New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Students from El Sistema New Jersey Alliance to participate in Seminario with Gustavo Dudamel

originally published: 03/26/2019


(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Gustavo Dudamel, one of the world’s most famous conductors, is ending his season-long residency at Princeton University—and on April 28, more than 300 children from cities across New Jersey and beyond will converge on campus to give him a big musical “goodbye and thank you!” 

The children are students in intensive ensemble music learning programs known as “El Sistema-inspired,” after a model launched decades ago in Venezuela; Dudamel himself is a product of one such program. At the April gathering, an all-day seminario, students from 10 programs across the region will celebrate the power of musical ensemble by rehearsing, singing, drumming, and folk dancing together. The day will culminate with a joint concert at Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall at 3:00pm.

The students include members of the seven programs of the El Sistema New Jersey Alliance, the first statewide network of El Sistema programs in the United States. It includes NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project) in Newark; the Paterson Music Project; Sister Cities GirlChoir (Camden); Sonic Explorations: Sharing Sounds of Oakwood (Orange); Union City Music Project; Trenton Music Makers, and Keys 2 Success (Newark). Students from other El Sistema programs, including New York’s Harmony Program; Philadelphia’s Play On, Philly!, and the D’Addario Foundation’s Ascenté Chamber Orchestra in Copiague, NY, will also be participating.

El Sistema-inspired music education now reaches almost a million children in 65 countries across the world, with 130 programs launched in the US in the past decade.

Tricia Tunstall, a New Jersey music educator and the author of two books about the El Sistema movement, Changing Lives and Playing for Their Lives, says: “El Sistema music learning is all about inclusion, teamwork and joy. The idea is that making music together, intensively and collaboratively, can empower children and youth to make positive choices in their lives. And there’s growing evidence to show that it works!”




Follow New Jersey Stage on social media
Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky



 The Princeton Seminario is co-sponsored by the El Sistema New Jersey Alliance and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. The El Sistema New Jersey Alliance is supported by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the D’Addario Foundation.



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Bria

Bria Skonberg

Thursday, July 17, 2025 @ 7:30pm
The Morris Museum Back Deck
6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

KC

KC and the Sunshine Band

Thursday, July 17, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

The

The Hit Men: The Ultimate Rock Concert

Thursday, July 17, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Jax

Jax Hollow

Saturday, July 19, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

A

A Night of Worship with Bishop William Murphy - Live in Concert!

Saturday, July 19, 2025 @ 7:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Bergen

Bergen County Parks Department presents Music At The Barn

(PARK RIDGE, NJ) -- Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco and the Board of Commissioners invite the public to attend a free music concert featuring The Matt Chertkoff Trio and Houston Person on Sunday, July 27 from 4:00pm – 6:30pm at the Wortendyke Barn Museum, a County Historic Site (13 Pascack Rd, Park Ridge). This is the first concert in the 2025 music series.



71st

71st Annual Choir Festival: The Light of Life to Take Place on Saturday

(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association joyfully presents the 71st Annual Choir Festival: The Light of Life on Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 7:00pm. Set within the soaring arches of the historic Great Auditorium—an awe-inspiring 6,500-seat space revered as a sacred ground for worship and music—this beloved summer tradition gathers hundreds of singers for a night of profound praise.



MPAC

MPAC presents The Hit Men: The Ultimate Rock Concert on Thursday

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Limited tickets remain for The Hit Men: The Ultimate Rock Concert at Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Thursday, July 17, 2025. Showtime is 7:30pm.



Lizzie

Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Jax Hollow on Saturday

(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Jax Hollow on Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 7:30pm. In a city teeming with some of the world's most talented entertainers, Nashville's Jax Hollow has emerged as a rare triple threat—a nuanced and hard-hitting songwriter, a powerhouse vocalist, and a world-class guitarist. She's a true embodiment of the Music City Trifecta.



Human

Human Wheels (Mellencamp Tribute Band) to Perform at Drew University

(MADISON, NJ) -- Human Wheels, the premier John Mellencamp tribute band, will perform at the Concert Hall at Drew University on Saturday, September 13, 2025 at 8:00pm.