New Jersey Symphony Orchestra to Present All-Mozart Program This March

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents an all-Mozart program March 11-13 in Princeton, Red Bank and Morristown. Eric Lu performs Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23; Perry So conducts a program that also features the composer's "Jupiter" Symphony and Overture and Ballet Music from Idomeneo.

Performances take place on Friday, March 11, at 8 pm at the Richardson Auditorium in Princeton; Saturday, March 12, at 8 pm at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank and Sunday, March 13, at 3 pm at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown.

Music Director Jacques Lacombe says: "A classical program dedicated to one composer is a fun experience for the audience, and it doesn't get any better than Mozart. Mozart's love of the piano-his own instrument-shines through in the Piano Concerto in A Major; there is something both grand and bittersweet about the "Jupiter" Symphony, the last symphony Mozart wrote. The orchestral ballet music of Idomeneo is not as well-known, though Mozart was such an important opera composer, so I like how this program presents different aspects of Mozart."

The Orchestra presents an insider's look at the 2016-17 season one hour before the March 12 and 13 performances.

The NJSO will collect non-perishable food items at the March 12 and 13 performances as part of the Orchestra's annual food drive, to benefit food banks across New Jersey.

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

CONCERT PROGRAM:

All-Mozart

Friday, March 11, at 8 pm | Richardson Auditorium in Princeton

Saturday, March 12, at 8 pm | Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank *

Sunday, March 13, at 3 pm | Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown *

Perry So, conductor

Eric Lu, piano

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

MOZART Overture and Ballet Music from Idomeneo

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23

MOZART Symphony No. 41, "Jupiter"

Full concert information and program notes are available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/all-mozart.

* 2016-17 preview: Get an insider's view of the NJSO's new season beginning one hour before the performance.

THE ARTISTS:

Perry So, conductor

Increasingly recognized for his energetic creativity and adventurous programming, conductor Perry So has appeared with the Cleveland and Sarasota orchestras, China Philharmonic and Shanghai and Guangzhou symphony orchestras. He has developed ongoing relationships with Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias, Tivoli Symphony Orchestra, Round Top Festival, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (where he was associate conductor for two seasons) and Los Angeles Philharmonic (where he was one of the inaugural Dudamel Fellows).

Other recent highlights include performances with the Vancouver and New Zealand symphony orchestras, Florida Orchestra, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Australian Youth Orchestra. So's first album (violin concertos by Barber and Korngold with Alexander Gilman and the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra), released in 2012 on Oehms Classics, received the prestigious Diapason d'Or award.

Born in Hong Kong, So graduated from Yale University with a degree in comparative literature and, as an undergraduate, was music director of the Saybrook Orchestra and Opera Theatre of Yale College. He subsequently studied conducting with Gustav Meier at the Peabody Institute.

Eric Lu, piano

Eric Lu has already established himself as one of the finest pianists of his generation. In 2015, he won first prize and the concerto prize at the Ninth National Chopin Piano Competition in Miami. In 2014, he received first prize at the Ninth Moscow International Chopin Competition for Young Pianists.

Lu's upcoming concert schedule includes recitals at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and the famed Salle Cortot in Paris. He also will make appearances in Spain, Canada, Armenia and Poland.

In the United States, Lu has performed as soloist with the Longwood Symphony in Boston's John Hancock Hall and has collaborated with the Minnesota Orchestra, State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, Wellesley Symphony and Boston Civic Symphony.

Lu currently studies at the Curtis Institute of Music with Jonathan Biss and Robert McDonald. He is also a pupil of Dang Thai Son. He previously studied with Alexander Korsantia and A. Ramon Rivera at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School.

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.

Under the bold leadership of Music Director Jacques Lacombe, the NJSO 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 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. The NJSO's REACH (Resources for Education and Community Harmony) chamber music program annually brings original programs -- designed and performed by NJSO musicians-to a variety of settings, reaching as more than 22,000 people in nearly all of New Jersey's 21 counties.

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

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