(NEWARK, NJ) -- Broadway and television star Megan Hilty headlines a Valentine’s weekend NJSO POPS program February 12-14 in Red Bank, Newark and New Brunswick. Hilty, currently starring as Brooke Ashton in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Noises Off, sings favorites from Broadway musicals and the American Songbook. Todd Ellison conducts.
Performances take place on Friday, February 12, at 8 pm at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank; Saturday, February 13, at 8 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark and Sunday, February 14, at 3 pm at the State Theatre in New Brunswick. The February 14 performance is presented in collaboration with the State Theatre.
Hilty - who made her sold-out Carnegie Hall debut with the New York Pops in 2013 - has garnered critical acclaim. Praising her performance in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The New York Times writes: “By the time Ms. Hilty finished her third encore of [‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’], the audience had all but bloodied its hands from clapping. And had there been Olympic judges among us, they would each and every one have turned up a card reading ‘10.’”
She previously had starring roles in “Smash,” Wicked and 9 to 5: The Musical; The Daily Beast dubbed her a “burgeoning blonde bombshell.”
NJSO Accent festivities begin one hour before the February 13 and 14 concerts. The Michael Arenella Sextet will provide music for dancing before the February 13 concert at NJPAC; patrons can join a sing-along of love songs before the February 14 concert at the State Theatre. Additional information about this season’s NJSO Accent events is available at www.njsymphony.org/accents.
The February 12 performance at the Count Basie Theatre is the Orchestra’s first NJSO POPS concert at the Red Bank venue; the NJSO presents a second pops concert—featuring Broadway and television star Cheyenne Jackson in a program featuring music of the “Mad Men” era—at the Count Basie Theatre on April 15. Full series information is available at www.njsymphony.org/pops.
Tickets start at $20 and are available for purchase online at www.njsymphony.org, by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or in person. The NJSO Patron Services and Sales office is located at 60 Park Place, 9th floor, in Newark; tickets are available by phone or in person Monday–Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.
Tickets for the February 14 performance are also available from the State Theatre ticket office online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org, by phone at 732.246.SHOW (7469) or in person. The State Theatre ticket office is located at 15 Livingston Ave in New Brunswick—hours are Monday–Friday, 10 am to 6 pm; Saturday, 1 to 5 pm, and at least three hours prior to curtain on performance dates unless otherwise specified.
Symphony Sweethearts
Treat your sweetheart to something special! Surprise your valentine with gifts of a beautiful rose and a delicious chocolate sampler for just $14 more. The rose and chocolates will be available for pick-up in the lobby beginning one hour before the performance.
THE PROGRAM
Valentine’s Day with Megan Hilty and the NJSO
Friday, February 12, at 8 pm | Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
Saturday, February 13, at 8 pm | NJPAC in Newark
Sunday, February 14, at 3 pm | State Theatre in New Brunswick
Megan Hilty, vocalist
Todd Ellison, conductor
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Northern Trust generously sponsors the February 12 concert. The February 14 performance is presented in collaboration with the State Theatre.
Full program information is available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/valentines-day-with-megan-hilty-and-the-njso.
NJSO ACCENTS
Designed to inspire audiences, NJSO Accents are pre- or post-concert events that complement the concert experience and provide audience members with more opportunities to personally connect with the music and music makers.
Pre-Concert Festivities—Sat, Feb 13, and Sun, Feb 14, before the concert
Arrive an hour before the concert starts and enjoy pre-concert entertainment and activities.
Learn more at www.njsymphony.org/accents.
NJSO Accents in Newark are generously sponsored by the Prudential Foundation.
THE ARTISTS
Megan Hilty, vocalist
Broadway performer and television actress Megan Hilty has had a fast ride to the top. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon with a degree in theater, she immediately landed the understudy role of Glinda in Wicked on Broadway, later performing the role on Broadway, the national tour and in the Los Angeles production. She was nominated for Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and Ovation Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Doralee in 9 to 5: The Musical.
In 2011, Hilty joined the cast of NBC’s “Smash” as Ivy Lynn, an actress desperate to land the lead in a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe. During the hiatus between the show’s first and second seasons, Hilty starred in the New York City Center Encores production of Gentleman Prefer Blondes, earning stellar notices.
Since then, she starred in NBC’s sitcom “Sean Saves the World” opposite her “Smash” co-star Sean Hayes. This year, she joins the second season of “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce” and returns to Broadway starring as Brooke Ashton in the Broadway revival of Noises Off.
Hilty regularly performs with orchestras and symphonies across the country. Her solo show—including her sold-out Carnegie Hall debut—has received critical acclaim. Her solo album, “It Happens All the Time,” is available on Sony Records.
Todd Ellison, conductor
One of the most accomplished and sought-after music directors working today, Todd Ellison is currently music supervisor and conductor of the new Broadway production of An American in Paris, which has been nominated for 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. His credits include Annie, Monty Python’s Spamalot (Tony Award, Best Musical), La Cage aux Folles (Tony Award, Best Musical Revival), 42nd Street (Tony Award, Best Revival), Elton John’s Lestat, Michel Legrand’s Amour, The Wild Party, On The Town, Once Upon a Mattress, How to Succeed, She Loves Me, Taller than a Dwarf and A Class Act.
Ellison was the music director of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at the famed Radio City Music Hall for several seasons. He has accompanied such stars as Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Barry Manilow, Tyne Daly, Bea Arthur, David Hyde Pierce, Tim Curry and Kelsey Grammar.
Born in Essex, Connecticut, Ellison began his piano lessons at age 6 and is a graduate of Boston University School of Music with a degree in piano performance.
THE 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.
Under the bold leadership of Music Director Jacques Lacombe, the NJSO 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 the State Theatre 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 performances and multiple offerings—including the NJSO Youth Orchestras family of student ensembles and El Sistema-inspired NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project)—that provide and promote in-school instrumental instruction as part of the NJSO Academy. The NJSO’s REACH (Resources for Education and Community Harmony) chamber music program annually brings original programs—designed and performed by NJSO musicians—to a variety of settings, reaching as many as 17,000 people in nearly all of New Jersey’s 21 counties.
For more information about the NJSO, visit www.njsymphony.org or email information@njsymphony.org. Tickets are available for purchase by phone 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or on the Orchestra’s website.
