Calendar of Events April–June 2015

Transcription

April–June 2015
njpac.org 1
2 New Jersey Performing Arts Center
April–June 2015
inside
what’s
Calendar of Events | 6
NJP5
The women of Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater | 4
NJPAC Shining Stars | 11
NJPAC Contributors | 12
Muse | 14
Season Funders | 16
Classical 2015-16 | 18
NJPAC Staff & Administration | 20
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April–June 2015
njpac.org 3
Be inspired by
the women of Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater
During the company’s celebratory Mother’s Day engagement
them not only enjoy the performances, but
are invited to join a series of related events,
most offering free admission. A vendors’
boutique in the lobby, master classes and
dance workshops, children’s book readings,
and packages that include brunch or wellness
treatments are detailed at njpac.org.
Photo by Paul Kolnik
Green says she models herself on the stylish yet
capable women whose qualities first attracted
her to dancing. “If you look at the women
in the company, they don’t look like young
girls,” Green explains. “There’s a maturity and
uniqueness about each of them.”
Linda Celeste Sims in
Jacqulyn Buglisi’s Suspended Women.
By Robert Johnson
Jacqueline Green remembers the first time
she saw an Ailey dancer up close. It was
back in Baltimore, and she was a high school
sophomore. Green hadn’t been dancing long,
when Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell stopped by
her class at the Baltimore School for the Arts.
“I was just blown away, in awe, and I wanted
to know everything about her,” says Green.
“I thought she was beautiful as a mover, a
person, a spirit—everything. And I found
out she worked for Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater.”
That encounter led Green to the Ailey/
Fordham BFA program in New York City and
eventually to the Ailey Company, which she
joined in 2011.
Green will be among the featured performers in
that glamorous crowd when the troupe returns
to NJPAC, May 8-10, for its annual Mother’s
Day celebration. Moms and those who love
Even in this company of vibrant individuals,
of course, some people have earned special
distinction. While offering fresh opportunities
to young talents like Green, this season’s
repertoire also will allow audiences to savor
the artistry of two revered company veterans:
Hope Boykin, who is in her 15th season with
Ailey, and who stars in the season premiere
of ODETTA; and Linda Celeste Sims, who
joined the troupe in 1996, and who was
honored last October with a Bessie Award for
Outstanding Performance.
“What I hear from dancers who used to be
in the company is that Alvin really respected
the women a lot,” says Sims, referring to the
troupe’s late founder. “He respected them
and he treated them well. Maybe it could
be because he loved his mother so much.”
A charismatic dancer, Ailey would also be
recognized for his humanity, and for his vision
in creating an institution where black artists
could realize their dreams.
Sims is also a fan of the late African-American
choreographer Ulysses Dove, whose Bad
Blood she will perform on Friday evening.
“I’m Latin, and I am a little powerhouse. So
I love doing Ulysses’ work—I like the fire.”
Describing the intensity of her interactions
with her partner in Bad Blood’s central duet,
Sims says, “I’m pushing him, I’m throwing
myself at him, and, yeah, I’m the one who
wears the pants.”
April–June 2015
Even after performing with the troupe for
19 years, Sims says, “I still dance like a new
dancer. I’m the type of person who’s always
working on getting stronger, getting better. I
never stop learning, going out to find teachers
who can coach me. And I never look back.”
run of Mamma Mia! in Toronto. Her musical
theater experience makes McLaren particularly
eager to tackle roles that allow her to create a
character or tell a story. As Odetta and Harry
Belafonte sing “There’s a Hole in the Bucket,”
McLaren and her partner, Marcus Jarrell
Willis, pantomime the lyrics while occupying
two chairs, essentially dancing from the
waist up. “It’s just hilarious,” McLaren says.
“It’s a great comedic piece.”
On Friday, audiences will see her tender side
in Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain
(Pas de Deux), partnered by her husband,
Glenn Allen Sims. And on Saturday she is
thrilled to have a role in Suspended Women,
by choreographer Jacqulyn Buglisi, a former
Martha Graham dancer whom Sims says she
met years ago. In fact, Sims was still a child
studying at Ballet Hispanico when Buglisi
came to teach a course in Graham Technique.
ODETTA tells more than one story, however,
and they aren’t all playful. In her first season
with the Ailey Company, dancer Jacquelin
Harris seems too young to have seen much of
the world, but Rushing has created a role for
her that belies her innocence. Harris dances
to Odetta’s recording of the Bob Dylan song
“Masters of War,” and she says, “I portray a
young woman whose lover goes off to war.”
She adds, “There are numerous people, whom
I love dearly, who have been out to war or are
currently on deployment. So I have personal
experience that I definitely can draw from.”
“I love Graham because I had teachers like
her, who made it so passionate,” Sims says.
Speaking of Buglisi, the dancer adds, “She
was one of my teachers who really inspired
me, and made me who I am today–the kind of
teacher who really pushes stuff out of you.”
For her part, Boykin says she is thrilled to
have the anchor role in Friday’s debut of
ODETTA, a premiere that Ailey’s in-house
choreographer Matthew Rushing developed
with Boykin in mind. ODETTA introduces
audiences to the life and music of the late folk
singer Odetta Holmes, who was also a civil
rights activist and enduring role model.
Harris says that watching the more experienced
women in the Ailey Company—like Demetia
Hopkins Greene (who is scheduled to perform
the lead in ODETTA on Sunday)—has taught
her something about dance as an identity.
She says, “It makes me understand that in
order to do this job—in order to be a great
dancer—you don’t necessarily have to portray
anything. You can just go on stage and be
yourself, and there’s a beauty in that as well.”
“I heard in a sermon that ‘encouraging’ is
actually pouring courage into a person,”
Boykin says. “And I think that’s so beautiful,
because Odetta did that through her music.
She sang her issues. She sang her frustrations.
She sang those trials out, and that’s what
I have to do as a person, as a human, as a
servant of the Lord, as a teacher. I have to
dance out my truth.”
Robert Johnson is a freelance dance writer.
Follow him on Twitter @RobertJ26215165.
“She pushes me,” says Rachael McLaren,
who also dances in the cast of ODETTA.
“Ever since I got into this company, she
basically put her hand around my shoulder
and she’s been a big sister to me. She’s always
encouraged me and pushed me to do more—
to trust myself; to love myself; to give what
I have to the audience.”
Contributing to the diversity of the Ailey
Company are the dancers’ varied backgrounds.
When McLaren came to New York to study
modern dance, she was fresh from a two-year
April–June 2015
Photo by Steve Wilson
Even as she takes inspiration from Odetta,
Boykin herself is inspiring the young women
of the Ailey Company.
Hope Boykin in Matthew Rushing’s ODETTA
njpac.org 5
Photo by Pamela Littky
This spring NJPAC has added an exciting line-up of artists to the calendar that you are not
going to want to miss! Richard Thompson performs a rare solo concert on April 22... May the
Force be with you to join us on June 20 for the only NJ performances of One-Man Star Wars
Trilogy written and performed by Charles Ross... classic rock fans won't want to miss the
NJPAC debut of Boston on June 5... and join us on June 13 for the only NJ appearance of the
spectacular, multi-media live production Invincible: A Glorious Tribute to the King of Pop. This is
the closest it gets to seeing and hearing Michael Jackson onstage!
