May 18 Saturday
Experience the heartrending journey of "An American Soldier" at the Perelman Performing Arts Center, from May 12—19, 2024. This powerful opera, with music by Huang Ruo and a libretto by David Henry Hwang, unveils the true story of Army Pvt. Danny Chen. Directed by Chay Yew and co-produced with Boston Lyric Opera and the American Composers Orchestra, this New York City premiere echoes the profound narrative of honor, courage, and the harrowing reality of a soldier facing discrimination from within his ranks. Secure your seats for a profound narrative of identity, sacrifice, and the quest for justice
Come celebrate extraordinary young vocal artists when the GRAMMY® Award winning National Children’s Chorus (NCC) presents a mesmerizing musical collection inspired by our shared human need for harmony and wellness. Led from the podium by Maestro Luke McEndarfer, Dr. Pamela Blackstone, Dr. Allan Laiño, Joshua Gonzalez, Kaitlin Simonson, and Meghan Stoll, over 500 of America’s finest young singers, ages 10-17, present a captivating afternoon of music, mindfulness, and exhilaration celebrating youth and mental health. The program includes works by Ola Gjeilo, Eric Whitacre, Gabriel Fauré, and W.A. Mozart, as well as a world premiere by NCC student composer Samuel Siskind.
NCC knows how kids thrive. They have an exceptional way of encouraging young people to perform at their highest level while guiding them to connection, balance and wellness through voice. Each year, NCC's young choristers who carry a love of singing in their hearts train thousands of miles apart in eight chapter cities and then come together to perform on the world's top stages.
Instructors work weekly with students to develop their vocal skills from the most basic concepts through the college level. Students develop tone quality, breath support, and artistic expression while working together as an ensemble. Every choir member receives the same training and learns the same repertoire and breath marks so that any member may participate in any concert.
The results are remarkable. Last December, NCC students performed on The Today Show. Previously, NCC students performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic & Gustavo Dudamel on the 2022 GRAMMY-winning album (best choral performance) Mahler: Symphony No. 8. Their latest album, Illumine, a collection of holiday songs from around the world, came in at #3 on the Billboard Classical charts.
Harpist Jacqueline Kerrod joins forces with free music maverick Joe Morris for an evening of adventurous improvisations for pedal harp and guitar in the beautiful gallery space of Morpeth Contemporary. Bring your curiosity and big ears!
"Kerrod is a fearless improvisor and experimentalist." AVANT MUSIC NEWS
Joe Morris is "One of the most profound improvisors at work in the U.S."WILL MONTGOMERY, THE WIRE
Markus Stenz conductor Jeremy Denk pianoNew Jersey Symphony
The sound of revolution. France’s Berlioz crafted a whole new world for the orchestra in his Roman Carnival Overture. Closer to home, The New York Times selected Anna Clyne for their feature “Five Minutes that Will Make You Love Classical Music,” and her new piano concerto ATLAS in the hands of Jeremy Denk shows you why. And Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 bursts with an energy that shocked his contemporaries 200 years ago and still sounds new.
Berlioz Roman Carnival OvertureAnna Clyne ATLAS (New Jersey Symphony Co-Commission)Beethoven Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”
Tony Award winner John Lloyd Young returns to the Café Carlyle, May 14-18, with one of his most-popular sets. Original Jersey Boys screen and stage star, John Lloyd Young, is one of the current longest-running recurring performers at the storied, iconic venue. For over a decade, he has returned each year to interpret a set of classic hits in the Café Carlyle's timeless New York showroom.
May 19 Sunday
The Westminster Community Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Ruth Ochs, will present its season finale, Nature and Magic, on Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. in Hillman Hall in the Marian Buckelew Cullen Center on the Westminster Campus in Princeton. Suggested admission of $10/person cash will be accepted at the door. Audience members requiring seating assistance should arrive at 2:30 p.m.
The orchestra’s final concert of the season will feature Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 in G major, his tribute to the beauty of the Bohemian countryside and Scene 1 from Mozart’s enchanting The Magic Flute which will be performed by Tanvi Patil, Julianna Wong, and Madeleine Nieman, students from Westminster’s Honors Music Program, who are coached by Danielle Sinclair. The concert will also include Henry Mancini’s “Moon River,” arranged by John Moss.
Deep in the heart of the Indian Jungle, Bagheera, the black panther, discovers a Man-Cub. Only the wolves Akela and Raksha may save his life and raise him as their own. But Shere Khan, the Great Tiger, has targeted the boy. Bagheera teaches the boy all he knows about the Jungle. Baloo the lovable bear befriends Mowgli and saves him from the fearsome grasp of Kaa, the Python, and the wild Monkey-People. But who can save him from Shere Kahn?
A guided tour through the rich and diverse musical moments of one of Monmouth County’s longest-lived arts organizations. Join MCC as we highlight some of your favorite numbers throughout the decades and celebrate what’s to come — a sparkling future of music-making with you.
With a nostalgic mix of selections from classical composers like Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Vivaldi to fan favorites Gilbert and Sullivan and Golden Age titans Frank Loesser and Rogers and Hammerstein, there’s something for everyone in this show, from our earliest supporters to first-time fans.
May 25 Saturday