New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Plainfield Symphony Orchestra Announces 100th Season

originally published: 05/30/2019


(PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- The Plainfield Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey’s oldest community orchestra has announced its 100th season. The 2019-2020 series will feature an American premiere of a noted work performed by its composer; internationally acclaimed soloists; and a repertoire that will draw from the Symphony’s celebrated past while looking to the future.

“Creating the centennial concert programs has been a true labor of love for me,” said Charles Prince, PSO’s music director. “PSO is actually a national treasure, and our rich history of talented performers and conductors offers many exciting highlights to bring in during this season.” Prince, an internationally acclaimed conductor, is celebrating his 11th season with PSO.

“Batik and Bartok” opens the season on Saturday, October 12, 2019, with Roland Batik as guest pianist. Batik, an Austrian pianist, composer, and jazz musician fuses classical elements with jazz. He will perform in the American premiere of his Piano Concerto No.1 Meditation on Peace. The program will also feature Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra.

November 23, 2019 will see the return of the annual Pops concert, always a standing room only event. This year PSO will ring in the holiday season with “Strauss Meets Sousa” on Saturday, November 23. The concert will feature selections from Strauss performed by international vocalists. “Strauss will pair nicely with John Phillips Sousa, who holds a high place in Plainfield history,” said Prince. “The first concert with the band he formed after leaving the United State Marine Corps was held in Plainfield in 1892, so we’re acknowledging that history with this concert.”

PSO’s annual Free Children’s Concert will be held on January 25, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. “Peter and the Wolf,” Prokofiev’s classic composition, will enthrall and educate young listeners. The performance will be narrated by a surprise celebrity guest. This free performance, PSO’s gift to the City of Plainfield, plays to an overflow crowd each year. 




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info



“Spring Festival – Brahms and Schumann” on March 21, 2020 highlights violinist Evelyn Estava, PSO’s concertmaster, with Brahms Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 and Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 in B flat Major, Op. 38, popularly known as “the Spring Symphony.”

The centennial season will conclude on April 25, 2020 with Mahler’s 2nd Symphony (The Resurrection Symphony). “I’ve wanted to conduct PSO in Mahler’s 2 nd Symphony for some time, and it’s fitting that it will crown the performances of this special season,” said Prince, who is noted for his Mahler interpretations. The performance will feature an accompanying chorus.

In addition to the musical highlights, the 2019-2020 season will include spectacular social events. “Plainfield Symphony Centennial Showcase” on September 21, 2019, PSO’s annual blacktie gala, will be held this year at the Plainfield Country Club. This year’s gala will feature the music of Peter Duchin and his Orchestra, a return performance for Duchin, who performed at PSO’s 65th anniversary celebration, also at the Plainfield Country Club, in 1966.

Saturday, December 7, 2019, is PSO’s annual Holiday Boutique, held this year at the Plainfield Country Club. The Boutique features exceptional exclusive vendors offering unique holiday gifts of jewelry and décor. This year’s boutique will offer brunch at PCC by reservation, making this a delightful day of shopping and socializing.

The 100th season will also feature concert after parties offering a full buffet supper in historic Plainfield private residences, a longstanding PSO tradition.

Concert and ticket information are available online at www.plainfieldsymphony.org or by phone (908) 561-5040. Subscriptions and individual tickets can be purchased online, by mail, and at the door. PSO performs in the sanctuary of historic Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church, 716 Watchung Avenue, Plainfield, NJ. All concerts begin at 7:00pm, except for the January Afternoon Family Concert, which begins at 3:00pm.

As New Jersey’s oldest community symphony and the third oldest continuously operating community symphony in the United States, the Plainfield Symphony Orchestra represents the highest standard in musical excellence in programs designed to educate and uplift local audiences. Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through a grant administered by the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info





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.


Early

Early Elton Trio

Thursday, June 19, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Trouble

Trouble Man: A Tribute to Marvin Gaye

Thursday, June 19, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Axelrod Performing Arts Center
100 Grant Avenue, Deal Park, NJ 07723
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Soul

Soul Project Nola

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

Click here for full event listing

 

Jazz

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Thursday, June 19, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Juneteenth

Juneteenth – The Soundtrack of Freedom

Friday, June 20, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Hamilton Stage at Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC)
360 Hamilton Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065
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

"Tracks

"Tracks II: The Lost Albums" Advance Listening Session at Monmouth University

(WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- You can join the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music for an advance listen to selections from Tracks II: The Lost Albums on Thursday, June 26, 2025 at Lauren K. Woods Theatre. The session will be moderated and curated by radio personalities Tom Cunningham and Rich Russo. It is free and open to the public, but registration is required. The event is expected to last about 2 hours.



Bergen

Bergen County presents 2nd Annual Star-Spangled Spectacular

(RIDGEFIELD PARK, NJ) -- County Executive Jim Tedesco, the County Board of Commissioners, and the County Parks Department are excited to announce the full schedule for Bergen County's 2nd Annual Star-Spangled Spectacular on July 4, 2025 in Overpeck County Park. Musical groups Super Trans Am, Glenn Roberts Country Band, and Tempo Alegre will take the stage ahead of a performance from the New Jersey Wind Symphony.



Add

Add It Up: Violent Femmes to Stack Their Hits During Fall 2025 Tour

(RED BANK, NJ) -- The trailblazing folk-punk band Violent Femmes have announced that they are bringing their genre-defying sound back to the stage with a highly anticipated North American Fall Tour. Locally, the band will perform at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank on Monday, October 6, 2025. Showtime is 8:00pm.



Middlesex

Middlesex County's FolkLIVE: Gospel Music Festival Returns with Headliners Fred Hammond and Kierra Sheard

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Get ready to experience an uplifting celebration of gospel music at Middlesex County’s second annual FolkLIVE: Gospel Music Festival, featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Fred Hammond and Grammy Award-nominated artist Kierra Sheard, along with a lineup of rising local talent on Saturday, June 28, 2025 at Monument Square Park. The event runs from 2:00pm–6:00pm and takes place rain or shine.  Admission is free.



Middlesex

Middlesex County hosts an Evening of Music with the New Jersey Symphony at Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

(SOUTH AMBOY, NJ) -- Experience the sounds of the New Jersey Symphony under the stars at Raritan Bay Waterfront Park on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 from 6:00pm–9:30pm. This family-friendly event is open to the public.