Calendar of Events
April–June 2015
All events and programs subject to change without notice.
April 2015
Friday, April 3 at 8pm
The Moody Blues
Saturday, April 4 at 8pm
Masters of Ceremony
DMX, Mobb Deep, EPMD,
Rakim, Big Daddy Kane,
Slick Rick and Kid Capri
Saturday, April 11
at 2:30 & 8pm
Sunday, April 12 at 1:30pm
Shen Yun
2015 World Tour
Saturday, April 11 at 7:30pm
Bill Charlap presents
Bird Lives!
A Salute to Charlie Parker
Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry
at NJPAC:
Jersey Voices
Sunday, April 12 at 1 & 4pm
Jim Henson’s
Dinosaur Train Live!
Don Quixote
New Jersey Ballet Company
56th Anniversary Celebration
The Price Is Right Live!
Sunday, April 19 at 3pm
An Afternoon with
Audra McDonald
Wednesday, April 22 at 8pm
Richard Thompson
Swinging on a Star:
The Music of Jimmy
Van Heusen
with Norm Lewis and
Rebecca Luker
April–June 2015
May 2015
Friday, May 1 at 7:30pm
The Princess Bride:
An Inconceivable
Evening with Cary Elwes
Screening, Q&A,
Behind-the-Scenes Stories
Saturday, May 2
at 5 & 8pm
Michael Franks
with special guest
Raul Midón
Friday, May 8 at 8pm
Saturday, May 9 at 8pm
Sunday, May 10 at 3pm
Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater
The Musical Adventures
of Flat Stanley
Dallas Children's Theater
Metropolitan Opera
Rising Stars:
Romantic Treasures
WBLS welcomes
A Mother’s Day Celebration
Maze featuring
Frankie Beverly
and Toni Braxton
at The Prudential Center
André Watts, piano
with the NJSO
Works by Mozart,
Beethoven, Stravinsky
and Grieg
Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry
at NJPAC:
Poetry Like Bread:
Poems of Political and
Social Consciousness
Tuesday, May 19 at 7pm
Trending with Scott Simon:
Women Who Set the Agenda
NJPAC Stage Exchange:
Hoodwinked
(Free event –
reservations required)
Hispanic Youth Showcase
Steven Wilson
Wednesday, May 27 at 8pm
JBL presents
A.R. Rahman:
The Intimate Concert Tour
Jonathan’s Choice:
Jessica Molaskey
Portraits of Joni Mitchell
Concert and conversation
with radio host
Jonathan Schwartz
Chaka Khan
June 2015
Friday, June 5 at 8pm
Boston
Saturday, June 6 at 2pm
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Visible Fictions
Nathalie Pires/Dancas Ocultas
Monday, June 8 at 6pm
Believe in Newark:
Mayor Baraka’s Town Hall
on Health
Invincible: A Glorious Tribute
to Michael Jackson
Wednesday, June 17 at 8pm
Huey Lewis and The News
Friday, June 19 at 8pm
Jersey (New) Moves!
Emerging Choreographers
Saturday, June 20 at
3 & 8pm
One-Man Star Wars Trilogy
Starring Charles Ross
Gilberto Santa Rosa with
Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz
Sunday, June 21 at 7pm
Earthquake & Friends
Father’s Day Celebration
Friday, June 26 at 7:30pm
Rev. Stef & Jubilation
featuring special guest artist
Dionne Warwick
May 1
April–June 2015
njpac.org 7
NJPAC is turning up the heat in June with the only Northern NJ appearance of Huey Lewis
and The News – one of America’s greatest, straight-ahead rock’n’roll bands performing
their timeless string of hits on June 17… Gilberto Santa Rosa returns to Prudential Hall on
June 20 with special guests Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz… and on June 21, join us for a special
Father’s Day Celebration with the explosive comedy of Earthquake & Friends!
Please note: Tickets are non-refundable. Artists, dates, times, programs, prices and venues are subject to change.
April–June 2015
PROTECTING THE WILDEST
JUNGLES ON THE PLANET.
MAIN STREET. PRESCHOOL. THE PLAYGROUND. The environment isn’t
just some far off place. It’s the lawn under our feet, the food on
our plate, and the air we breathe. To learn more, go to NRDC.org.
And help protect the jungle creatures in your backyard.
Because the environment is everywhere.
April–June 2015
njpac.org 9
April–June 2015
Victoria Theater
Sunday, May 24, 2015 at 7pm
NJPAC presents
Steven Wilson
Presented in association with Metropolitan Entertainment
As a courtesy to the performers and fellow audience members, please be
sure to silence all mobile devices. The use of recording equipment and the
taking of photographs are strictly prohibited.
This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council
on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for
the Arts and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.
May 2015
njpac.org I
Meet the Artist
and lush orchestrations. Signing to One Little
Indian in the UK, and Epic in the US in 1990,
they received tremendous accolades from
the music press, with Singles of the Week in
Melody Maker, Sounds and Hot Press.
Steven Wilson
One of the most eclectic and prolific artists
in rock music, Steven Wilson has been
writing, recording and producing music
continuously since the age of 10. A native of
Hemel Hempstead in England, Steven was
first exposed to music at the age of eight,
when he started hearing his father listening
to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, and
his mother to Donna Summer’s Love to Love
You Baby, two albums that were pivotal in
the development of his musical direction.
His father, an electrical engineer, built him a
multi-track tape machine, and he began to
experiment with overdubbing and developing
a repertoire of production techniques. Early
demo tapes started to emerge in the mid ’80s
while Steven was still at school, and at the
end of the decade he created the two projects
which gained him entry to the professional
music world: Porcupine Tree and No Man.
Porcupine Tree, which explored psychedelia,
progressive music and his love of ambitious
’70’s music, was initially an imaginary “band”
which, in reality, Steven overdubbed all the
instruments himself. This even extended to
early demo tapes coming with a fictional
written history of the band, and biographical
info about the fictitious performers. Around
the same time, Steven formed No-Man, his
long-term collaboration with singer Tim
Bowness. Influenced by everything from
ambient music to hip-hop, their early singles
and albums were a mixture of dance beats
II New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Meanwhile, things progressed with Porcupine
Tree, whose increasing popularity was fast
outpacing the imaginary pretext of an actual
group. The second full-length album, Up the
Downstair was released in 1993 and was
praised by Melody Maker as “a psychedelic
masterpiece… one of the albums of the year.”
This was the first album to include keyboardist
Richard Barbieri and bassist Colin Edwin,
albeit only as guests at this point, the album
was still effectively a solo project. The next
album, The Sky Moves Sideways, was a
transitional album featuring both solo SW and
band pieces, but from then on it became a full
band with the addition of Chris Maitland on
drums. Further albums throughout the ’90s,
and extensive touring resulted in a string of
indie chart placings and critical acclaim, many
fans hailing them as the Pink Floyd of the ’90s.
