By Christopher Benincasa, JerseyArts.com
originally published: 12/06/2019
![PODCAST: New Jersey Youth Symphony Presents "Two Nutcrackers" at UCPAC](https://www.newjerseystage.com/events2019/JA-Dec6.jpg "PODCAST: New Jersey Youth Symphony Presents "Two Nutcrackers" at UCPAC")
The music of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” is about as well-known and loved as any given Christmas carol. In 1960, 68 years after the piece premiered, jazz masters Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn created a rollicking re-interpretation of the classical holiday standard. This coming Sunday, the New Jersey Youth Symphony will perform both Nutcrackers, side by side – bouncing Ellington and Strayhorn’s arrangements off of Tchaikovsky’s original compositions – at the Union County Performing Arts Center.
We recently sat down with Helen Cha-Pyo, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, and Julius Tolentino, Director of the New Jersey Youth Symphony’s Jazz Orchestra, about putting this ambitious project together to celebrate the season – and to challenge their students.
![PODCAST: New Jersey Youth Symphony Presents "Two Nutcrackers" at UCPAC](https://www.newjerseystage.com/events2016/ListenToPodcast.gif "PODCAST: New Jersey Youth Symphony Presents "Two Nutcrackers" at UCPAC")
About the author: Christopher Benincasa is an Emmy Award-winning arts and culture journalist. He produced content for NJ PBS for a decade before co-founding PCK Media. Christopher currently works as a freelance producer, video editor, writer, and communications specialist for a diverse set of commercial, non-profit, and government clients. His work has been featured on various PBS stations, and in American Abstract Artists Journal, The Structurist, Paterson Literary Review, and JerseyArts.com.
Content provided by
Discover Jersey Arts, a project of the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
FEATURED EVENTS
Narrow results by date, categories, or region of New Jersey.
Remember Jones Presents back to BACK TO BLACK: the Amy Winehouse Celebration
Friday, November 29, 2024 @ 7:30pm
The Vogel
99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701
category: music
View event page for full information
Matteo Bocelli – A Night with Matteo
Friday, November 29, 2024 @ 8:00pm
Count Basie Center for the Arts
99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701
category: music
View event page for full information
Fairytale of New York – The Ultimate Irish-Inspired Christmas Concert
Saturday, November 30, 2024 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music
View event page for full information
More events
Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages
EVENT PREVIEWS
Matteo Bocelli to Perform Shows in Red Bank and Atlantic City
(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- Rising pop star Matteo Bocelli has a pair of shows in New Jersey at the end of November. He'll be at Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank on Friday, November 29th and Sound Waves in Atlantic City on Saturday, November 30th as part of his tour: A Night with Matteo: The Americas 2024.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Rod Wave - Last Lap Tour comes to Prudential Center in December
(NEWARK, NJ) -- This Fall, AG Touring and Mammoth, Inc. proudly present the Rod Wave - Last Lap Tour. This large-scale multi-city outing will feature Rod Wave headlining 36 of North America's top arenas coast-to-coast. The tour will kick off on October 19 at Desert Diamond Arena in Phoenix, AZ visiting major markets across the country, including Newark’s Prudential Center on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 with special guests Moneybagg Yo, Toosii, Lil Poppa, Dess Dior and Eelmatic.
