Community Calendar

Celebrate America's 250th anniversary with the Adelphi Orchestra as Northern New Jersey’s longest continuously performing chamber orchestra opens its 73rd season under the direction of Principal Conductor Kyunghun Kim!

The celebratory program, "American Voice at 250," features two masterworks by iconic American composer Samuel Barber: the poignant Adagio for Strings and his virtuosic Violin Concerto, featuring guest soloist Sophia Werner (Juilliard Kovner Fellow and 2022 Adelphi Young Artist Competition winner). The program concludes with Ludwig van Beethoven’s joyful and energetic Symphony No. 8.

PROGRAM:

Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings

Samuel Barber: Violin Concerto — Sophia Werner, violin

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 8

TOMS RIVER – Several branches of the Ocean County Library will host “Musiquita: A Bilingual Music Experience” to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

The program will take place at the following dates and locations:
• Tuesday, September 15 @ 11 a.m. – Tuckerton Branch – 380 Bay Avenue, 609-296-1470. Registration opens September 1.
• Tuesday, September 15 @ 2 p.m. – Beachwood Branch – 126 Beachwood Avenue, 732-244-4573. Registration opens August 15.
• Monday, October 12 @ 11 a.m. – Plumsted Branch – 119 Evergreen Road, New Egypt, 609-758-7888. Registration opens September 12.
• Monday, October 12 @ 3 p.m. – Manchester Branch – 21 Colonial Drive, 732-657-7600. Registration opens September 21.

Musiquita is a bilingual musical experience for all ages. The husband-and-wife duo features Blanca Cecelia González (violin/vocals/ukelele/percussion) and Jesse Elder (piano/vocals/percussion/melodica).

Musiquita’s play-based approach to performing encourages the audience to sing, dance, and move along with them in joyful celebration. They perform originals, Latin folk music, classical, jazz, pop, children’s classics, and more.

Registration is required for this free program. To register, visit tinyurl.com/MusiquitaOCL, or call or visit the branch of your choice.

TOMS RIVER – Several branches of the Ocean County Library will host “Musiquita: A Bilingual Music Experience” to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

The program will take place at the following dates and locations:
• Tuesday, September 15 @ 11 a.m. – Tuckerton Branch – 380 Bay Avenue, 609-296-1470. Registration opens September 1.
• Tuesday, September 15 @ 2 p.m. – Beachwood Branch – 126 Beachwood Avenue, 732-244-4573. Registration opens August 15.
• Monday, October 12 @ 11 a.m. – Plumsted Branch – 119 Evergreen Road, New Egypt, 609-758-7888. Registration opens September 12.
• Monday, October 12 @ 3 p.m. – Manchester Branch – 21 Colonial Drive, 732-657-7600. Registration opens September 21.

Musiquita is a bilingual musical experience for all ages. The husband-and-wife duo features Blanca Cecelia González (violin/vocals/ukelele/percussion) and Jesse Elder (piano/vocals/percussion/melodica).

Musiquita’s play-based approach to performing encourages the audience to sing, dance, and move along with them in joyful celebration. They perform originals, Latin folk music, classical, jazz, pop, children’s classics, and more.

Registration is required for this free program. To register, visit tinyurl.com/MusiquitaOCL, or call or visit the branch of your choice.

Forte International Group presents pianist Chengcheng Ma in an evening celebrating cross-cultural dialogue through piano music on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 7:30 PM at his Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Recital Hall. This appearance follows his full-house New York City solo recital debut at Merkin Hall, Kaufman Music Center, in January 2026. The program features new works and established masterworks for solo piano and two pianos. Ma is joined by distinguished guest pianists Boaz Sharon, Rodney Lister, EunAe Lee, and Yimiao Fang. The program includes two world premieres by Stella Sung and Rodney Lister, the U.S. premiere of Nansong Huang's Reflections on Dunhuang, and works by Chen Yi, Mary Lou Williams, Prokofiev/Pletnev.

“In creating this program, I wanted to bring Chinese, American, and European musical voices into dialogue, allowing each tradition to retain its identity while illuminating the others. These works also reflect my own path - from China to the United States, from classical repertoire to contemporary commissions and jazz - and the artistic relationships that have shaped this concert.” - Chengcheng Ma

Pianist Chengcheng Ma has appeared as a concert pianist, concerto soloist, orchestral pianist, collaborative artist, and interpreter of contemporary music, with performances across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Recent highlights include being actively involved in commissioning and premiering new works, a full-house New York City solo recital debut at Merkin Hall in January 2026, recital and masterclass at the University of Mary, solo recital at First Church Boston, orchestral appearances with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, and Festival Manager and performer at the Ian Hobson International Piano Festival in Puerto Rico. More at chengchengma.com.

In sixteenth-century Antwerp, a small shop described as being found “At the Sign of the Crumhorn” drew musicians, dancers, and the curious inside. There, the publisher Tielman Susato sent new music out into the world – tunes that became massively popular and culturally influential. This program opens that door again, with the vivid sound of shawms, sackbuts, dulcians, and crumhorns filling the air. Follow the sign and find what’s been waiting to be heard.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents piano virtuoso Dmitry Shishkin in performances of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s delightful Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Joan Tower’s Suite from Concerto for Orchestra and Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra showcase the orchestral prowess of the PSO with Rossen Milanov conducting. Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall, Princeton University Campus, Princeton, NJ. Tickets start at $42 (children 5-17 who are accompanied by an adult receive a 50% discount); Accommodations or services can be arranged with two weeks’ notice, contact Mika Godbole at mgodbole@princetonsymphony.org or (609) 905-0931; For tickets: princetonsymphony.org or 609-497-0020.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents piano virtuoso Dmitry Shishkin in performances of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s delightful Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Joan Tower’s Suite from Concerto for Orchestra and Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra showcase the orchestral prowess of the PSO with Rossen Milanov conducting. Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall, Princeton University Campus, Princeton, NJ. Tickets start at $42 (children 5-17 who are accompanied by an adult receive a 50% discount); Accommodations or services can be arranged with two weeks’ notice, contact Mika Godbole at mgodbole@princetonsymphony.org or (609) 905-0931; For tickets: princetonsymphony.org or 609-497-0020.

Xian Zhang conductor
George Li piano
New Jersey Symphony

A new season begins with two of Classical music’s most epic works. Music Director Xian Zhang introduced George Li to New Jersey audiences 10 years ago and he’s since become a true local favorite, returning now for Beethoven’s heroic “Emperor” Piano Concerto. Schubert’s final symphony, also known as “The Great,” was lost in a drawer and never performed during his lifetime—its songful grandeur is one of the wonders of the Romantic era.

Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”
Franz Schubert Symphony No. 9 in C Major, “The Great”