NJ Symphony Orchestra announces 2015-16 season

by JAY LUSTIG
JACQUES LACOMBE

J.F. BERUBE

JACQUES LACOMBE

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2015-16 season — its last with conductor Jacques Lacombe, who has been at the NJSO podium since 2008. Opening weekend will be Sept. 25-27 with saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and other guests throughout the season will include soprano Jessye Norman, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and violinist Augustin Hadelich.

Here is the complete schedule. For more information and to order tickets, visit NJSymphony.org.

Opening Weekend: Branford Marsalis Joins the NJSO
Sept. 25 and 27 at NJPAC in Newark
Sept. 26 at State Theatre in New Brunswick

Branford Marsalis, saxophone

Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales
Williams: “Escapades” for saxophone from Catch Me If You Can
Milhaud: Scaramouche for alto saxophone
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

Pops: Cirque de la Symphonie with the NJSO
Oct. 17 at NJPAC in Newark
Oct. 18 at State Theatre in New Brunswick

Gemma New, conductor

Thibaudet Plays Gershwin
Oct. 22-23 at NJPAC in Newark
Oct. 24 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
Oct. 25 at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown

Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

Bernstein: Candide Overture
Gershwin: Concerto in F
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Gershwin (arr. R. R. Bennett): Porgy & Bess: A Symphonic Picture

Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony
Oct. 29 at BergenPAC in Englewood
Oct. 30 at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
Oct. 31 at NJPAC in Newark
Nov. 1 at State Theatre in New Brunswick

Christoph König, conductor
Jonathan Biss, piano

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2

Beethoven’s Ninth
Nov. 5-6 and 8 at NJPAC in Newark
Nov. 7 at State Theatre in New Brunswick

Barbara Shirvis, soprano
Elizabeth Bishop, mezzo-soprano
Jonathan Boyd, tenor
Stephen Powell, baritone
Wesminster Symphonic Choir

Higdon: blue cathedral
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Nov. 27 at ;Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
Nov. 28 at NJPAC in Newark
Nov. 29 at State Theatre in New Brunswick

Eric Wyrick, leader and violin soloist

Boccherini: Symphony No. 6, “La casa del diavolo” 3
Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 1
vivaldi: The Four Seasons

Family: Classical Favorites in the Forecast
Nov. 28 at NJPAC in Newark

Jeffrey Grogan, conductor

Gershwin, Beethoven, Copland and others

Pops: Home Alone: The Movie
Dec. 5 at NJPAC in Newark
Dec. 6 at State Theatre in New Brunswick

Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor
New Jersey Youth Chorus

Handel’s Messiah
Dec. 18 at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
Dec. 20 at NJPAC in Newark

Celena Shafer, soprano
Adriana Zabala, mezzo-soprano
William Burden, tenor
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Montclair State University Singers
New Jersey Symphony Chamber Orchestra

Beethoven and Danielpour
Jan. 14 at BergenPAC in Englewood
Jan. 16 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
Jan. 17 at NJPAC in Newark

Lisa Pegher, percussion

Beethoven: Symphony No. 1
Danielpour: Percussion Concerto, “The Wounded Healer” (World Premiere)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4

Winter Festival: Symphonie Fantastique
Jan. 22 at NJPAC in Newark
Jan. 23 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Jan. 24 at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown

Bernard Uzan, narrator
Symphonic Chorus of Manhattan School of Music

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
Berlioz: Lélio

Winter Festival: Midsummer Night Dream
Jan. 29 at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
Jan. 20 at NJPAC in Newark
Jan. 31 at State Theatre in New Brunswick

Actors from The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
Women of the Montclair State University Chorale

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Pops: Valentine’s Day with Megan Hilty and the NJSO
Feb. 12 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
Feb. 13 at NJPAC in Newark
Feb. 14 at State Theatre in New Brunswick

Megan Hilty, vocalist
Todd Ellison, conductor

Family: Star Power
Feb. 13 at NJPAC in Newark

Gemma New, conductor
NJSO Academy Orchestra

Music by Williams, Beethoven, Mozart and Tchaikovsky.

Vistas & Landscapes: Copland and Dvorák
Feb. 25 at BergenPAC in Englewood
Feb. 27-28 at NJPAC in Newark

Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Stephen Fang, cello

Dvorák: Silent Woods
Popper: Hungarian Rhapsody
Copland: Appalachian Spring
Dvorák: Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”

All-Mozart
March 11 at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
March 12 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
March 13 at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown

Perry So, conductor
Eric Lu, piano

Mozart: Overture and Ballet Music from Idomeneo
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23
Mozart: Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter”

Romantic Masterworks From Schumann & Brahms
March 17 and 20 at NJPAC in Newark
March 19 at State Theatre in New Brunswick

Christian Arming, conductor
Stephen Hough, piano

Wagner: Prelude to Act III from Tristan and Isolde
Schumann: Piano Concerto
Brahms: Symphony No. 2

Zhang Conducts Tchaikovsky
April 7-8 at NJPAC in Newark
April 9 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
April 10 at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown

Xian Zhang, conductor
Jennifer Frautschi, violin

Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave
Barber: Violin Concerto
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4

Pops: Music of the ‘Mad Men’ Era
April 15 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
April 16 at NJPAC in Newark
April 17 at State Theatre in New Brunswick

Cheyenne Jackson, vocalist
Thomas Wilkins, conductor

Hadelich Plays Tchaikovsky
May 12 and 14 at NJPAC in Newark
May 13 at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
May 15 at State Theatre in New Brunswick

Jérémie Rhorer, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin

Mendelssohn: The Hebrides Overture
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Brahms: Serenade No. 1

Family: Athletes of the Orchestra
May 21 at NJPAC in Newark

Jeffrey Grogan, conductor

“Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” Olympic fanfares and classics from Mozart and Rimsky-Korsakov

Jessye Norman with the NJSO
May 21 at NJPAC in Newark

Jessye Norman, soprano

Pops: Bond and Beyond
June 4 at NJPAC in Newark
June 5 at State Theatre in New Brunswick

Michael Krajewski, conductor
Debbie Gravitte, vocalist

Lacombe Conducts Rachmaninoff & Ravel
June 9 at BergenPAC in Englewood
June 11 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
June 12 at NJPAC in Newark

Joyce Yang, piano

Rogerson: Night and the City
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3
Ravel: La Valse
Ravel: Daphnis and Chloé Suite No. 2

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