Photo by Love Imagery
New Jersey Symphony kicks off its summer season with its annual summer outdoor concert series which brings a fun-filled orchestral program to locations around the state. This summer's program features selections from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Overture to the The Magic Flute, Gioachino Rossini's Overture to William Tell, a celebration of Duke Ellington's music, highlights from the Broadway show Wicked, and patriotic favorites. New Jersey Symphony Colton Conducting Fellow Gregory D. McDaniel conducts.
The concerts in Red Bank, Toms River, South Amboy, Newark and Jersey City are free to attend, thanks to generous support from local and county governments, as well as cultural arts organizations. The concert in Madison is part of Morris Arts’ annual fundraiser, the Giralda Music & Arts Festival, with tickets going on sale in early May.
New Jersey Symphony summer outdoor concerts 2025
Wednesday, June 18 at 7:00pm - Marine Park in Red Bank, part of the North2Shore Festival
Saturday, June 21 at 6:00pm - Giralda Farms in Madison
Tuesday, June 24 at 8:00pm - Ocean County College in Toms River
Wednesday, June 25 at 7:30pm - Raritan Bay Waterfront Park in South Amboy
Friday, June 27 at 7:30pm - Branch Brook Park in Newark, part of the North2Shore Festival
Sunday, June 29 at 7:30pm - Liberty State Park in Jersey City
Program includes:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Overture to The Magic Flute
Florence Price “Silk Hat and a Walking Cane” from Dances in the Canebrakes
Béla Bartók Romanian Folk Dances
Gioachino Rossini Overture to William Tell
Richard Rodgers Carousel Waltz
Duke Ellington / arr. Custer Duke Ellington!
Various Composers / arr. Ricketts Satchmo!
Stephen Schwartz / arr. Ricketts Highlights from Wicked
Various Composers / arr. Lowden Armed Forces Salute
Classical Favorites: Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and More! Wednesday, July 9 at 7:00pm, NJPAC in Newark, Victoria Theater. Free admission with registration. Experience highlights of the Symphony’s upcoming season featuring works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Ludwig van Beethoven. Conducted by the Symphony’s Colton Conducting Fellow, Gregory D. McDaniel, the program will feature pieces from the upcoming season, including Fauré’s Pavane, Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, and Sibelius’ Finlandia. This concert is free with registration, available on the Symphony’s website at njsymphony.org.
How to Train Your Dragon in Concert | Friday, July 11, Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown; Saturday, July 12, State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick; Sunday, July 13, NJPAC in Newark. A winner with audiences and critics alike, DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon is a captivating and original story that combines humor, fire-breathing action and epic adventure! Hiccup is a young Viking who defies tradition when he befriends one of his deadliest foes—a ferocious dragon he calls Toothless. Together, these unlikely heroes must fight against all odds to save both their worlds.
How to Train Your Dragon in Concert features this acclaimed film presented in HD, with composer John Powell’s Academy Award-nominated score performed live to picture by the New Jersey Symphony in a thrilling experience for all ages.
Tickets are available at njsymphony.org.
New Scores: The Cone Composition Institute Concert - Saturday, July 19 at 8:00pm, Richardson Auditorium in Princeton. The Symphony, in partnership with the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute, will present its annual performance New Scores: The Cone Composition Institute Concert, with Christopher Rountree conducting the New Jersey Symphony, performing the works of four emerging composers:
Claire Cope Agita
Max Eidinoff Kairosclerosis
Hannah Ishizaki Fractured Transformations
Nicole Knorr as the garden bows
Institute Director Steven Mackey will also present his work Tonic on the program.
Tickets are $25 and available for purchase at njsymphony.org.
New Jersey Symphony is a GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning orchestra. Under the direction of Music Director Xian Zhang, the Symphony performs more than 55 mainstage concerts across the state at venues in Newark, Princeton, New Brunswick, Red Bank, and Morristown, as well as at schools and public spaces statewide. Programming at the Symphony reflects an unwavering commitment to diverse communities throughout the state, while providing students unparalleled opportunities to achieve musical excellence through its Youth Orchestra and other education programs. In 2024, the Symphony announced it would continue to deliver its statewide activities from a new, permanent office, rehearsal, and concert space in Jersey City, set to open in 2026.
