In an email sent to subscribers on November 21st, the Garden State Philharmonic announced that it will be closing its doors on December 4, 2024. The orchestra performed concerts in three counties: Ocean, Monmouth, and Essex and was the "Orchestra in Residence" at Ocean County College. They will be missed.
The email stated, "The Garden State Philharmonic has had the pleasure of serving its audience for 68 years. None of our great work would have been made possible if it weren’t for each and every one of you. It has truly been a delight to deliver the symphonic sounds of the GSP to countless thousands in our community and throughout New Jersey. We can certainly say that the GSP has had a very grand run! It is with a heavy heart that we announce that the GSP has made the decision to close its doors effective December 4, 2024. We are extremely thankful for all of the extraordinary people that enabled the GSP to operate for almost seven decades. We will never forget all of the friends that we made along our journey. Our faithful followers played an integral part in our life. We are proud that we were the orchestra in residence at Ocean County College. We thank OCC and the OCC Foundation for their generous support. The GSP would also like to thank its audience members and past subscribers, present and past team members, Board of Directors, conductors, musicians, volunteers, partners, donors, funders, youth orchestra conductors, youth orchestra students, chorus members , community partners, and vendors for their steadfast support of this organization. Each and every one of you played a critical role in our success. We are proud of our work and we are grateful that you accompanied us on this fabulous journey. We extend our deep gratitude for multitudes of faithful individuals who truly went above and beyond to ensure our success. Once again, thank you. The memories that we made together will last a lifetime."
Comprised of professional musicians from New Jersey and New York, the mission of the Garden State Philharmonic was to present professional orchestral concerts of cultural and educational value and to foster related activities to encourage involvement in, and appreciation of, symphonic music. They presented a subscription series of professional orchestral concerts at the Grunin Center for the Arts, a concert series at Spring Lake Community Theatre, a yearly Messiah performance with the GSP Chorus, professional chamber music concerts, and recitals, and an open rehearsal series in Maplewood, NJ. Community engagement included a “Meet the Music” concert series for young people ages 6-12, a free Fourth of July Concert, Monmouth University’s Summer Music and Arts Festival participation, and 2 performances yearly of the Youth Orchestras and Youth Chorus. In addition, for the past seven years, the GSP has partnered with the Atlantic City Ballet for Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Ballet at the Strand Theater in Lakewood, NJ.
