Before summer slips away, don’t miss the chance to experience the New Jersey Festival Orchestra (NJFO) in concert, presenting “Summertime Folk Fantasies” Friday, Aug. 18 at the Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge and Aug. 20 at the Hertell Gardens in Westfield.

On the program at both venues will be “Brigg Fair, An English Rhapsody” by Frederick Delius and “Old American Folk Songs” by Aaron Copland, featuring baritone Stephen Gaertner of the Metropolitan Opera, and “Porgy and Bess Fantasy” by George Gershwin. Music Director David Wroe will conduct.

Twenty-five years ago, when Maestro Wroe joined NJFO, the ensemble was known as the Westfield Symphony Orchestra. “When I came to audition, I was extremely impressed, both by the synergy between its board and management and by the exceptional quality of the musicians,” he said. “It was one of the finest orchestras I auditioned for.”

In the time that Maestro Wroe has served as Music Director, the orchestra has been on what he calls a ‘long, winding, transformative journey.’

The journey included a name change (2010-2011) from Westfield Orchestra to New Jersey Festival Orchestra, to better represent the orchestra’s expanded regional range and artistic vision.

“We chose a name that we feel reflects our programming, which is really quite festive,” Wroe said. “We have evolved from the template of overture, concerto, and German symphony, to a vast array of styles and contrasting artistic mediums, and moved toward committing ourselves to great symphonic repertoire from the last 200 years.

“We are not afraid to mix it up to provide dynamically different fare, not only in the same series but in the same program. We may play a Beethoven or Tchaikovsky piece in the second half, but that doesn’t stop us from collaborating with Dance Theatre of Harlem and playing Aretha Franklin’s ‘Call Me’ in the first half.”

Maestro Wroe and the orchestra.

When I talked with Maestro Wroe, I commented that what I had been reading about the orchestra on the website and in press materials emphasized the joy in the music. When he verified that sentiment as being a central part of NJFO’s character, I asked him why that is so important.

“As musicians and as an organization, we constantly question why we do what we do,” he said. One reason is, he said “the glorious canon of music that needs to be aired.”

But highlighting less-known works is only a part of the picture. 

“We want to shine the light of energy, positivity, and spiritual growth within the communities where we perform,” he said. “That exuberance is meant to inspire and energize the audience.”

“The celebratory, uplifting nature of what we do is key to our mission.”

 The current two concerts, “Summertime Folk Fantasies,” are a perfect example. The first concert on Aug. 18 will be in the Sieminski Theater and the second Aug. 20 in the Hertell Gardens in Westfield. “The outdoor show really highlights the spiritual strategy of our orchestra,” Wroe said. “It is a gorgeous setting, at dusk and under the stars, with a mini-Tanglewood feeling. It evokes an evening serenade mood.”

The piece by Delius, who Maestro Wroe referred to as “arguably one of the greatest Impressionist composers,” is “Brigg Fair, An English Rhapsody.” It is a beautiful tone poem based on an English folk melody that evokes the mood of the still-in-existence, almost medieval-style country fair held annually in Brigg, North Lincolnshire.

“It keeps spinning the theme in evermore glorious orchestral colors,” Wroe said, “and the folk and country elements fit nicely in the program.”

Stephen Gaertner

Next is Aaron Copland’s “Old American Folk Songs,” which will feature American baritone Stephen Gaertner, who debuted with the Metropolitan Opera in 2007. “These songs, each four to five minutes long, some comic, some lyrical, some from New England and some from Appalachia, are a nice fit,” Wroe said. “They are fun and very accessible to the audience.”

And to close the performances is a work of jazz, which Maestro Wroe describes as “America’s prime Indigenous music.”

“One can trace the elements of jazz to the folk and country elements of the 1800s,” he said. “Appalachian songs influenced by English folk songs - Irish fiddle to Appalachian fiddle - all lightness and sweetness, not complex or heavy.”

“The biggest connection, though, is the folk element and the pastoral flavor.” “It is a beautiful orchestral suite based on themes from Gershwin’s ‘Porgy and Bess” with contrasting styles of music, each somehow connected to the outdoors and humans’ interaction with nature,” Wroe said.

While concerts are the cornerstone of NJFO, outreach is also a crucial aspect of what the orchestra does.

“We revel in ways we can use our raw materials, our musicians, to serve the community at large.”

The orchestra created two 30-minute films (New Beginnings: Part 1 & Part 2) that are not only entertaining but also useful as outreach tools. “With the films, we can share the great news about NJFO and the beautiful music, particularly to younger people, and demonstrate how music can be visualized.”

I learned from the press materials that the New Jersey State Council for the Arts has recently provided financial support to NJFO, and I asked Maestro Wroe why that is significant.

“The NJSCA is an anchor in the State,” he said. “We are honored that they recognize the work we do as being in synchronization with their mission to keep New Jersey a thriving and vibrant artistic community.”

“It is a stamp of legitimacy.”

 

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