NJSO And Pinchas Zukerman Present 2017 Winter Festival, 1/13

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra welcomes legendary violinist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman for its three-concert 2017 Winter Festival in January at all six NJSO venues across the state. Serving as the festival's Artistic Director, Zukerman solos in some of the violin repertoire's most prized works by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Bach. He also conducts the NJSO in the festival's bookends, with Venezuelan conductor Christian Vásquez leading the middle program.

Spanning three weekends, January 13-29, the Winter Festival includes performances at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, 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.

Zukerman has inspired acclaim for his artistry and live performances. In concert, The Los Angeles Times wrote, "[he] seemed the forever-young virtuoso: expressively resourceful, infectiously musical, technically impeccable, effortless. As usual, it was a joy to be in his musical company."

"I am delighted to be working with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra as we make music together throughout the state this January," Zukerman says. "In a festival, you can experiment with different centuries of music in a very short time. In a concise three weekends, we will present great music [of different eras] in concerts across New Jersey, [allowing] the music we have selected to serve as a conversation between me, the Orchestra and the audiences.

"It is my hope and intention that the programs we present, and especially the two programs in which I both conduct and solo, will create a total immersion in sound and will demonstrate the camaraderie and community needed to create this beauty."

Zukerman-principal guest conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London and former music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa-conducts and solos in the first Winter Festival program (January 13-15 in Newark, Red Bank and New Brunswick), performing Tchaikovsky's Sérénade Mélancolique and "Melodie" from Souvenir d'un Lieu Cher. He also leads the Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings and Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4, "Italian."

In the second program (January 20-22 in Princeton, Newark and Morristown), Zukerman performs Beethoven's sole Violin Concerto as Vásquez conducts a program that also features Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3, "Organ," and Barber's Overture to The School for Scandal.

The festival finale (January 26-29 in Englewood, New Brunswick and Newark) again features Zukerman in a play/conduct role. The program includes Bach's Second Violin Concerto, Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, "Eroica," and Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night).

As Artistic Director of this year's Winter Festival, one of the NJSO's signature annual events, Zukerman relishes the opportunity to collaborate with the Orchestra at venues across the state. "Throughout my association with the NJSO, I've always been impressed by the Orchestra's mission and commitment to bringing music to its audiences wherever they reside," he says. "I think bringing music to the people, instead of the other way around, is important and an incredible journey."

NJSO Accent events across the three weekends include Prelude Performances by the young musicians of the NJSO Academy, pre-concert Classical Conversations and a Riffs jazz session with NJSO French horn player Chris Komer. The Orchestra will also offer a tour of Newark's Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart and a demonstration and mini-recital on its magnificent Schantz organ by Cathedral Basilica Director of Music Ministries-and Saint-Saëns' "Organ" Symphony featured performer-John Miller.

For more information on the Winter Festival and related events, visit www.njsymphony.org/winterfestival.

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