originally published: 12/13/2024
(WESTFIELD, NJ) -- A Westfield tradition returns Tuesday, December 31, 2024 with the New Jersey Festival Orchestra's New Year’s Eve performance "Broadway Through the Ages," and with a new start time of 5.00pm.
The family-friendly, cabaret-style revue of American musical theater song and dance will feature the professional orchestra under the baton of David Wroe. Joining them is a trio of renowned guest vocalists (Paige Faure, Christina Maxwell, and Matthew Scott) direct from the Broadway stage and beyond as well as dancers from Dance Theatre of Harlem.
“This year’s intergenerational program reads like a Who's Who of the best of Broadway,” remarked NJFO Music Director David Wroe, “It’s eclectic, dynamic and a grand retrospective of the some of the choice song and dance numbers from The Great White Way. And we’re all thrilled to partner with a team of superb singers and dancers.”
Paige Faure (shown above), who many will remember performing to great acclaim on New Year’s Eve last year and at NJFO’s summer show Back to Broadway, is back by popular demand. Ms. Faure was last seen on Broadway in the Tony-nominated revival of “Miss Saigon”. Other Broadway credits include Woody Allen and Susan Stroman’s “Bullets Over Broadway”, the revival of “How to Succeed in Business...” featuring Daniel Radcliffe, and starring in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” as Cinderella, both on Broadway and on the National Tour.
New York City-based singer and actress Christina Maxwell (shown above) is a rising international star. Maxwell has performed in concert across the globe, including with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City and at the United Nations’ Annual Commission on the Status of Women, as well as alongside Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito in Italy and in solo performances in Paris, Tokyo, and Kyoto. On the Broadway scene, Maxwell was awarded the New York Musical Festival’s award for “Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role” as Laura Evans in Sonata 1962, and she appeared as Deanna Durbin and Judy Garland U/S in the Papermill Playhouse production of Chasing Rainbows.
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Matthew Scott (shown below) made his Broadway debut as a swing in the original company of Jersey Boys, a show he performed in for two years. He starred on Broadway as Adam Hochberg in An American in Paris and Sondheim On Sondheim opposite Barbara Cook and Vanessa Williams. He also appeared in A Catered Affair, and Bess Wohl’s Tony Nominated play Grand Horizons. Matt is featured in the star-studded PBS Special First You Dream: The Music Of Kander & Ebb.
“I am thrilled to partner with such a talented team of singers,” continued Wroe. “This celebration concert is an exploration of the art of the popular song and how Broadway has imprinted in our minds melodies that we might not immediately know where they come from, but instantly recognize and, irresistibly, want to hum. Be ready for favorites from Jersey Boys, Sondheim, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Sinatra and even more.”
The music will be punctuated with performances by dancers from Dance Theater of Harlem.
“The Dancers from Dance Theater of Harlem are classically trained ballet dancers,” said Wroe, “yet their choreographer, Derek Brockington, masterfully mirrors the style of the music he and the dancers are charged to dance to.
“It’s nice to dance to songs that have this great storytelling aspect to them, which often comes along with musicals. The music really drives a lot of my choreography and the musicality in my dancing,” says Derek Brockington, a dancer with the Dance Theatre of Harlem who also has choreographed and performed in previous New Year’s extravaganzas conducted by Maestro Woe and the New Jersey Festival Orchestra.
Derek Brockington, photo by Thiek Smith
“People want safe, familiar and uplifting events to bring in the New Year, and the NJ Festival Orchestra has built a tradition of being the place to be on this special night,” commented NJFO Board President Damien Dossin. “It also fits perfectly in people’s plans — the new start time of 5:00pm will give the 800-plus audience members plenty of time to head off to their final dinner or party after the show. The event is a highlight of the year for our community.”
The celebration concert has been made possible through the generous support of The New Jersey State Council on the Arts and The Westfield Foundation. The dancers from Dance Theatre of Harlem appear through the generous support of Jerome and Helene Dreskin.
If you go - The New Year’s Eve celebration concert will take place on Tuesday December 31 at Westfield High School auditorium (550 Dorian Road) in Westfield, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Tickets range from $45- $90, with a special discount price of only $25 for kids under 18. Tickets are available for purchase online or by calling 908-232-9400.
The New Jersey Festival Orchestra is a premier, fully professional, symphony orchestra. Founded in Westfield in 1983, NJ Festival Orchestra has grown to become one of New Jersey’s largest professional orchestras, having a presence throughout many cultural communities of New Jersey, and appearing as far afield as Carnegie Hall on a regular basis.
The name New Jersey Festival Orchestra reflects an ongoing celebration of the diversity of music and the creation of experiences that stretch the boundaries of traditional classical performances.
NJFO programs include classics from the orchestral repertory as well as offerings that showcase the fusion of fine arts and popular culture. This unique and dynamic approach to programming further brings classical music to life and creates an ongoing 'festival' of compelling presentations worthy of their name.
In addition to an adventurous subscription season, popular concerts near and far, and a rousing New Year’s Eve celebration, the New Jersey Festival Orchestra sponsors educational and music therapy programs throughout the state of New Jersey.
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