In 2001 Porcupine Tree was signed to US label
Lava Records, under the auspices of Atlantic
Records. Now with the support of a major
label, and featuring new drummer Gavin
Harrison, In Absentia saw the light of day in
2002, featuring a heavier sound than all of the
group’s previous works. It charted in many
European countries and remains one of the
top-selling Porcupine Tree albums. It was also
their first album to be released in 5.1 Surround
Sound, and won the “Best Made-For-Surround
Title” award for the Surround Music Awards
2004. Its 2005 follow-up, Deadwing was
inspired by a film script written by Steven and
film-maker Mike Bennion, and became the
first Porcupine Tree album to chart around the
world. The album won “Album of the Year”
at the Classic Rock magazine awards, and its
surround version received the “Best Made-ForSurround Title” once again. The following
year the band released Fear of a Blank Planet,
which was nominated for a US Grammy, and
won several polls as the best album of the
year. Their tenth studio album The Incident
was released in late 2009, and became their
highest charting album to date, again received
a Grammy nomination, and was followed by
another extensive tour that included arena
shows and concluded with sold out shows
at Radio City Music Hall in New York, and
the Royal Albert Hall in London. 2010 ended
May 2015
Meet the Artist
with their status as arguably the biggest
“underground” band in the world cemented.
Starting in 2003 Steven quietly started to
release music under his own name, in the form
of a series of two track CD singles on his own
label, Headphone Dust, each one featuring a
cover version and an original SW song. The
choice and treatment of the cover versions was
unpredictable, as it featured songs by Alanis
Morissette, Abba, The Cure, Momus, Prince
and Donovan. Stylistically these cover versions
allowed Steven to expand his musical palette
into everything from electronica, noise music
and stripped down acoustic balladry. This led
to his decision to record his first solo album of
original music.
Between January and August of 2008,
Steven began recording material that would
comprise Insurgentes. Comprising 10 new
tracks that range from ballads and anthems
to all-out industrial noise assaults, the dark,
cinematic, and richly textured disc represents
two years’ worth of creative output and
numerous recording sessions worldwide in
studios from Mexico City to Japan to Israel.
The whole process was visually documented
by film-maker Lasse Hoile, and the work in
progress Insurgentes film features footage
of the recording sessions, surreal sequences,
and interviews with Steven and many other
musicians about what it means to be a musician
in the age of iPods and download culture.
A second solo album, Grace for Drowning,
was recorded in 2010-11 and released in
September 2011 on CD, vinyl and Blu-ray
formats as a double disc designed to be listened
to as two single albums, with the individual
parts named Deform to Form a Star and Like
Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye. The album
received massive critical acclaim and charted
all over the world, notably charting in the top
40 in UK, Holland, Germany and reaching
the Polish top 10. It was nominated at the
54th Grammy Awards for “Best Surround
Sound Album.” Shortly before the release of
the album SW also announced his first solo
tour in Europe and North America. The first
leg of the tour took place in October and
November 2011 and contained songs from
both Insurgentes and Grace for Drowning.
The tour featured quadrophonic sound and
many new visual elements. A second leg of
tour took place in April-May 2012, this time
also taking in South America, and including
May 2015
a brand new 12-minute piece Luminol, which
had been written specifically for the new band
line up to play. A live DVD/Blu-Ray recorded
in Mexico titled Get All You Deserve was
released in September 2012, again charting all
over Europe (#2 in Germany, #5 in the UK).
At the same time that Steven was working on
Grace For Drowning, he was also working on
a collaboration album with his longtime friend
and leader of Swedish band Opeth, Mikael
Akerfeldt. Their collaboration was eventually
released in May 2012 under the name of Storm
Corrosion, and going against all expectation
was an extremely atmospheric and darkly
orchestrated album, very influenced by both
musician’s love of artists such as Scott Walker
and Talk Talk.
Steven has become known for the high
standard of his production and is a sought-after
mixer and producer. Artists he has worked
with in this capacity include the Norwegian
artist Anja Garbarek, Anathema and Swedish
progressive-metal band Opeth, for whom he
produced and/or mixed four albums. Other
projects include Blackfield, a collaboration
with Israeli megastar Aviv Geffen, which has
now produced two acclaimed albums, and
Steven’s drone / ambient / experimental outlet
Bass Communion.
More recently Steven has become known for
his 5.1 surround sound mixing, starting with
his own projects, but since 2009 also for the
remixing of several classic albums, notably
the revamping of the King Crimson catalogue,
on which Steven worked closely with band
leader Robert Fripp, Jethro Tull and several
others yet unannounced projects.
In 2012 Steven won the “Guiding Light”
trophy at the Progressive Music Awards. He
also began writing and recording his third
solo studio album, The Raven that Refused to
Sing (and Other Stories) in Los Angeles with
legendary producer Alan Parsons engineering.
The album was released in February 2013
and was a huge critical and commercial
success, earning numerous 5-star reviews and
charting well across the world. The virtuoso
band Steven assembled to record the album—
Guthrie Govan (guitar), Adam Holzman
(keyboards), Theo Travis (flute / sax), Nick
Beggs (bass / stick), and Marco Minneman—
accompanied him on a hugely successful world
tour in 2013 of 78 shows across 22 countries.
njpac.org III
Meet the Artist
UK shows included sold-out Royal Albert Hall
and Royal Festival Hall shows. The latter part
of 2014 saw Steven Wilson enter Air Studios
to record the highly anticipated follow-up to
The Raven…
Released in March 2015, via Kscope Records,
Hand. Cannot. Erase. is a concept album;
a mesmerizing, labyrinthine tale hewn from
a vivid blend of fact and fiction. In musical
terms, the new songs are a more varied and
esoteric bunch than those on The Raven
that Refused to Sing, partly due to Steven’s
aversion to repeating himself, but also because
of the way it reflects its subject matter. One
IV New Jersey Performing Arts Center
thing that has remained the same is the band,
which is once again on hand to display its
extraordinary skills and sensitivity. Veering
from brooding electronic soundscapes to
incendiary progressive rock epics and covering
all bases in between, Hand. Cannot. Erase.
is simultaneously a summation of everything
that came before it in Steven’s career, and quite
unlike anything he has recorded before. Fans
will be instantly thrilled by his increasingly
refined and distinctive compositional voice,
and the use of new elements such as Ninet
Tayeb’s female vocal contributions, and the
unusual use of a boys’ choir (in the context of
a rock album at least).
May 2015
Victoria Theater
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at 8pm
NJPAC presents
A. R. Rahman
The Intimate Concert
North American Live Tour 2015
World Music Series sponsored by American Express
May 2015
njpac.org V
Meet the Artist
Working in India’s various film industries,
international cinema and theatre, Rahman
is one of the world’s all-time top-selling
recording artists. In a notable career spanning
two decades, Rahman has garnered particular
acclaim for redefining contemporary Indian
film music and thus contributing to the success
of several films.
Rahman is currently one of the highest paid
composers of the motion picture industry. He
is a notable humanitarian and philanthropist,
donating and raising money for beneficial
causes and supporting charities.
