By Mabel Pais

Grammy award-winning violinist Joshua Bell returns to perform Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 with the New Jersey Symphony led by Music Director Xian Zhang, June 9—11.

The program also features the world premiere of Daniel Bernard Roumain’s Farah (Joy) for Voice and Orchestra and Stravinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring.’ Violinist and composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) is a musical polymath who has embraced electronica, jazz, R&B, pop, hip-hop, gospel and traditional African American music, in addition to classical. Farah (Joy) is Roumain’s second work commissioned by the New Jersey Symphony in his capacity as the orchestra’s first Resident Artistic Catalyst.

Scored for solo vocalist and orchestra, Farah (Joy) is in complete contrast to DBR’s commission last year, “Symphonic Scenes and Samples from We Shall Not Be Moved”, a work that centered on protest. Collaborating again with librettist Marc Bamuthi Joseph, DBR and Joseph chose to focus on joy.

Grammy-Award winning violinist Joshua Bell brings life to Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1. With a renowned career spanning decades, he has established himself as one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of our time, captivating audiences worldwide with his performances.

The program continues with The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky’s energetic and dark tale based on pagan rituals in Russia — a truly groundbreaking piece – became among the most important musical works of the 20th century.

PROGRAM

Season Finale with Joshua Bell

Friday, June 9, 8:00 pm | New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark

Saturday, June 10, 8 pm | Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank

Sunday, June 11, 3 pm | New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark

Xian Zhang conductor

Joshua Bell violin

Becky Bass vocalist

New Jersey Symphony

New Century Gala

Sunday, June 11, at 1:30 pm

The New Jersey Symphony is excited to present the culminating event of its centennial season and launch of its next century in conjunction with the New Century Gala.

The event includes a pre-concert reception, premiere seating for the

Season Finale with Joshua Bell concert and a post-concert dinner. (For information about the Young Professionals After Party – contact Jesse!)

Classical Conversation

Friday, June 9, at 7 pm and Saturday, June 10, at 7 pm

Enjoy a lively Classical Conversation before the performance. Learn more about the music from New Jersey Symphony musicians, guest artists and other engaging insiders.

Xian Zhang

Grammy Awards-Winning Conductor Xian Zhang’s recording with Time for Three and The Philadelphia Orchestra, Letters for The Future (on Deutsche Grammophon), won awards in both the Best Contemporary Classical Composition (specifically Kevin Puts’ Contact), and Best Classical Instrumental Solo categories in 2023.

Xian Zhang is currently in her seventh season as Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony, which marks its 100th anniversary season in 2022–23. With New Jersey Symphony, Zhang has commissioned composers such as Wynton Marsalis, Jessie Montgomery, Qigang Chen, Chen Yi, Steven Mackey, Thomas Adès, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Christopher Rouse, Vivian Li, Gary Morgan, Christian McBride and Paquito D’Rivera. She is also responsible for introducing their annual Lunar New Year celebrations.

Zhang previously served as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra’s Chorus of Wales, the first female conductor to hold a titled role with a BBC orchestra. In 2002, she won first prize in the Maazel-Vilar Conductor’s Competition. She was appointed New York Philharmonic’s Assistant Conductor in 2002, subsequently becoming their Associate Conductor and the first holder of the Arturo Toscanini Chair.

Daniel Bernard Roumain

Daniel Bernard Roumain’s acclaimed work as a composer, performer, educator and activist spans more than two decades, and he has been commissioned by venerable artists and institutions worldwide. “About as omnivorous as a contemporary artist gets” (New York Times), DBR is perhaps the only composer whose collaborations span Philip Glass, Bill T. Jones, Savion Glover and Lady Gaga.

Known for his signature violin sounds infused with myriad electronic, urban and African American music influences, DBR takes his genre-bending music beyond the proscenium. He is a composer of chamber, orchestral and operatic works; has won an Emmy for Outstanding Musical Composition for his collaborations with ESPN; has been featured as keynote performer at technology conferences; and created large-scale, site-specific musical events for public spaces. DBR earned his doctorate in Music Composition from the University of Michigan and is currently Institute Professor and Professor of Practice at Arizona State University. Learn more at dbrmusic.com.

Joshua Bell

With a career spanning almost four decades, Grammy award-winning violinist Joshua Bell is one of the most celebrated artists of his era. Having performed with virtually every major orchestra in the world, Bell continues to maintain engagements as soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, conductor and Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Bell has been named 2010 “Instrumentalist of the Year” by Musical America, a 2007 “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum, nominated for six Grammy awards, and received the 2007 Avery Fisher Prize. He has also received the 2003 Indiana Governor’s Arts Award and a Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 1991 from the Jacobs School of Music. In 2000, he was named an “Indiana Living Legend.”

Bell has performed for three American presidents and the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. He participated in former president Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities’ first cultural mission to Cuba, joining Cuban and American musicians on a 2017 Live from Lincoln Center Emmy nominated PBS special, Joshua Bell: Seasons of Cuba, celebrating renewed cultural diplomacy between Cuba and the United States. Learn more at joshuabell.com 

Becky Bass

Becky Bass is an award-winning vocalist, steel pannist and actor from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, currently based in Providence, Rhode Island. A graduate of Brown University in 2013 in Theatre Arts & Performance Studies, Bass was awarded the prestigious Weston Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre upon graduation.

As a multi-award winner, Bass performs her Caribbean Soul music as a solo artist and with several bands including Zili Musik and Sidy Maiga & Afrimanding. She also lends her talents to RPM Voices, a cross-cultural multi-generational gospel choir.

Bass opened for and performed with international Grammy &  Emmy-Award winning artists including Oumou Sangare, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Yellowman, Warrior King and Wyclef Jean. She also performed at the National Gallery of Art’s Jazz in the Garden concert series, Lincoln Center, Off-Broadway theater LaMaMa and numerous festivals. Learn more at beckybass.com.

TICKETS

Tickets are available at njsymphony.org or by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476). For more information, visit njsymphony.org/season-finale-with-joshua-bell. 

The New Jersey Symphony

The Emmy and Grammy Award-winning New Jersey Symphony, celebrating its Centennial Season in 2022–23, is redefining what it means to be a nationally leading, relevant orchestra in the 21st century. Learn more at njsymphony.org.

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health & Wellness, Education, Cuisine, Spirituality, and Business)