NJSO presents Brahms' First Symphony And Mahler's SONGS OF A WAYFARER, 2/22-25

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents Brahms' First Symphony and Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer February 22-25 in Englewood, New Brunswick and Newark. Grammy-nominated Norwegian mezzo-soprano Marianne Beate Kielland joins the Orchestra and guest conductor Rune Bergmann for Mahler's first song cycle. The program of late-Romantic works opens with the Overture to Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

Performances take place on Thursday, February 22, at 7:30 pm at bergenPAC in Englewood; Saturday, February 24, at 8 pm at State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick; and Sunday, February 25, at 3 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

February 24 is the NJSO's College Night at State Theatre New Jersey. $10 tickets for college students include the concert and a post-concert party with live entertainment. More information on College Night is available at www.njsymphony.org/college.

Other NJSO Accent events include Classical Conversations beginning one hour before the February 24 and 25 performances and "The Art of Violin Making" with luthier Shan Jiang following the February 25 concert.

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

THE PROGRAM

Brahms' First Symphony

Thu, Feb 22, at 7:30 pm | bergenPAC in Englewood

Sat, Feb 24, at 8 pm | State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick

Sun, Feb 25, at 3 pm | NJPAC in Newark

Rune Bergmann, conductor

Marianne Beate Kielland, mezzo-soprano

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

WAGNER Overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

MAHLER Songs of a Wayfarer

BRAHMS Symphony No. 1

NJSO ACCENTS:

Classical Conversation-Sat, Feb 24 at 7 pm and Sun, Feb 25 at 2 pm
Enjoy a lively Classical Conversation before the performance. Learn more about the music from NJSO musicians, guest artists and other engaging insiders.

College Night-Sat, Feb 24, after the concert
$10 tickets for college students include the concert and a post-concert party with refreshments and live entertainment. Additional information is available at www.njsymphony.org/college.

The Art of Violin Making-Sun, Feb 25, after the concert
Luthier Shan Jiang offers a fascinating look at the unique work of crafting a historic instrument in a modern age.

Full concert information is available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/brahms-first-symphony.

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.

CLASS PASS

The NJSO's student ticket program offers both flexibility and affordability. Students can purchase individual rush tickets for $10. The Star-Ledger/nj.com Class Pass Unlimited offers access to an unlimited number of 2017-18 concerts for $25. Tickets will be available on the day of the concert, starting 90 minutes before the performance. One pass per valid ID, and one ticket per pass.

For more information, visit www.njsymphony.org/classpass.

THE ARTISTS

Rune Bergmann, conductor

An energetic and compelling figure on the podium, Norwegian conductor Rune Bergmann is one of today's most talented young Scandinavian conductors. This season marks the beginning of his tenure as music director of Canada's Calgary Philharmonic and his second season as artistic director and chief conductor of Poland's Szczecin Philharmonic. He has been artistic director of Norway's innovative Fjord Cadenza Festival since its inception in 2010.

He regularly conducts a wide range of distinguished orchestras around the world, including the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Norwegian National Opera, Mainfranken Theater Würzburg, Philharmonie Südwestfalen and the Wroc?aw Philharmonic, as well as the symphony orchestras of Malmö, Helsingborg, Bergen, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Trondheim, Karlskrona and Odense, and Lisbon's Orquestra Sinfonica Portuguesa.

In North America, he has guested with the Alabama, Detroit, Edmonton, Grand Rapids, Pacific, Houston and Toledo symphony orchestras, as well as at the Brevard Music Festival.

Marianne Beate Kielland, mezzo-soprano

Marianne Beate Kielland has established herself as one of the foremost singers of Scandinavia and one of few Norwegian singers to have received a Grammy Award nomination. The versatile mezzo-soprano started her international career as an ensemble member of the Staatsoper Hannover. Since then, she has worked with leading orchestras and enjoys a vast concert repertoire from early 17th-century works through the Classical, Romantic and contemporary eras.

This season's highlights include Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with the Danish National Symphony, Bach's Christmas Oratorio with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Bach's St. John Passion with the NDR Radiophilharmonie, Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with Netherlands Bach Society and the title role in Handel's Ottone with Moscow Chamber Orchestra.

Kielland has made more than 40 recordings of oratorios, operas, cantatas and songs. She has appeared with pianist Nils Anders Mortensen in Norway, Germany, Estonia, Russia and Finland. More information is available at www.mbkielland.com.

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.

Music Director Xian Zhang-a "dynamic podium presence" The New York Times has praised for her "technical abilities, musicianship and maturity"-continues her acclaimed leadership of the NJSO. 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 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; NJSO Youth Orchestras family of student ensembles, currently led by José Luis Domínguez; and El Sistema-inspired NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project). NJSO musicians annually perform original chamber music programs at community events in a variety of settings statewide through the NJSO Community Partners Program.

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.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra's programs are made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, along with many other foundations, corporations and individual donors.

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