Music Style and Impact
Skilled in Carnatic music, Western classical,
Hindustani music and the Qawwali style of
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahman has been
noted to write film songs that amalgamate
elements of these music systems and other
genres, layering instruments from differing
music idioms in an improvisatory manner.
A. R. RAHMAN
A. R. Rahman is an Indian composer, singersongwriter, music producer, musician, multiinstrumentalist and philanthropist. Described
as the world’s most prominent and prolific
film composer by Time, his works are notable
for integrating Eastern classical music with
electronic music sounds, world music genres
and traditional orchestral arrangements.
Rahman has won two Academy Awards, two
Grammy® Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden
Globe, four National Film Awards, fifteen
Filmfare Awards and thirteen Filmfare Awards
South, in addition to numerous other awards
and nominations.
His extensive body of work for film and the
stage earned him the nickname “the Mozart
of Madras,” and several Tamil commentators
and fans have coined him the nickname Isai
Puyal (English: Music Storm). In 2009, Time
placed Rahman in its list of World’s Most
Influential People.
The UK-based world music magazine Songlines
named him one of “Tomorrow’s World Music
Icons” in August 2011. Having set up his own
in-house studio called Panchathan Record
Inn at Chennai, arguably one of Asia’s most
sophisticated and high-tech studios, Rahman’s
film scoring career began in the early 1990s
with the Tamil film Roja.
VI New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Symphonic
orchestral
themes
have
accompanied
his
scores,
occasionally
employing leitmotif. In the 1980s, Rahman
recorded and played arrangements on
monophonic sound, synonymous with the era
of his musical predecessors K. V. Mahadevan
and Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy. In later
years Rahman’s methodology changed as he
experimented with the fusion of traditional
instruments with new electronic sounds
and technology.
Rahman’s musical interests and outlook
stem from his love of experimentation.
His compositions, in the vein of past and
contemporary Chennai film composers,
bring out auteuristic uses of counterpoint,
orchestration and the human voice, melding
Indian pop music with unique timbre, forms
and instrumentation. By virtue of these
qualities, broad ranging lyrics and his syncretic
style, the appeal of his music cuts across the
spectrum of classes and cultures within Indian
society. His first soundtrack for Roja was listed
in Time’s “10 Best Soundtracks” of all time
in 2005. Film critic Richard Corliss felt the
“astonishing debut work parades Rahman’s
gift for alchemizing outside influences until they
are totally Tamil, totally Rahman.” Rahman’s
initial global reach is attributed to the South
Asian diaspora. The music producer Ron Fair
considers Rahman to be “one of the world’s
great living composers in any medium.”
May 2015
Meet the Artist
The director Baz Luhrmann notes: “I had come
to the music of A. R. Rahman through the
emotional and haunting score of Bombay and
the wit and celebration of Lagaan. But the more
of AR’s music I encountered the more I was to
be amazed at the sheer diversity of styles: from
swinging brass bands to triumphant anthems;
from joyous pop to West-End musicals.
Whatever the style, A. R. Rahman’s music
always possesses a profound sense of humanity
and spirit, qualities that inspire me the most.”
Rahman has introduced the 7.1 technology in
south Indian movies to provide better output.
Film Scoring and Soundtracks
When he was nine, Rahman accidentally
played a tune on piano during his father’s
recording for a film, which R. K. Shekhar later
developed into a complete song—“Vellithen
Kinnam Pol”—for the Malayalam film
Penpada. This track, credited to his father,
was sung by Jayachandran and penned by
Bharanikkavu Sivakumar. His film career
began in 1992, when he started Panchathan
Record Inn, a music recording and mixing
studio attached to the backyard of his house.
Over time it would become the most advanced
recording studio in India, and arguably one
of Asia’s most sophisticated and high-tech
studios. He initially composed scores for
documentaries, jingles for advertisements and
Indian Television channels and other projects.
In 1987 Rahman, then still known as Dileep,
got his first opportunity to compose jingles
for a new range of watches being launched
by Allwyn. In 1992, he was approached by
film director Mani Ratnam to compose the
score and soundtrack for Ratnam’s Tamil film
Roja. During the filming, its cinematographer,
Santosh Sivan, signed A. R. Rahman up for
the Malayalam movie Yodha, directed by
his brother Sangeeth Sivan released later in
September 1992.
The debut led Rahman to receive the Rajat
Kamal (Silver Lotus) Award for “Best Music
Director” at the National Film Awards,
an unprecedented win for a first-time film
composer. Rahman has since been awarded
the Silver Lotus three more times for Minsara
Kanavu (Tamil) in 1997, Lagaan (Hindi) in
2002, Kannathil Muthamittal (Tamil) in 2003,
the most ever by any composer.
Roja’s score met with high sales and acclaim
in both its original and dubbed versions, led
May 2015
by the theme song “Chinna Chinna Aasai”
bringing about a marked change in film music
at the time. Rahman has worked with Indian
poets and lyricists such as Javed Akhtar,
Gulzar, Vairamuthu and Vaali.
Rahman
has
consistently
produced
commercially successful soundtracks when
collaborating with particular film directors
such as Mani Ratnam and S. Shankar for the
films Gentleman, Kadhalan, Indian, Jeans,
Mudhalvan, Nayak, Boys, Sivaji and recently
for Enthiran. In 2005, Rahman extended his
Panchathan Record Inn studio by establishing
AM Studios in Kodambakkam, Chennai,
thereby creating the most cutting-edge studio
in Asia.
In 2006, Rahman launched his own music
label, KM Music. Its first release was his score
to the film Sillunu Oru Kaadhal. Rahman
scored the Mandarin language picture
Warriors of Heaven and Earth in 2003 after
researching and utilizing Chinese and Japanese
classical music, and won the Just Plain Folks
Music Award for “Best Music Album” for his
score of the 2006 film Varalaru (God Father).
He co-scored the Shekhar Kapur project and
his first British film, Elizabeth: The Golden
Age, in 2007. He garnered an Asian Film
Award nomination for “Best Composer” at
the Hong Kong International Film Festival
for his Jodhaa Akbar score. His compositions
have been sampled for other scores within
India, and appeared in such films as Inside
Man, Lord of War, Divine Intervention and
The Accidental Husband.
In 2008, Rahman scored his first Hollywood
picture, the comedy Couples Retreat, which
won him the BMI London Award for “Best
Score.” Rahman scored the film Slumdog
Millionaire in 2008, for which he won a
Golden Globe and two Academy Awards,
becoming the first Asian to do so. The songs
“Jai Ho” and “O...Saya” from the soundtrack
met with commercial success internationally.
In 2010, Rahman composed scores for the
romance film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa,
blockbuster sci-fi romance film Enthiran and
Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours. Rahman started off
the year 2011 by scoring Imtiaz Ali’s musical
film Rockstar. The soundtrack became a
phenomenal success and earned Rahman
immense critical praise.
njpac.org VII
Meet the Artist
Performing and Other Projects
Rahman has been involved in several projects
aside from film. Vande Mataram, an album of
his original compositions released on India’s
50th anniversary of independence in 1997,
enjoyed great commercial success.
