originally published: 01/29/2026
Matthew Whitaker
(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- On Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 2:30pm, the New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) will present Sound Beyond Sight, an inspiring Black History Month concert celebrating resilience, artistry, and inclusion, at the Sieminski Theater, located on the campus of Fellowship Village.
Led by Helen H. Cha-Pyo, the NJYS Youth Symphony will welcome internationally acclaimed pianist Matthew Whitaker as guest artist. The program features George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue alongside the New Jersey premiere of Electric Beauty by Quinn Mason, one of today's most compelling young American composers.
Blind since birth, GRAMMY-nominated Whitaker is a powerful advocate for accessibility in the arts. His appearance underscores the concert's broader mission of highlighting organizations that support individuals with visual impairments, including The Seeing Eye and Bella Music Foundation for the Blind.
Said Artistic Director & Principal Conductor Helen Cha-Pyo, "This concert represents everything we believe music can be—collaborative, inclusive, and deeply human. Our partnership with the Sieminski Theater allows us to co-present a concert that brings an extraordinary artist like Matthew Whitaker to our community, while also amplifying the powerful voice of a brilliant young composer, Quinn Mason. To unite these artists alongside organizations that support individuals who are visually impaired is truly meaningful. It is my hope that this concert goes far beyond an exciting performance and shows how music can connect people across lived experiences, creating space for empathy, inspiration, and shared understanding."
Tickets are $26 Adults, $21 Students & Seniors and available at WhartonArts.org. Sieminski Theater is located at 8000 Fellowship Road in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
Sound Beyond Sight is co-presented by Wharton Arts and the Sieminski Theater at Fellowship Village and reflects Wharton Arts' ongoing commitment to artistic excellence, community engagement, and inclusive programming.
Jazz pianist, composer, and music advocate Matthew Whitaker will be honored with Wharton Arts' Trailblazer Award at the upcoming "Arise to the Occasion Gala" on Friday, April 17, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Morristown, 3 Speedwell Avenue in Morristown. Whitaker has captivated audiences worldwide with his virtuosic keyboard and organ performances, appearing on major platforms including Showtime at the Apollo, The Today Show, Ellen, and 60 Minutes.
A versatile artist, Matthew has scored the Emmy-nominated documentary About Tomorrow, composed music for films such as Starkeisha, and created works for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company's 2024–2025 season. A true musical trailblazer, he has collaborated with renowned artists including Jon Batiste, Christian McBride, Derrick Hodge, Regina Carter, and Anderson .Paak. He has performed with symphonies worldwide, including the Aspen Chamber Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada, and has composed for the 82-piece Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra. His fourth album, On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute (2024), received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Jazz Album in 2025, honoring the Hammond B-3 pioneers who shaped his sound.
The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS), a program of Wharton Arts, is one of the region's premier youth orchestral programs, providing advanced musical training and performance opportunities for talented young musicians from across New Jersey. Through rigorous rehearsal, exceptional repertoire, and collaborations with distinguished guest artists, NJYS fosters artistic excellence, leadership, and a lifelong appreciation for music. The Symphony regularly presents innovative and meaningful programs that connect classical music to community, culture, and social impact.
Wharton Arts' mission is to offer accessible, high quality performing arts education that sparks personal growth and builds inclusive communities. Wharton Arts' vision is for a transformative performing arts education in an inclusive community to be accessible for everyone.
Wharton Arts is New Jersey's largest independent non-profit community performing arts education center serving over 2,000 students through a range of classes and ensembles. The 5 ensembles of the New Jersey Youth Chorus, an auditioned choral ensemble program for students in grades 3–12, encourage a love and appreciation of choral music while nurturing personal growth and creative development. The 15 ensembles of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, which serve nearly 600 students in grades 3–12 by audition, inspire young people to achieve musical excellence through high-level ensemble training and performance opportunities.
Based in Paterson, the Paterson Music Project is an El Sistema-inspired program of Wharton Arts that uses music education as a vehicle for social action by empowering and inspiring young people to achieve their full potential through the community experience of ensemble learning and playing. From Pathways classes for young children to Lifelong Learning programs for adults, the Wharton Performing Arts School has a robust musical theater and drama program and offers both private and group classes for instruments and voice for all ages and all abilities. With the belief in the positive and unifying influence of music and that performing arts education should be accessible to all people regardless of their ability to pay, Wharton Arts offers need-based scholarships.
Wharton Arts is located in Berkeley Heights, New Providence, and Paterson, NJ and reaches students from 12 counties. All of Wharton Arts' extraordinary teaching artists, faculty members, and conductors hold degrees in their teaching specialty and have been vetted and trained to enable our students to achieve their personal best.
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