New Jersey Symphony principal violinists Francine Storck and Eric Wyrick will be featured at concerts in Newark and Princeton.
The professional friendship between New Jersey Symphony principal violinists Francine Storck and Eric Wyrick goes back years. Decades, even. But who’s counting?
“We’re not going to say how many,” says Wyrick with a laugh.
Storck agrees. “It’s a richness of shared experiences,” she says, “but I can’t count the years.”
The natural fluency and sensitivity of the duo will take center stage in the Symphony’s “Xian Conducts Mozart” concerts, May 16 at The Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University, and May 17-18 at NJPAC in Newark
CHERYLYNN TSUSHIMA
XIAN ZHANG
Led by music director Xian Zhang, the program features strings-centric works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, J.S. Bach and Michael Abels, and spotlights the violin’s unique capabilities, from sustained and meaningful passages to whirling and captivating melodies.
“The Symphony has been quite consistent at really bringing out opportunities for players to have big roles,” Storck says. Her and Wyrick’s first-class bow work will be on display in Bach’s Double Concerto for Two Violins.
Wyrick, an active chamber musician outside of the Symphony, is alert to the collaborative and intimate concerto repertoire. In addition to the Bach piece, he has performed double concertos by Brahms, Mozart, Rósza, Bottesini, Mackey, Schnittke and Jofre throughout his career. (Spoiler alert: he’s going after Bach’s violin and oboe concerto next!)
“Playing a concerto every year with the Symphony, I’d much rather play with a colleague and put that relationship on display than just stand up and try to ‘star-power’ myself through it,” he says. “The collaboration aspect is really great because it is unique music, and it introduces the audience to a fun situation.”
They have played the piece together and with other Symphony colleagues many times around the state in more intimate settings, and are looking forward to revisiting it on the main stage. Storck says that although Bach is a name that audiences know, they may not realize that he isn’t often played by a large symphony orchestra. “We almost never play Bach, so that’s going to be a whole different palette and a whole different sound for them,” she says.
The three-movement work was modeled after Antonio Vivaldi’s Italian concerto style and shares many Italian-Baroque characteristics. A melodic cantilena in the middle section is perfectly balanced by the outer movements of brisk rhythms and thrilling counterpoint.
Will their interpretation highlight those Bachian qualities? They make it clear that they don’t use that word, “interpretation,” while creating a soundscape. To Storck, the process is more intangible and instinctive. “Performance of music is not so much of an intellectual pursuit,” she says. “You need to know a lot and you need to be very experienced. But ultimately, the musician’s question is, ‘Did it work?’ And you don’t always know that. You could have the best idea in the world, but when you try it, sometimes it just falls flat.
“All the great ideas need to be tested literally out loud. It’s music. It needs to happen ‘in sound’ and when you do it live, then you see, ‘Did it work?’ You change on the spot to find the adjustment that is going to work and that is going to be effective for the mood you’re trying to create.”
Wyrick says the artistic process at the Symphony leans heavily on communion and communication. They begin by practicing at home, coming up with some ideas, and then rehearse together to test it out. Zhang steps in and makes suggestions, and at the next rehearsal, they see what has developed.
“You bring in your ideas, listen to others, and you germinate,” Wyrick says. “And maybe something happens that’s completely different. … Interpretation is not somebody’s outline that they put down on paper and present it to you, and then you have to follow it exactly. … Interpretation is what comes from the interaction.”
He shares words of wisdom passed down from Zdeněk Mácal, the dynamic Czech maestro who hired him in 1998. Mácal, who served as the Symphony’s music director from 1992 to 2002 and who passed away in 2023, is remembered for expanding the Symphony’s repertoire and style during the 11 seasons he served.
“He told us, ‘You have to bring something to the rehearsal. You have to bring something to the table with your playing.’ We were trained to do that: to bring a point of view from the perspective of our individual part and to show the music director this is what we want to do. And then they can tell you to play less or play more, or whatever. But it’s interactive if you can show personality, and I think we do that very well. This orchestra is very proactive in that regard.”
ERIC SCHWABEL
MICHAEL ABELS
The Symphony’s strings sections and soloists will also feature prominently in Abels’ Delights and Dances (2007). The instrumentation calls for orchestral strings, which will be led by Storck and Wyrick from their respective chairs, and also includes a solo string quartet to be played by David Southorn (assistant concertmaster), Ming Yang (acting assistant principal second violin), Elzbieta Weyman (assistant principal viola) and Nayoung Baek (assistant principal cello).
Abels, best known for his film scores for Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and “Us,” has described his jazzy and bluegrass-toned piece as “a kind of diptych of American musical genres, one regarded as ‘Black’ and the other ‘White.’ ”
“It should be a really interesting piece,” Storck says. “It’s very collaborative. My personal part is rhythmic and definitely background, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how it all comes together.”
The work was commissioned by the Sphinx Organization for its 10th anniversary celebrating diversity in concert music, a theme that fits squarely into the Symphony’s longstanding philosophy of equity and inclusivity in the orchestral field. “It’s important to represent new composers of different backgrounds, so we’re very happy to do this,” Wyrick says. “It’s the service we’re doing, but it is also like an exploration. We can find many great pieces this way, to keep the canon expanding.”
Storck agrees. “I also think the Symphony has done a good job of programming new music in the sense that once upon a time, audiences were fairly afraid of new music, so I give credit to them for making those good choices.”
