NJSO Presents 'Big Carl', 4/9

Concertgoers can see, hear and take photos with "Big Carl," Carl Fischer Music's historic giant tuba, at a free NJSO Accent event following the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra's performance of Vaughan Williams' Tuba Concerto with NJSO Principal Tuba Derek Fenstermacher on Sunday, April 9, at 3 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. Tuba players who bring their own mouthpieces can enter a drawing for a chance to play the nearly 8-foot-tall, 100-pound instrument. College students can also see Big Carl at the College Night party after the 8 pm concert on Friday, April 7.

The event on April 9 is free and open to all ticketholders. Fenstermacher will demonstrate Big Carl and talk about the tuba's century-long history with Steve Dillon, the founder of Woodbridge's Dillon Music, who restored the instrument to playing condition in 2014. Attendees can take selfies with Big Carl, and drawing winners can play the instrument. (Tuba players who wish to enter the drawing must bring their own mouthpiece and sign in at the welcome table in the lobby.)

College Night, one of the Orchestra's signature NJSO Accent events, is an exclusive event for college students on April 7. $10 student tickets include entrance to the 8 pm performance and post-concert all-student party, where Fenstermacher will demonstrate Big Carl. Tuba players attending College Night can bring mouthpieces and enter a drawing to play the tuba. Additional information is available at www.njsymphony.org/college.

Fenstermacher says: "I feel very fortunate to be playing the Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto and showcasing the wonderful music that can be played on the tuba, an instrument not normally associated with being a solo instrument. The addition of Big Carl is something that I believe will make this concert irresistible for brass players, and also for anyone who has never seen a nearly 8-foot-tall tuba before! Big Carl is on the move!"

Big Carl has been a fixture at Carl Fischer Music's New York City locations since the early 1900s. The subcontrabass tuba stood in the music publisher's storefront windows from the East Village to Cooper Square and Bleeker Street for a century and now resides at the company's Wall Street headquarters.

Dillon invited Fenstermacher to play the tuba after its 2014 restoration. The New York Times documented the experience in a video; Fenstermacher told the outlet: "I saw it in person and I was speechless. I thought I might need another lung to play it."

The NJSO Accent events featuring Big Carl were inspired by Fenstermacher's solo performance of Vaughan Williams' Tuba Concerto-the first of its kind written for the instrument. Music Director Xian Zhang conducts the eclectic concert program, which also features Ravel's Boléro, Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals and Tan Dun's Internet Symphony No. 1, "Eroica."

Thanks to Carl Fisher Music and Steve Dillon, owner of Dillon Music, for their help making Big Carl's appearances at the NJSO possible.

TICKETS

Tickets start at $20 and are available for purchase online at www.njsymphony.org or by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476).

College Night student tickets are $10 and include the concert and a post-concert party. Student tickets are available for purchase online at www.njsymphony.org/college (using promo code COLLEGENIGHT) or by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO.

THE PROGRAM

Ravel's Boléro

Friday, April 7, at 8 pm | NJPAC in Newark

Saturday, April 8, at 8 pm | State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick

Sunday, April 9, at 3 pm | NJPAC in Newark

Xian Zhang, conductor

Derek Fenstermacher, tuba

Ying Li and Zitong Wang, piano

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

TAN DUN Internet Symphony No. 1, "Eroica"

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Tuba Concerto

SAINT-SAËNS Carnival of the Animals

RAVEL Boléro

Full concert information is available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/ravels-bolero.

The April 7 performance is generously sponsored by Northern Trust. The April 8 and 9 performances are generously sponsored by Bank of America.

NJSO ACCENTS

Inspired by the concerts and designed to inspire audiences, NJSO Accents are pre- or post-concert events that complement the concert experience and provide audience members with more opportunities to personally connect with the music and music makers.

Classical Conversation-Fri, Apr 7; Sat, Apr 8; and Sun, Apr 9; before the concert

Enjoy a lively Classical Conversation beginning one hour before the performances. NJSO Director of Artistic Planning Patrick Chamberlain will talk with NJSO Music Director Xian Zhang. Free for ticketholders.

College Night-Fri, Apr 7, after the concert

$10 tickets for college students include the concert and a post-concert party with refreshments and live entertainment. More info.

#BigCarlinJersey-Sun, Apr 9, after the concert

Concertgoers can see, hear and take photos with "Big Carl," Carl Fischer Music's gigantic historic tuba at the concerts on April 7 and 9. Following Sunday's concert, soloist Derek Fenstermacher and Steve Dillon, owner of Dillon Music, explain Big Carl's history before Fenstermacher demonstrates this unique instrument.

NJSO Food Drive-all concerts

Non-perishable food items will be accepted at all performances for donation to local food banks. More info.

NJSO Accents in Newark are generously sponsored by the Prudential Foundation.

THE ARTISTS

Derek Fenstermacher, tuba

A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Derek Fenstermacher became Principal Tuba of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2011. In addition to his work with the NJSO, Fenstermacher is also principal tuba of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and was principal tuba of the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra from 2004-2011. He also performs regularly with the New York Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Nashville Symphony and numerous others. He is also active in the community, teaching as adjunct professor of tuba and euphonium at Montclair State University, and as tuba professor at Bard College Conservatory.

As a soloist, Fenstermacher has led a new era of tuba soloists into the 21st century with his dynamic musicianship and keen eye for detail. Among other honors, Fenstermacher won the prestigious 2008 Leonard Falcone Artist Solo Tuba Competition, one of the premier tuba solo competitions in the world.

Fenstermacher was a founding member of the Boreas Quartet; their first CD, The Serpent's Kiss, recently received the Roger Bobo Award for Recording Excellence. He is also an active member of the New York Tuba Quartet. This season, he joins the Sotto Voce Quartet for national tours.

Fenstermacher began playing the tuba at age 14 and was a featured soloist with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra by age 19. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Alabama, where he studied with Demondrae Thurman and James Michael Dunn. He received a Master of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Timothy Northcut. Prior to arriving in New Jersey, he was pursuing a Performer's Certificate at the University of Houston under Mark Barton.

CARL FISCHER MUSIC

For 145 years Carl Fischer Music has been a leader in educational music publishing. Since its founding in 1872, Carl Fischer Music has had a deep and abiding commitment to sharing traditional and contemporary music with the world.

NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Named "a vital, artistically significant musical organization" by The Wall Street Journal, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra embodies that vitality through its statewide presence and critically acclaimed performances, education partnerships and unparalleled access to music and the Orchestra's superb musicians.

The NJSO welcomes new Music Director Xian Zhang in the 2016-17 season. The Orchestra presents classical, pops and family programs, as well as outdoor summer concerts and special events. Embracing its legacy as a statewide orchestra, the NJSO is the resident orchestra of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and regularly performs at the State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick, Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, Richardson Auditorium in Princeton, Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown and bergenPAC in Englewood. Partnerships with New Jersey arts organizations, universities and civic organizations remain a key element of the Orchestra's statewide identity.

In addition to its lauded artistic programming, the NJSO presents a suite of education and community engagement programs that promote meaningful, lifelong engagement with live music. Programs include school-time Concerts for Young People performances, NJSO Youth Orchestras family of student ensembles and El Sistema-inspired NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project). NJSO musicians annually perform original chamber music programs at nearly 200 community events in a variety of settings through the NJSO's REACH (Resources for Education and Community Harmony) program. The Orchestra's ECE programs annually serve more than 60,000 New Jerseyans in nearly 21 counties.

For more information about the NJSO, visit www.njsymphony.org or email information@njsymphony.org. Tickets are available for purchase by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or on the Orchestra's website.

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