NJSO to Continue 2018 Winter Festival with Ravel & Rachmaninoff

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents the second program of the 2018 Winter Festival, "America, Inspiring," January 19-21 in Princeton, New Brunswick and Newark.

The influence of American jazz runs through Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances; Czech composer Martin pays homage his adopted home in Thunderbolt P-47, heard in its NJSO premiere.

Montclair resident Terrence Wilson performs Ravel's concerto; Andrew Constantine conducts.

Performances take place on Friday, January 19, at 8 pm at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton; Saturday, January 20, at 8 pm at State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick; and Sunday, January 21, at 3 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

The 2018 Winter Festival highlights the myriad ways America has inspired not only those who call it home but also those who have visited its welcoming shores. Leveraging the power of art to transcend differences, a series of NJSO Accents and special events further explore the immigrant experience and how foreign artists have illustrated American inspiration in their work.

NJSO Accent events include two pre-concert panels (January 19 and 21) hosted by Naomi Lewin, who discusses with a panel of experts the political climate in Europe that drove many of the Winter Festival's composers to come to America. After the January 21 performance, patrons can watch creative inspiration in action as artist Ken Ahlering paints in response to a performance by the NJSO Chamber Players.

A pre-concert wine tasting on January 20 features wine and music expert Ron Merlino. Tickets for this Accent event are $15; reservations are required. More information is available at www.njsymphony.org/grapes.

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

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

Get the most from the Winter Festival with a Festival Pass! For just $150 you get a prime seat for any-or all-of the nine Festival concerts, a ticket to one of the chamber music concerts, complimentary entry to either wine tasting and a reserved front-row seat for all Festival Accent events.

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THE PROGRAM:

Winter Festival Week II - Ravel & Rachmaninoff

Fri, Jan 19, at 8 pm | Richardson Auditorium in Princeton

Sat, Jan 20, at 8 pm | State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick

Sun, Jan 21, at 3 pm | NJPAC in Newark

Andrew Constantine, conductor

Terrence Wilson, piano

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

MARTIN Thunderbolt P-47 (NJSO Premiere)

RAVEL Piano Concerto in G Major

RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances

NJSO ACCENTS:

Panel Discussion-Fri, Jan 19, at 6:45 pm and Sun, Jan 21, at 1:45 pm

Host Naomi Lewin and a panel of experts discuss the political climate in Europe that drove so many of the Winter Festival's composers to come to America.

Wine Tasting-Sat, Jan 20, before the concert

Join wine and music expert Ron Merlino in an exclusive tasting of wines made of old-world grapes in new-world soil. $15 for the tasting, reservations required. www.njsymphony.org/grapes

Performance & Painting-Sun, Jan 21, after the concert

Watch creative inspiration in action as artist Ken Ahlering (www.ken-ahlering.com) paints in response to a performance by the NJSO Chamber Players.

Full concert information is available at www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/america-inspiring-ravel-rachmaninoff.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Andrew Constantine, conductor

Award-winning conductor Andrew Constantine has led major symphony orchestras from London to St. Petersburg. The British-born conductor has been music director of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic since 2009 and the Reading Symphony Orchestra since 2007.

He is regularly engaged by the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. Other recent engagements include the Rochester and Buffalo philharmonic orchestras; the Phoenix, Hawaii and Gran Canaria symphonies; Sinfonia of Sicily and the Chautauqua Festival Orchestra.

Constantine's latest recording with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales is Elgar: The New England Connection, released by Orchid Classics in 2017 to strong critical acclaim. Having gained a reputation in Europe and the UK for great skill, charisma and versatility, Constantine became associate conductor of the Baltimore Symphony in 2004.

Constantine studied with the legendary Ilya Musin at the Leningrad State Conservatory. He won the first Donatella Flick/Accademia Italiana Competition, has an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the University of Leicester and received the prestigious British NESTA Fellowship.

Terrence Wilson, piano

Pianist Terrence Wilson has established a reputation as one of today's most gifted instrumentalists. In the United States, he has appeared with the orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Minnesota, Philadelphia, San Francisco and St. Louis; National Symphony and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Abroad, Wilson has played concertos with such ensembles as the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland, Malaysian Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He is also an active recitalist and an avid chamber musician. Festival appearances include the Blossom Festival, Tanglewood and Wolf Trap.

Wilson has received numerous awards and prizes-including an Avery Fisher Career Grant-and was nominated for a Grammy for his recording of Michael Daugherty's Deus ex Machina with the Nashville Symphony.

Wilson is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where he studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky. He has also enjoyed the invaluable mentorship of the Romanian pianist Zitta Zohar. A native of the Bronx, he resides in Montclair, NJ.

2018 WINTER FESTIVAL: America, Inspiring

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Xian Zhang present the 2018 Winter Festival-"America, Inspiring"-in January at eight venues across the state. The Festival celebrates foreign artists and composers whose experiences connect them to the nation's legacy as a source of inspiration and beacon of ideals for people from all over the world.

Spanning three weekends, January 11-28, the Winter Festival includes orchestral 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. The NJSO Chamber Players perform a special chamber music concert at St. George's-by-the-River Episcopal Church in Rumson and Calvary Episcopal Church in Summit.

ABOUT THE NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

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.

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