NJYS Presents 45th Annual Celebration Concert

GARWOOD POETS...Garwood Partnership for Arts and Culture (GPAC) held the first annual Garwood Poetry Festival in celebration of April’s Poetry month on April 20 and 21.The Garwood Library hosted Saturday’s event which featured six local poets who submitted their poetry to GPAC for the reading. Victoria Archer, Anton Gruenewald, Marc Lazarow, Victoria Losa, Miller Schulman and Leona Suefert all read. On Sunday, 12 NJ poets read their poems to a packed house at the Crossroads on North Avenue. Robin Rosen Chang, Victoria Archer, Nat Bottingheimer, James Cody, Moriah Cohen, Tina Kelley, Liz Kingsley, Ayla Miller, Carol Nolde, Theta Pavis, Erik Roth and Michael Young all read their work to a very appreciative audience. The Garwood Partnership for Arts and Culture is a group of volunteers headed by Councilwoman Nolde and aims to promote the arts in Garwood. For more information about their initiatives, please visit the Borough of Garwood Website. Pictured from left to right are: Erik Roth, Victoria Archer, Michael Young, Robin Rosen Chang, Carol Nolde, Nat Bottingheimer, Moriah Cohen, Theta Pavis, Tina Kelley, Liz Kingsley, Ayla Miller, James Cody and Councilwoman Clarissa Nolde.

Arts and Entertainment, Community Calendar

May 2, 2024

NEWARK—TheNewJerseyYouth Symphony (NJYS), a program of Wharton Arts, will present its 45th Anniversary Celebration Concert on Sunday, May 5 at 3 p.m. at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark. Experience a grand celebration of the Garden State’s premier youth orchestra program as its three full symphony orchestras and Jazz Orchestra come together with alumni for a triumphant concert commemorating the 45th season. Special guest stars George Marriner Maull of The Discovery Orchestra and jazz legend Rufus Reid join the jubilee led by NJYS conductors Dion Tucker, Mark Gunderman, Simon Lipskar, and Helen H. Cha-Pyo. The celebratory program features works by Holst, Copland, Rufus Reid, Valerie Coleman, James Ra, and Respighi.

Audience members are invited to take a sweeping look at the New Jersey Youth Symphony’s 45-year history and the road ahead. Tickets are $20, $35, and $50, available at NJPAC.org. VIP Tickets can be purchased for $150 and include premium seating and admission to the post-concert reception. VIP Tickets, as well as more ways to support NJYS, can be found at NJYS45.givesmart.com.

“As founding Music Director and Conductor of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, nothing could make me happier than the celebration of the youth symphony’s 45thAnniversary— an amazing accomplishment in the lifespans of today’s nonprofits,” said Maestro George Marriner Maull, “The New Jersey Youth Symphony, a vital part of the WhartonArts family, is now flourishing under the artistic leadership of Helen Cha-Pyo and her staff. It is flourishing beyond the wildest dreams of those of us—and there were so many during those first eighteen years beginning in 1979—who planted and nourished this seed. Just gaze at and listen to what that seed has blossomed into…Happy 45th Anniversary indeed!”

Throughout the 2023-24 season, NJYS has honored its vibrant history and bright future with premieres of new compositions and beloved music from the inaugural season in 1979. For more information, go to NJYS.org.

Wharton Arts’ mission is to offer accessible, high quality performing arts education that sparks personal growth and builds inclusive communities.

Wharton Arts’ vision is for a transformative performing arts education in an inclusive community to be accessible for everyone.