Vande Mataram is one of the largest selling
Indian non-film albums to date. He followed it
up with an album for the Bharat Bala-directed
video Jana Gana Mana, a conglomeration
of performances by many leading exponents
and artists of Indian classical music. Rahman
has written jingles for ads and composed
several orchestrations for athletic events,
television and internet media publications,
documentaries and short films. He frequently
enlists the Czech Film Orchestra, Prague and
the Chennai Strings Orchestra.
In
1999,
Rahman
partnered
with
choreographers Shobana and Prabhu Deva
and a Tamil cinema dancing troupe to perform
with Michael Jackson in Munich, Germany
at his Michael Jackson and Friends concert.
In 2002, he composed the music for his
maiden stage production, Bombay Dreams,
commissioned by musical theatre composer
Andrew Lloyd Webber. Finnish folk music band
Varttina collaborated with Rahman to write
the music for The Lord of the Rings theatre
production and in 2004, Rahman composed
the piece “Raga’s Dance” for Vanessa-Mae’s
album Choreography performed by Mae and
the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Since 2004, Rahman has performed three
successful world tours to audiences in
Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Dubai, the
United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and
India. He has been collaborating with Karen
David for her upcoming studio album. A twodisc soundtrack, Introducing A. R. Rahman
(2006) featuring 25 of his pieces from Tamil
film scores was released in May 2006, and
his non-film album, Connections was released
in December 2008. Rahman also performed
at the White House State Dinner arranged
by U.S. President Barack Obama during
the official visit of Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on November 24, 2009.
Rahman is one of over 70 artists who performed
on “We Are the World 25 for Haiti,” a charity
single to raise emergency relief funds in the
VIII New Jersey Performing Arts Center
wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In 2010,
Rahman composed “Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat” in
honor of the 50th anniversary of the formation
of Gujarat State, “Semmozhiyaana Thamizh
Mozhiyaam” as part of World Classical Tamil
Conference 2010, and the official theme song
of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, “Jiyo
Utho Bado Jeeto.” Rahman organized his
first world tour, named A. R. Rahman Jai Ho
Concert: The Journey Home World Tour, in
2010. The tour kicked off on June 11 at New
York’s Nassau Coliseum and spanned 16
major cities worldwide.
Some of Rahman’s notable compositions were
performed live by the London Philharmonic
Orchestra in April 2010. In February 2011,
he collaborated with Michael Bolton for
his new studio album Gems – The Duets
Collection. Rahman reworked on his song
“Sajna” from the 2009 American film Couples
Retreat to create the track.
In May 2011, Mick Jagger announced the
formation of a new supergroup, SuperHeavy,
which included Dave Stewart, Joss Stone,
Damian Marley and Rahman. The band’s
self-titled album was released in September
2011. The album features Mick Jagger singing
in Rahman’s “Satyameva Jayate,” which
translates to “the truth alone triumphs.”
In January 2012, it was announced the
German Film Orchestra Babelsberg would
join KM Music Conservatory musicians in a
100-member concert tour of five Indian cities
performing Rahman’s compositions. The tour,
named Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite
Opportunities. Classic Incantations, marked
the centenary of Indian cinema and of Studio
Babelsberg, the world’s oldest film studio.
In the summer of 2012, Rahman composed a
Punjabi song for the London Olympics opening
ceremony, organized by Danny Boyle. It was
part of a medley which showcased Indian
influence in the UK, according to Boyle’s
wishes. Another Indian musician, Ilaiyaraja’s
song from Tamil-language film Ram Lakshman
(1981), was also chosen as part of the medley.
In December 2012, Rahman released the single
“Infinite Love” in both English and Hindi,
commemorating the last day of the Mayan
calendar to spread hope, peace and love.
May 2015
May 2015
njpac.org IX
X New Jersey Performing Arts Center
May 2015
Victoria Theater
Saturday, May 30, 2015 at 8pm
NJPAC presents
Jonathan’s Choice:
An Evening of Music and Conversation with
Jessica Molaskey
Portraits of Joni Mitchell
Helio Alves, piano
Kevin Kanner, drums
Leo Traversa, bass
John Pizzarelli, vocals/guitar
Maddie Pizzarelli, vocals/guitar
Julia Gargano, vocals
Hosted by Jonathan Schwartz
This performance is being recorded for future broadcast by WNYC and The Jonathan Channel.
There will be no intermission during this performance.
The American Song series at NJPAC is presented, in part, through the generous support of the
Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and David S. Steiner and Sylvia Steiner Charitable Trust.
May 2015
njpac.org XI
Meet the Artists
JESSICA MOLASKEY
Jessica Molaskey—the critically acclaimed
actress and vocalist whose singing voice has
been compared to Peggy Lee, Chris Connor,
K.d. Lang and even Chet Baker. Jessica has
five solo CDs, including A Kiss to Build a
Dream On and Sitting In Limbo, which
debuted on the Billboard jazz chart. Her other
solo recordings—Make Believe, A Good Day
and her debut CD, Pentimento—all received
critical and popular acclaim. Her most recent
is a live CD with the legendary songwriter and
singer Dave Frishberg.
Ms. Molaskey has sung in concert from Lincoln
Center to Carnegie Hall to the Montreal and
Monterey Jazz festivals. She has performed
at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency with her
husband John Pizzarelli, and at the Oak Room
in New York’s Algonquin Hotel. For the past
nine years she and John have enjoyed soldout engagements at the Café Carlyle in New
York, about which Stephen Holden wrote in
The New York Times: “The Pizzarelli-Molasky
duo are as good as it gets in any entertainment
medium, caviar in a world of canned tuna.
Once you’ve acquired the taste, there is
no substitute.”
Jessica is a veteran of over a dozen Broadway
shows including the recent revival of Stephen
Sondheim and James Lapine’s Sunday in the
Park with George, which was nominated
for nine Tony Awards. She has appeared in
A Man of No Importance at Lincoln Center,
written by Terrance McNally, Lynn Ahrens
XII New Jersey Performing Arts Center
and Stephen Flaherty, Parade (directed by Hal
Prince), Dream, Tommy, Crazy for You, Les
Misérables, City of Angels, Chess, Cats and
Oklahoma! She played Sister Berta singing
“How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria”
in the recent NBC production of The Sound
of Music Live.
Ms. Molaskey has premiered music written
by Ricky Ian Gordon (Dream True, Sycamore
Trees, for which she won a Helen Hayes
Award), Adam Guettel (Myths and Hymns),
Jason Robert Brown (Songs for a New World,
Parade) and Stephen Sondheim (Wise Guys).
She has written songs for a dozen recordings,
including the critically acclaimed “Greed,”
part of a commission for Audra McDonald’s
Seven Deadly Sins at Carnegie Hall. Ms.
McDonald performed Molaskey’s composition
“Cradle and All”—written with Ricky Ian
Gordon—for the Lincoln Center Songbook
series live on PBS and she recorded it for Build
A Bridge, her Nonesuch CD.
Other recordings include Fine and Dandy,
Myths and Hymns, Parade, Songs For a New
World, Weird Romance, Chess, Oklahoma!,
Windflowers: The Music of Jerome Moross,
Fred Hersch’s CD Two Hands, Ten Voices and
the cast album of Dream True by Tina Landau
and Ricky Ian Gordon.
