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New Jersey Symphony Orchestra announces outdoor parks concerts for August

(NEWARK, NJ) -- The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has announced a series of outdoor concerts featuring music from composers across the Americas, with José Luis Domínguez at the podium. The Orchestra performs free concerts at Ocean County College in Toms River (August 18 at 7:30pm) and Branch Brook Park in Newark (August 26 at 7:30pm), and it returns to the Giralda Music and Arts Festival in Madison (August 28 at 5:00pm).

The concert program features music by John Williams, Pedro Elías Gutiérrez, Oscar Lorenzo Fernández and the late New Jersey composer George Walker. Highlights include trailblazer Florence Price’s “Nimble Feet” from Dances in the Canebrakes, patriotic favorites and Aaron Copland’s “Saturday Night Waltz” from Rodeo.

The programs at Ocean County College and Branch Brook Park are free and open to the public.

The Giralda Music & Arts Festival, presented by Morris Arts, returns for its 37th year. The event features children’s activities, an art show, picnic contest and more. Tickets are available at morrisarts.org.

The NJSO continues to present chamber concerts by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players in the garden of The Newark Museum of Art in collaboration with the museum through August 14. Concertmaster Eric Wyrick curates a program of Mendelssohn and Coleridge-Taylor (July 13 at 7:00pm) and a program featuring Beethoven’s Septet and Krommer’s Octet Partita in F Major (July 21 at 7:00pm). Resident Artistic Catalyst Daniel Bernard Roumain curates a bold program in the “NJSO & DBR: Now, New and Next” series (August 11 at 7:00pm). Family concerts include Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf (July 31 at 10:00am) and an interactive children’s story-time program (August 14 at 10:00am). Tickets are available at njsymphony.org/museum.

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Rounding out the summer season, the Orchestra presents new music by the 2021 NJSO Edward T. Cone Composition Institute composers at NJPAC in Newark (July 24 at 8:00pm). Tickets are available at njsymphony.org/scores.

NJSO performances will follow safety measures in partnership with these venues and based on the guidance provided by the CDC and the State of New Jersey.

The July 7 and 21 Arts in the Garden performances are sponsored by the PSEG Foundation. Arts in the Garden is presented in partnership with The Newark Museum of Art. The August 18 performance is sponsored by PNC Bank, in partnership with Ocean County College. The August 26 performance is sponsored by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and the County of Essex; it is part of the 2021 Essex County Free Summer Music Series. The August 28 performance is presented by Morris Arts.

Bank of America is proud to support the NJSO Resident Artistic Catalyst. DBR as Resident Artistic Catalyst is made possible in part by Judith Musser.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra connects with the people and diverse communities of New Jersey through the power of live symphonic music to inspire, entertain and educate. Internationally renowned Music Director Xian Zhang has garnered critical acclaim on the podium and has deepened the NJSO’s commitment to presenting diverse voices that reflect the communities the Orchestra serves.

The NJSO embraces its legacy as a statewide orchestra through mainstage and chamber performances at venues across New Jersey, as well as partnerships with fellow Garden State arts organizations, universities and civic organizations. The Orchestra’s education and community engagement programs promote meaningful, lifelong engagement with live music.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NJSO has made virtual performances and educational online programs available for free, reaching more than 10 million people across the Orchestra’s digital channels. NJSO Concert Films pair world-class NJSO performances with stunning imagery of the people and cityscapes of New Jersey. The NJSO has presented innovative programs with fellow arts organizations, community ensembles and statewide partners. Musicians perform solo and chamber works from iconic New Jersey locations in NJSO Everywhere. NJSO at Home spotlights intimate at-home performances, instrument demonstrations, educational videos and hours of concert recordings. The Orchestra’s online hub for free musical content is njsymphony.org/virtual.

The NJSO Youth Orchestras have not only continued virtual instruction but have introduced an entirely new dimension to the program. Students are working together on a yearlong creative composition project—a uniquely engaging opportunity for students to explore their own musical voices and shape new works that draw from all the genres that inspire them.

The safety of our patrons, musicians and staff is of the utmost importance to the NJSO. Please visit njsymphony.org for constantly updated details focused on attendees’ well-being at our performances.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s programs are made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, along with many other foundations, corporations and individual donors.

Photos by Fred Stucker