(MADISON, NJ) -- From traditional to pops, choral favorites, and Broadway classics, New Jersey Festival Orchestra’s (NJFO) holiday concerts promise to fill the entire family with warmth and cheer.
Under the baton of Maestro David Wroe, the orchestra will kick off the festive season with a bang and plenty of bling on Sunday, December 8, 2024 at Drew University in Madison as The Three Holiday Tenors return to present a family festival of traditional and contemporary holiday songs and music, renowned tenor fare and more.
“We cannot wait to celebrate this special time of year and are thrilled to welcome back The Three Holiday Tenors – each more talented than the next – to help us usher in holiday season,” said Wroe.
The concert features award winning tenors Chauncey Packer, Benjamin Werley, and Michael John Butler to celebrate and captivate with a dazzling selection of renowned tenor arias. Their performance of traditional carols, signature versions of familiar fare and a host of wintertime curiosities is also sure to delight.
Metropolitan Opera’s Chauncey Packer is an exciting and versatile talent on the stages of opera houses and concert halls in Europe and the United States. Most recently Mr. Packer returned to The Metropolitan Opera as Howard Boucher in the highly anticipated Dead Man Walking and reprised the role of Spinner in Fire Shut Up in Bones. He has also taken leading roles with opera companies throughout the United States including Nashville Opera, Mobile Opera, Pensacola Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Pacific, and New Orleans Opera and more.
Award-winning Pittsburgh native Benjamin Werley—praised as having a “gleaming, flexible tenor” (Opera News)—has performed with many of the country’s leading opera companies. Recent career highlights include Cavaradossi (Tosca – St. Pete Opera, Anchorage Opera), Vaudémont (Iolanta - Pacific Opera Project), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore - Dayton Opera), Narraboth (Salome – Dayton Opera), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni - Indianapolis Opera), Canio (Pagliacci - Salt Marsh Opera), and Alfredo (La Traviata - Cleveland Opera Theater) He has also been a soloist with leading US orchestras including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Dayton Philharmonic and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
Prize-winning American tenor, Michael John Butler, is poised to emerge as a major contender on the international opera scene. With a voice described as having a "bright, ringing quality throughout his range" and a "plush, resonant middle voice with vibrant high notes" (OperaWire), Butler, who has recently performed leading roles with Washington National Opera, Opera Baltimore and in Italy with Teatro Regio di Torino, continues to captivate audiences with his artistry and commanding stage presence.
“We believe there is something for everyone in this concert. Our holiday celebration is a vessel for children, parents, grandparents and friends – indeed the entire community – come together through festive music at this unique time of the year.”
The concert will take place on Sunday, December 8 at The Concert Hall at Drew University in Madison. Showtime is 3:00pm. For more information, or to purchase tickets go to www.njfestivalorchestra.org or call (908)-232 9400
Get ready for the New Year with NJFO!
NJFO’s quintessential New Year’s celebration is also back with “Broadway Through the Ages,” a superb revue of American song and dance showstoppers.
Audiences are invited to ring in the New Year and revel in the musical genius of America’s great composers, outstanding vocal performers, dazzling dance numbers and a world-class professional orchestra led by Maestro David Wroe.
A cabaret style event for the whole family, “Broadway Through the Ages,” promises a superb review of musical theatre classics presented in glorious symphonic splendor as renowned guest singers direct from the Broadway stage and dancers from Dance Theatre of Harlem join NJ Festival Orchestra to swing to favorites from America’s Great Songbook.
The celebrations are set for 5:00pm on Tuesday, December 31 at Westfield High School Auditorium, Westfield, and 2:30pm on Wednesday, January 1 at The Sieminsky Theater, Basking Ridge.
“There is much to celebrate this holiday season,” continued Wroe. “So gather your friends and family for a series of merry musical programs of song and dance for audiences of all ages!”
This seasonal stroll of timeless classics and sentimental favorites, sure to bring us back together with joy, smiles, and distinctive holiday memories, has been made possible in part by support from The NJ State Council on the Arts, The Westfield Foundation, The Summit Foundation and a Union County H.E.A.R.T grant.
For tickets and further information go to www.njfestivalorchestra.org or call 908 232 9400.