She currently co-hosts the nationally
syndicated radio program, Radio Deluxe with
John Pizzarelli, which broadcasts all over in
the United States and Canada.
May 2015
Meet the Artists
JONATHAN SCHWARTZ
Jonathan Schwartz joined WNYC in 1999 and
he’s been on the radio in New York City since
1967. His programs are extemporaneous.
His novels and stories have been published
by Random House and Doubleday, including
his memoir All in Good Time, hailed by The
New York Times as “luminous,” and received
enthusiastically by the Wall Street Journal,
Newsweek, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair
and the Los Angeles Times, among others.
Jonathan’s stories and articles have been
May 2015
published in dozens of magazines. He was,
for four years, the artistic director of Lincoln
Center’s American Songbook series, and for
five years appeared as the music correspondent
on NBC’s Sunday Today Show. He has been
a monthly columnist for GQ Magazine and
a weekly columnist for the Village Voice.
His own three CDs on the Muse label were
released in 1978, 1979 and 1983. He has
performed more than 400 times at Michael’s
Pub, Rainbow & Stars, and other rooms
in New York.
njpac.org XIII
Prudential Hall
Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 7pm
NJPAC presents
Chaka Khan
with special guest
Stephanie Mills
HORIZON FOUNDATION CONCERT SERIES
XIV New Jersey Performing Arts Center
May 2015
Meet the Artists
her hometown. The weekend-long celebration
included a free outdoor concert in Millennium
Park. Earlier in the year she was awarded
a BET Honors and was the recipient of the
Trumpet Award (Legend Award); honored
by the Howard Theatre Restoration, Inc.,
at its 2nd Annual Gala and Benefit Concert;
inducted into the Apollo Legends Hall of
Fame at its Annual Spring Gala; inducted into
the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame; honored
with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
and with the United Negro College Fund’s An
Evening of Stars Tribute. She also received
the Soul Train Legend Award (2009), the
BET Lifetime Achievement Award (2006), the
GRAMMY Honors Award from the NARAS
Chicago Chapter (2006) and the World Music
Lifetime Achievement Award (2003). In 2004,
she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of
Music from the Berklee School of Music in
Boston, MA.
CHAKA KHAN
Chaka Khan is a true Renaissance Woman.
A singer, songwriter, producer, visual artist,
author, actor, philanthropist, entrepreneur,
activist and mother, Chaka is an international
music icon who has influenced multiple
generations of artists and continues to do so.
From the moment she burst onto the music
scene in the 1970s as the 18-year-old lead
singer of the multi-racial band Rufus, her
powerful voice and show-stopping stage
presence set her apart from any other singer,
and during her 40-year career, she has
developed a vast international fan base and
performed on six continents.
Chaka is a ten-time GRAMMY® Award
winner (with 22 GRAMMY nominations)
who has the rare ability to sing in eight music
genres, including R&B, jazz, pop, rock,
gospel, country, classical and dance music.
She has released 22 albums and racked up ten
#1 Billboard magazine charted songs, eight
RIAA certified gold singles and eleven RIAA
certified gold and platinum albums. Chaka’s
recorded music has produced over 2,000
catalogue song placements.
She is also the recipient of numerous awards
for her extraordinary achievements in music
and entertainment. Last year, the City of
Chicago honored her with a street naming
of “Chaka Khan Way” and declared Sunday,
July 28, 2013, “Chaka Khan Day” in Chicago,
May 2015
In 1999, she established the Chaka Khan
Foundation, which includes a variety of
programs and initiatives that assist women and
children at risk. In July, 2012, she received the
McDonald Corporation’s 365Black Award,
honoring her for her leadership of the Chaka
Khan Foundation. Besides being a successful
musician and a devoted philanthropist, she
is also a successful entrepreneur. In 2004,
she launched a line of gourmet chocolates,
Chakalates, which was sold in 20 Neiman
Marcus stores around the country. In February
2013, she re-launched her signature brand
of chocolates nationally and internationally,
and also introduced the Khana Sutra candle,
the first product in a fragrance line for men,
women and the home.
Chaka Khan was born Yvette Stevens in
1953. She grew up in Chicago, Illinois, the
eldest of five siblings. As teenagers, she and
her sister Bonnie formed a singing group, The
Crystalettes, with two friends from school,
and Chaka later sang with several local groups
before she became the lead singer for the
band Ask Rufus, which would become
Rufus. With Chaka the group immediately
began turning out hit after hit, and it was the
beginning of a legendary music career.
Living for a time in London and Germany, she
currently resides in Los Angeles. She has two
children, Indira Milini and Damien. Her life
and career are chronicled in her autobiography,
Through the Fire, which was published by
njpac.org XV
Meet the Artists
Rodale Books in 2003 and is currently being
updated for re-release and adapted into
a screenplay.
2013-14 marked Chaka’s 40th anniversary
in music and entertainment. In March,
a documentary series on her life, Being,
premiered on the Centric Channel. In May
she performed in the UK at the 50th Southport
Weekender event and three sold-out shows
at London’s famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz club
with Incognito as her backing band. June
2014 found her at the Bonnaroo Festival in
Tennessee, featured in a Super Jam with The
Derek Trucks Band, Anthony Hamilton, Taj
Mahal, Ben Folds and Susan Tedeschi, and over
the summer she also headlined opening night
at the Toronto Jazz Festival, performed on The
Wendy Williams Show and at Wendy’s private
birthday party, and was named Grand Marshal
for Chicago’s Bud Billiken Parade, the largest
and oldest African American parade. While
in Chicago she performed at a benefit concert
in Chicago for the Red Pump Project, which
raises HIV/AIDS awareness among young girls
and women. Governor Pat Quinn designated
August 9 as “Chaka Khan Day” in the state of
Illinois. The year-long celebration included the
release of her first songbook for piano, vocal
and guitar, The Chaka Khan Songbook. Chaka
is currently at work on a series of mixed media
visual works with a planned gallery exhibition
in 2015, as well as a new CD, also set for
release in 2015.
STEPHANIE MILLS
Stephanie Mills is one of the most distinctive
voices in contemporary music whose onstage
energy and power inspires standing ovations
wherever she performs. She is a legendary
GRAMMY and American Music Awardwinning recording artist with five best-selling
albums and ten Billboard #1 singles.
Over the span of 35 years illustrious career,
Stephanie Mills has distinguished herself
as an actress and performer. Stephanie‘s
critically acclaimed appearances in shows like
the four-time Tony Award-winning The Wiz
have assured her of her consistent and loyal
fan base.
XVI New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Stephanie hails from Brooklyn, New York and
grew up singing in her home church. Her vocal
abilities became evident by age nine. For six
consecutive weeks, young Stephanie won the
amateur night at the acclaimed Apollo Theatre.
She then went on to do her first Broadway
musical, Maggie Flynn. She performed on
such classic television shows such as Captain
Kangaroo and The Electric Company.
