Just as the New Jersey Symphony was planning this season’s 100th anniversary celebration, it came to an end this weekendI’ve always wondered, will the orchestra go to Carnegie Hall?
After all, appearing at Carnegie, even if it means renting a hall, is a mark of excellence and recognition, an exclamation mark on tours and special occasions. Like my 100th birthday.
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has played many Carnegie performances over the years, but most recently in 2012 decided that now was not the right time to make a comeback.
“Of course we can go to Carnegie,” Gabriel van Aerst, the orchestra’s chief executive, recalled recently thinking. “We could have hired them. We could have done it. is here, and the audience is here.”
These were shocking words from an organization that has long characterized what and where it is not. The problem with concert halls is that New Jersey is geographically sandwiched between two of the world’s greatest ensembles, the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Smaller than either of these giants, the New Jersey Symphony has recently outgrown its weight in programmatic ambitions, joining in with some of its best known neighborhood symphonies as the music world continues to rebuild from the pandemic. We pride ourselves on thinking locally instead of trying to compete. His music director since 2016, Xian Zhang, says the ensemble has a dynamic, collaborative leader and is well received by players.
“Since I came here, I have filled 10 positions,” said Zhang. “We only have 66 musicians in total, so this is a high number. I feel like I’m closer now.”
Originally called the Montclair Art Society Orchestra, it debuted on November 27, 1922, and had an unusual female member for the time. The first program includes Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, which Joshua Bell will reprise for the season finale this weekend.
In the orchestra’s early years, many of its players were also members of the Philharmonic Orchestra, so the orchestra benefited from its proximity to New York. And even now, that proximity is valuable in attracting talent. (Star pianist Daniil Trifonov might not have become so enduring had he not lived across the Hudson in Battery Park City.)
Under the ten-year leadership of young conductor Samuel Antek, who died suddenly in 1958, community service is a priority, including lowering ticket prices, making radio appearances, hiring local choirs, and hosting children’s concerts. became. A decade later, Henry Lewis, the first black music director of a major orchestra, entered a glamorous tenure, ushering in the sort of boom that swept across the American orchestral scene in the 1960s and ’70s.
The ensemble is known for its charismatic podium leaders. Hugh Wolfe’s programming was creative and his performances sophisticated. Under Zdenek Makar, Newark’s New Jersey Performing Arts Center opened in 1997 and became the home of the orchestra, with Neeme Järvi, who was in charge from 2003 to 2009, leading the concert to enthusiastic reception. .
Born in China in 1973, Zhang made her first guest appearance in 2010 when her English was still developing, recalls the band’s concertmaster Eric Willik.
“She was very businesslike,” he says, at the first rehearsal. “Her birth was very ups and downs. But then in her performance she exploded. For a tiny person she was just huge.”
“For me, this orchestra was very easy to conduct,” Zhang said. “They read me easily.”
In a swooping but clear gesture, she brings the ensemble to a long-untouched repertoire (such as Mahler’s Third Symphony earlier this year) and composers like Steve Mackie (many of whom are new). based at the National Theater). jersey.
In rehearsals for a recent concert featuring Randall Gusby as soloist for Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, she worked with musicians on a new piece by Chen Yi, emphasizing the sense of floating and the length of musical lines. lots of space. (Having a composer at home was a rare moment in the world of music. The rehearsals were entirely led by Chan, Chen, and the ensemble’s co-conductor, Tong Chen, an Asian woman. .)
“They pick things up faster than most orchestras,” Zhang said after rehearsals. This is necessary as the group constantly travels between five major venues across the state.
“Because we are not a giant company, we can be more responsive to the needs of the community,” said van Aalst. “Traditionally, orchestras either say, ‘Come to us, we’re great,’ or they go out into the community and say, ‘Hey, listen to us.’ We were very intentional about going to the community and asking, ‘What do we need?
This approach meant a larger and richer Lunar New Year celebration than most American orchestras, and an interesting performance of May Indian music aimed at engaging with the state’s substantial South Asian community. . Player contracts have a strong boardroom element and encourage participation in educational activities.
“We are not going to compete with the New York Philharmonic,” said van Aalst. “We are not going to compete with Philadelphia.your New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. We are here for your community. “
Zhang’s current contract has been extended through the 2027-28 season, at which point her tenure as music director will be 12 years, the longest in orchestral history. “She could have done this for eight years and left and done something else,” said van Aalst. “But I think she loves being here. She has a symbiotic relationship.”
There are also things to look forward to. A new repertoire with more Mahler and a fuller set of commissioned works, and a desire to build a new building owned by the orchestra, unlike his own organization, his Performing Arts Center in New Jersey. — Dedicated to office, rehearsals and education. Even longer term, there are dreams of having a summer venue in the area, similar to the Hollywood Bowl.
Mr. Zhang said he would like to lead the orchestra on tour, including abroad, but he seems less concerned about proving the ensemble’s authenticity, especially in neighboring regions.
“I’d rather commission two new pieces from a composer in New Jersey than spend money to go to Carnegie Hall,” Van Aalst said. “That’s really what drives this art form forward. It’s really celebrating the orchestra.”