From new music to canonic staples … Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik and Symphony No. 35 exemplify the iconic Austrian composer’s youthful brilliance and sensitive heart. The popular pieces will be featured in these concerts as well as at a family-friendly matinee on May 17 at NJPAC called “A Music Discovery Zone: Discover Mozart & Bach.”
Modeled after Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts, the show, which will be hosted by Bill Barclay, will offer insider tips, listening cues and fun facts through projections and slides. “The opportunity to do the program four different times is just wonderful,” Storck says. “I think Xian is definitely going to be bringing that youthful energy of Mozart to the table.”
ANNAMARIA WITEK
The “Music Discovery” program will swap out Abels’ work with selections from Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1, featuring cellist Annamaria Witek, the Symphony’s 2024 Henry Lewis Concerto Competition winner. Zhang will share conducting duties with Gregory D. McDaniel, the Symphony’s 2024–25 Colton Conducting Fellow.
Eine Kleine (1787) is well known for its charming melodies and ebullient character. The serenade for strings in four movements, whose title translates to “A Little Night Music,” was written for a small ensemble to accommodate a lighthearted, outdoor performance.
The program will close with Mozart’s festive and ceremonial symphony, colloquially known as the “Haffner,” in reference to the prominent Salzburg family that commissioned the work in 1782. Its four bold movements are powered by leaping
scales and massive chords, from its grand opening to its quicksilver finale.
Storck says that out of Mozart’s many symphonies, the “Haffner” often comes up in an audition setting for violinists, “so it’s really fun to take that practice room experience, and have the ‘full orchestra fun’ of it, compared to once upon a time when you studied it so much.”
A love of symphonic playing was the impetus for her to become a professional musician. “After so much solo and chamber music that most violinists are initially drawn to, I just love the orchestra,” she says.
The Princeton native lives in Morris Plains with husband Jonathan Storck, a bassist in the Symphony; both are recipients of the Terhune Award, honoring musicians who have performed with the Symphony for 25 years. She joined the Symphony on first violin and played in the position for about 10 years before auditioning for and winning the principal second chair.
As violin section leaders, she and Wyrick have different team responsibilities, although there is some overlap. “If you think about it, principal players are like a core leadership team and we lead our respective sections,” Wyrick says. “But then the overall team, as the whole strings section … we have to be communicating across the stage and into the back, and it has to be really strong. We try to self-manage that the best we can.”
Storck explains that although every chair has a different personality, a section leader is someone who keeps a finger on the pulse. “We sort of take on the responsibility to put out what the different repertoire demands, and to be able to describe it should there be any questions.”
Her general role in the Dr. Merton L. Griswold Jr. Chair (which was permanently endowed during her tenure) is to create the style or sound for the second violins to play into, regardless of which musicians happen to be playing in her section. “We do rotate between the sections, which is pretty refreshing for the section players … It’s sort of the new way in orchestras, and I think that’s great.”
By sitting in the front circle, Storck is able to hear the rest of the front circle especially well, “so the goal is to turn that group of eight into, basically, a chamber group, because if we are really playing as one, then that’s going to be a much easier task for everyone else to fit into.”
Wyrick, in the Dottie Litwin Chair, is tasked with leading the entire strings section, although it also depends on what the score dictates. For example, sometimes Storck will lead the string section if there is a second violin section solo. Other times, if the first violins have the melody, Wyrick will also lead other sections — say, the wind and the brass. He also has to communicate with the conductor. “I’m primarily interacting,” he says, “but Fran also has to direct with the conductor, and there’s back and forth.”
Storck and Wyrick met while playing together at New York City Opera at Lincoln Center. She performed with them for more than 20 years alongside many other Symphony freelancers. When the Symphony began their concertmaster search, Storck encouraged Wyrick to come aboard. “I remember really pressing him and telling him, ‘Hey, this could be really good! Come and you would be great for us, and hopefully you’ll enjoy it.’ ”
Before auditioning and winning his chair with the Symphony, Wyrick played as a sub concertmaster. “It’s a really hard thing to do,” Storck says, “to walk in and be everybody’s leader as an extra player — many tried, many failed. But Eric had sort of an instant chemistry with the whole organization. With the musicians, he instantly garnered respect, and with the music director he had an instant chemistry.”
Wyrick fits squarely into the Symphony’s warm and supportive culture, but not all orchestras are like that. “I was welcomed in, to the credit of this orchestra, which has a tendency to welcome people rather than put them through their paces. It’s a great situation for me and for many people, I think.”
Many Symphony members were formerly or currently active with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, including Wyrick, who recently stepped down after playing with them for 38 years. Currently there are a few Santa Fe Opera members who play with the Symphony, and several others are involved in the Broadway scene.
“It’s really important to have diverse experiences and to play together with other groups and personalities,” says Wyrick, who also plays with the Symphony’s Chamber Players and The Richardson Chamber Players.
“Those players bring perspective to what we’re doing,” Storck says, “and this is what adds so much color to our organization.”
New Jersey Symphony will present “Xian Conducts Mozart” at The Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University, May 16 at 8 p.m.; and Prudential Hall at NJPAC in Newark, May 17 at 8 p.m. and May 18 at 3 p.m. The Symphony will also present a family-friendly show, “A Music Discovery Zone: Discover Mozart & Bach” May 17 at 2 p.m. at NJPAC. Visit njsymphony.org.
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