Stephanie signed with 20th Century Fox
Records in 1979. While working with
producers James Mtume and Reggie Lucas,
she recorded “Whatcha Gonna Do With My
Lovin’,” and by 1984 she had climbed the
charts with major hits “Sweet Sensation,”
“Never Knew Love Like This Before” (a gold
single), “Two Hearts” (a duet with Teddy
Pendergrass), “Keep Away Girls,” “How
Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?.” Stephanie
scored three best-selling albums in a row with
Whatcha Gonna Do With My Lovin’, Sweet
Sensation and Stephanie in a span of just
two years.
Stephanie has an insatiable appetite for
singing. It is one of the things she loves to do.
She says it makes her happy and she looks
forward to putting out new music in the future.
She hopes her music will make her fans as
happy as it has made her!
May 2015
NJPAC Shining Stars
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center reserves special accolades for its Shining Stars, the generous visionaries,
luminaries and great dreamers who made everything possible. This list includes contributors whose cumulative giving
to NJPAC totals $1 million and above. As of June 30, 2014
Dreamers
$10,000,000 million & above
State of New Jersey
Women’s Association of NJPAC
The Prudential Foundation
The Raymond G. Chambers Family
Victoria Foundation
Betty W. Johnson
Lore and Eric F. Ross
Judy and Josh Weston
The Star Ledger/Samuel I. Newhouse
Foundation
Allen and Joan Bildner
Katherine M. and Albert W. Merck
Merck Company Foundation
Toby and Leon G. Cooperman
City of Newark
Essex County
New Jersey State Council on the Arts
Luminaries
CIT
Bank of America
Visionaries
Alcatel-Lucent
American Express Company
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
AT&T
ADP
Randi and Marc E. Berson
Casino Reinvestment Development
Authority
Chubb Foundation
Joanne D. Corzine Foundation
Jon S. Corzine Foundation
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Ford Foundation
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
Veronica M. Goldberg
The Griffinger Family
Harrah’s Foundation
The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey
Hess Foundation, Inc.
Jaqua Foundation
Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies
JPMorgan Chase
Kresge Foundation
The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation
Arlene and Leonard Lieberman
A. Michael and Ruth C. Lipper
McCrane Foundation, Inc.
New Jersey Cultural Trust
Panasonic Corporation of North America
Dr. Victor and Mrs. Jane Parsonnet
Pfizer Inc.
PSEG Foundation
Michael F. Price
PwC
Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Charitable Trust
Arthur F. and Patricia E. Ryan
The Sagner Family Foundation
The Smart Family Foundation/David S.
Stone, Esq., Stone and Magnanini
Charlotte and Morris Tanenbaum
Turner Construction Company
Turrell Fund
Diana and Roy Vagelos
Verizon
Wells Fargo
Mary Ellen and Robert Waggoner
Wallace Foundation
NJPAC Leadership
Board of Directors
Co-Chair
William J. Marino
Marc H. Morial
Harold L. Morrison, Jr.
Thomas M. O’Flynn
Victor Parsonnet, M.D.
Co-Chair
Philip R. Sellinger, Esq.
John R. Strangfeld
Jeffrey S. Sherman, Esq.
Susan N. Sobbott
President and CEO
The Hon. Clifford M. Sobel
John Schreiber
David S. Stone, Esq.
Treasurer
Michael A. Tanenbaum, Esq.
Marc E. Berson
Joseph M. Taylor
Stephen M. Vajtay, Jr., Esq.
Assistant Treasurer
Steven M. Goldman, Esq. Robert C. Waggoner
Nina M. Wells, Esq.
Secretary
Josh S. Weston
Michael R. Griffinger, Esq. Linda A. Willett, Esq.
John S. Willian
Assistant Secretary
Donald A. Robinson, Esq.
Directors Emeriti
*Founding Chair
Dennis Bone
Raymond G. Chambers
Barbara Bell Coleman
Albert R. Gamper
*Chair Emeritus
Morris Tanenbaum
Arthur F. Ryan
Diana T. Vagelos
Lawrence E. Bathgate
Ex Officio
II, Esq.
The Hon. Christopher J.
Brian T. Bedol
Christie
James L. Bildner, Esq.
Daniel M. Bloomfield, M.D. The Hon. Mildred C.
Crump
Ann Dully Borowiec
The Hon. Joseph N.
Linda Bowden
DiVincenzo, Jr.
Jacob Buurma, Esq.
The Hon. Andrew P.
Percy Chubb III
Sidamon-Eristoff
J. Fletcher Creamer, Jr.
The Hon. Kimberly M.
Pat A. Di Filippo
Guadagno
Robert H. Doherty
The Hon. Ras J. Baraka
Brendan P. Dougher
Thasunda Brown Duckett Elizabeth A. Mattson
Patrick C. Dunican, Jr., Esq. WA Board of Trustees
Anne Evans Estabrook
Christine C. Gilfillan
Leecia R. Eve, Esq.
President
Gregg N. Gerken
Christine Gilfillan
Suzanne Spero
Savion Glover
Nina M. Wells, Esq.
Co-Executive
Steven E. Gross, Esq.
Vice Presidents
William V. Hickey
Mary Beth O’Connor
Judith Jamison
Vice President, Fund
The Hon. Thomas H. Kean
Development
Ralph A. LaRossa
Tenagne Girma-Jeffries
Michelle Y. Lee
Vice President,
Ann M. Limberg
Promotion
A. Michael Lipper, CFA
Thomas J. Marino, CPA
April–June 2015
Mary Kay Strangfeld
Vice President,
Advocacy
Karen C. Young
Treasurer
Robin Cruz McClearn
Assistant Treasurer
Marcia Wilson Brown, Esq.
Secretary
Robert Curvin, Ph.D.
Samuel A. Delgado
Steven J. Diner, Ph.D.
Andrew Dumas, Esq.
Dawood Farahi, Ph.D.
Curtland E. Fields
Albert R. Gamper, Jr.
Bruce I. Goldstein, Esq.
Renee Golush
Paula Gottesman
Sandra Greenberg
Kent C. Hiteshew
Beverly Baker
Patrick E. Hobbs
Audrey Bartner
John A. Hoffman, Esq.
Tai Beauchamp
Lawrence S. Horn, Esq.
M. Michele Blackwood,
Reverend M. William
M.D., F.A.C.S.
Howard, Jr.
Mary Ellen Burke
Reverend Reginald
Jillian Castrucci, Esq.
Jackson
Patricia A. Chambers*
Howard Jacobs
Sally Chubb* **
Byerte W. Johnson, Ph.D.
Barbara Bell Coleman**
Robert L. Johnson, M.D.
Erica Ferry
Marilyn Joseph
Chanda Gibson
Donald M. Karp, Esq.
Marilyn “Penny” Joseph
Douglas L. Kennedy
Veronica M. Goldberg*
Gene R. Korf, Esq.
Archie Gottesman
Rabbi Clifford M. Kulwin
Bunny Johnson
Ellen W. Lambert, Esq.
Heather B. Kapsimalis
Michelle Y. Lee
Ruth C. Lipper
Paul Lichtman
Dena F. Lowenbach
Lester Z. Lieberman
Pamela T. Miller, Esq.
