(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Symphony is your place to celebrate the holiday season, with many great events throughout the Garden State. Experience the magic of Christmas Disney's The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert, performed in Morristown, Red Bank, Newark and New Brunswick. Some concerts are almost sold out, but great seats remain at the two NJPAC in Newark concerts at 3:00pm & 7:30pm on December 7, 2024. At all concerts you'll be greeted by the Yuletide Carolers, singing holiday classics in the lobby (free for ticketholders).
Also in Newark, A Gospel Holiday will be performed at Science Park High School, featuring the New Jersey Symphony and the New Jersey Symphony Gospel Chorus, directed by Gwen Moten. Come ready to sing, dance and clap along!
Hear more holiday tunes from the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players at Newark’s Winter Village in the Mulberry Commons, and at NJ TRANSIT’s Newark Penn Station lobby.
Handel’s Messiah returns to Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, which is a beloved family tradition for many. Two performances of Messiah will also be presented in Princeton. The concert will be conducted by the GRAMMY-winning conductor Jeannete Sorrell and features guest vocalists: Sonya Headlam, soprano; John Holiday, countertenor; Ed Lyon, tenor; and Kevin Deas, bass-baritone. Holiday, who gained fame as a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice.”
Everyone’s favorite Nutcracker production returns to Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, led by NJ Ballet with New Jersey Symphony playing the memorable musical score.
The holiday season continues into January with the Lunar New Year Celebration, an evening of community and cultural exchange that is wonderful for families and children, as we celebrate the Year of the Snake. Music Director Xian Zhang, pianist Min Kwon, the Peking University Alumni Chorus, the Starry Arts Children’s Chorus and the Edison Chinese School Lion Dance Team all return for this joyous concert, plus a special appearance by opera star Michael Fabiano! Upgrade your evening with the VIP event experience, featuring early access to the Cultural Exchange Festival, a VIP reception and premier seating for the Celebration Concert.
The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert | New Jersey Symphony at the Movies
Constantine Kitsopoulos conductor | New Jersey Symphony
Morristown → Thursday, Dec 5, 2024, 7:30pm, Mayo Performing Arts Center
Red Bank → Friday, Dec 6, 2024, 7:30pm, Count Basie Center for the Arts
Newark → Saturday, Dec 7, 2024, 3:00pm & 7:30pm, New Jersey Performing Arts Center
New Brunswick → Sunday, Dec 8, 2024, 3:00pm, State Theatre New Jersey
Music in Motion | Presented in collaboration with NJ TRANSIT
New Jersey Symphony Brass Quintet
Newark → Tuesday, Dec 10, 4:45pm, Newark Penn Station
Featuring a mix of upbeat brass quintet tunes and holiday favorites!
Newark Winter Village Neighborhood Concerts
New Jersey Symphony Brass Quintet
Newark → Wed, Dec 11, 4:00pm, Mulberry Commons
Featuring a mix of upbeat brass quintet tunes and holiday favorites!
New Jersey Ballet’s Nutcracker with New Jersey Symphony
Presented by New Jersey Ballet, in collaboration with Mayo Performing Arts Center and New Jersey Symphony
Constantine Kitsopoulos conductor
New Jersey Ballet
New Jersey Symphony
Morristown → Mayo Performing Arts Center; Friday, Dec 13, 2024, 7:30pm; Saturday, Dec 14, 2024, 1:00pm & 6:00pm; Sunday, Dec 15, 2024, 1:00pm & 6:00pm; Friday, Dec 20, 2024, 7:30pm; Saturday, Dec 21, 2024, 1:00pm & 6:00pm; Sunday, Dec 22, 2024, 1:00pm & 6:00pm; Monday, Dec 23, 2024, 1:00pm; Tuesday, Dec 24, 2024, 1:00pm; and Thursday, Dec 26, 2024, 1:00pm & 6:00pm
Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker
Based on The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffman
A Gospel Holiday | New Jersey Symphony Family Concert
Gregory D. McDaniel conductor
New Jersey Symphony Gospel Chorus | Gwen Moten, director
New Jersey Symphony
Newark → Saturday, Dec 14, 2024, 2:00pm, Science Park High School
Various / arr. Johnie Dean Calypso Christmas Medley
Jason Webb / arr. Brad Henderson “Hallelujah to the King of Glory”
Leroy Anderson Selections from Suite of Carols
Traditional / arr. Michael McElroy & Joseph Joubert “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
Michael O’Shields / arr. B. Dexter Allgood “O, Magnify the Lord”
Traditional / arr. Morton Gould It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Traditional / arr. Luther Henderson Ding, Dong, Merrily on High
Traditional / arr. Jack Gale Deck the Halls
Jill Jackson-Miller & Sy Miller “Let There Be Peace on Earth”
Traditional / arr. Michael McElroy & Joseph Joubert “Go Tell it on the Mountain”
B. Dexter Allgood “Hallelujah (to the Newborn King), Jesus is Born”
Handel’s Messiah | New Jersey Symphony Holiday Tradition
Jeannette Sorrell conductor
Sonya Headlam soprano
John Holiday countertenor
Ed Lyon tenor
Kevin Deas bass-baritone
Montclair State University Singers | Heather J. Buchanan, director
New Jersey Symphony
Princeton → Friday, Dec 20, 2024, 8:00pm, Richardson AuditoriumPrinceton → Saturday, Dec 21, 2024, 8:00pm, Richardson Auditorium
Newark → Sunday, Dec 22, 2024, 7:00pm, Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart
George Frideric Handel Messiah
2025 Lunar New Year Celebration with Xian Zhang | Celebration of the Year of the Snake
Xian Zhang conductor
Min Kwon piano
Michael Fabiano tenor
Peking University Alumni Chorus
Starry Arts Children’s Chorus | Rebecca Shen, director
Edison Chinese School Lion Dance Team
New Jersey Symphony
Newark → Friday, Jan 25, 2025, 7:30pm, New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Li Huanzhi Spring Festival Overture
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Selections from Piano Concerto No. 23
Traditional Arirang
Traditional “Yuan Ri”
Traditional arr. Nicholas Hersh “The Red Dragonfly”
Giacomo Puccini “E Lucevan le stelle” from Tosca
Giacomo Puccini “Che gelida manina” from La Bohème
Giacomo Puccini Selections from Turandot
More information on concerts and tickets: njsymphony.org/events.
New Jersey Symphony is a GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning orchestra. Under the direction of the Music Director Xian Zhang, the Symphony performs more than 60 concerts at mainstage venues across the state, including Newark, Princeton, New Brunswick, Red Bank and Morristown as well as schools and public spaces statewide. Programming at the Symphony reflects an unwavering commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion while providing students across the state unparalleled opportunities to achieve musical excellence through its Youth Orchestra and other outreach programs. In 2024, the Symphony announced it would continue to deliver its statewide activities from a new, permanent office, rehearsal and concert space in Jersey City, set to open in 2026.
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