its orchestral and ensemble affiliate. New Jersey Youth Symphony features fourteen ensembles, available by audition for students in grades 3 – 12. Its premiere ensemble, Youth Symphony, was awarded first place in the prestigious 2014 Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival and has appeared in such internationally renowned concert halls as Carnegie Hall in New York City and Musikverein in Vienna.

Innovative programming and over 500 classes taught weekly, from Early Childhood Music, music theory, and audio recording to Introduction to Instruments, ensures that there is something for all ages and interests.

Located in Berkeley Heights and New Providence, Wharton Music Center and New Jersey Youth Symphony serve students from thirteen counties.

For additional information, visit www.WhartonMusicCenter.org or call 908-790-0700908-790-0700.