Gabriella E. Morris, Esq.* Kevin Luing
Joseph Manfredi
Trish Morris-Yamba
Ferlanda Fox Nixon, Esq. Robert L. Marcalus
Antonio S. Matinho
Christine Pearson
Bari J. Mattes
Patricia E. Ryan* **
John E. McCormac, CPA
Mikki Taylor
Catherine M. McFarland
Diana T. Vagelos* **
*Founding Member Joyce R. Michaelson
**Trustee Emerita Maria L. Nieves
Edwin S. Olsen
Council of Trustees
Barry H. Ostrowsky, Esq.
Val Azzoli
Richard S. Pechter
Michael F. Bartow
Daria M. Placitella
Frederic K. Becker, Esq.
Jay R. Post, Jr., CFP
Rona Brummer
Steven J. Pozycki
John M. Castrucci, CPA
Clement A. Price, Ph.D.
Elizabeth G. Christopherson Marian Rocker
Susan Cole, Ph.D.
David J. Satz, Esq.
Robert S. Constable
Barbara J. Scott
Irene Cooper-Basch
Gary Shaw
Anthony R. Coscia, Esq.
Marla S. Smith
Edward Cruz
Suzanne M. Spero
Andrea Cummis
Joseph P. Starkey
Sylvia Steiner
Arthur R. Stern
Andrew Vagelos
Richard J. Vezza
Kim Wachtel
Rita K. Waldor
Constance K. Weaver
Elnardo J. Webster, II
E. Belvin Williams, Ph.D.
Gary M. Wingens, Esq.
Jazz Ambassadors
Trayton M. Davis
Paul V. Profeta
Jeffrey S. Sherman
NJPAC Senior
Management Team
John Schreiber
President and CEO
Bobbie Arbesfeld
Senior Advisor
Peter H. Hansen
Senior Vice President,
Development
Lisa Hayward
Vice President,
Development
Lennon Register
Vice President & CFO
Ross S. Richards
Operations and
Real Estate
David Rodriguez
Executive Vice
President &
Executive Producer
Alison Scott-Williams
Vice-President,
Arts Education
Warren Tranquada
Executive Vice
President and COO
Donna Walker-Kuhne
Vice President,
Community Engagement
Theater Square
Development Company, LLC
John Schreiber
President
Lawrence P. Goldman
Thomas L. Lussenhop
Project Advisors
njpac.org 11
NJPAC Contributors
Business Partners
NJPAC is deeply grateful to the following corporations, foundations, individuals and government agencies for
their generous annual support of artistic and arts education programs, the endowment fund, and maintenance of
the Arts Center.
As of March 1, 2015
Benefactor Level
$1,000,000 & above
Women’s Association of NJPAC
New Jersey State Council on the Arts
Leadership Circle
$200,000 & above
Bank of America
The Horizon Foundation for
New Jersey
Merck Company Foundation
The Prudential Foundation
Panasonic Corporation of
North America
American Express
ADP
Bank of America Charitable
Foundation
TD Bank
PSEG Foundation
Victoria Foundation
Co-Chair Circle
$100,000 & above
Kia Motors America, Inc.
U.S. Trust
Wells Fargo
Director’s Circle
$50,000 & above
BD
Capital One, N.A.
Chase
The Blanche & Irving Laurie
Foundation
The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation
NJM Insurance Group
PwC
The Star-Ledger
Steinway and Sons
Surdna Foundation
TD Charitable Foundation
United Airlines
Verizon
President’s Circle
$25,000 & above
Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office
Bloomberg
Chubb Corporation
The Coca-Cola Foundation
Foundation for Newark’s Future
Gibbons P.C
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
CohnReznick LLP
Investors Bank
Johnson & Johnson Family
of Companies
Lowenstein Sandler PC
McCarter & English, LLP
The Johnny Mercer Foundation
Richmond County Savings Foundation
The Law Firm of Robinson,
Wettre and Miller
Sills Cummis & Gross P.C. Composer’s Circle
$10,000 & above
Audible Inc.
The Berger Organization
Berkeley College
BNY Mellon Wealth Management
C.R. Bard Foundation
Coca Cola Refreshments
Genova Burns Giantomasi Webster
The Hyde and Watson Foundation
ISS Facility Services
J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc.
Jacobs Levy Equity Management
Landmark Fire Protection
M&T Bank
The Nicholas Martini Foundation
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton &
Garrison LLP
Profeta & Associates
PNC Bank, N.A.
The PNC Foundation
Ronald McDonald House Charities
Sandalwood Securities
SP+
Turrell Fund
Turner Construction Company
The Edward W. and Stella C.
Van Houten Memorial Fund
Wyndham Worldwide
Encore Circle
$5,000 & above
Accenture, LLP
Advance Realty Group
Barnabas Health
Brach Eichler LLC
ShopRite of Newark
C&K Properties
CBRE
Citi
Deloitte & Touche
Devils Arena Entertainment
DeWitt Stern Group
Doherty Enterprises
Eisai USA Foundation
EisnerAmper LLP
Elberon Development Co.
EpsteinBeckerGreen
Ernst & Young, LLP
Fidelity Investments
Fifth Third Bank
Gallagher Bollinger
Gateway Group One
Gellert Global Group
Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation
Goldman Sachs & Co.
The Gertrude L. Hirsch
Charitable Trust
Heritage Capital Group
Inserra Shop-Rite Supermarkets
The Lichtman Foundation
Linden Cogeneration Plant
L+M Partners Inc.
Lite DePalma Greenberg, LLC
McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney &
Carpenter LLP
Mountain Development Corp.
Nordstrom
The George A. Ohl, Jr.
Charitable Trust
Peapack-Gladstone Bank
Peerless Beverage Company
Podvey, Meanor, Catenacci, Hildner,
Cocoziello & Chattman
PointProspect Consulting, LLC
Provident Bank Foundation
Michael Rachlin & Company LLC
RBH Group
Remy Martin
Riker, Danzig, Scherer,
Hyland & Perretti LLP
Sedgwick LLP
SILVERMAN
Summit Medical Group
The Law Offices of Bruce E.
Baldinger, LLC
TigerShark Foundation
Towers Watson Co.
WeiserMazars LLP
Windels Marx Lane &
Mittendorf, LLP
Wolff & Samson PC
April–June 2015
The Vanguard Society
NJPAC is deeply grateful to the following individuals and families for their generous annual support of artistic and
As of March 1, 2015
arts education programs, the endowment fund and maintenance of the Arts Center.
Benefactor
$1,000,000 & above
Leadership Circle
$200,000 & above
Toby and Leon Cooperman
The Chambers Family and
The MCJ Amelior Foundation
Betty Wold Johnson
The Smart Family Foundation/David S.
Stone, Esq., Stone and Magnanini
Co-Chair Circle
$100,000 & above
Director’s Circle
$50,000 & above
Edison Properties Newark Foundation
William J. and Paula Marino
McCrane Foundation, Inc.,
care of Margrit McCrane
Steve and Elaine Pozycki
Pat and Art Ryan
The Walter V. and Judith L. Shipley
Family Foundation
Allen and Joan Bildner
Ann and Stan Borowiec
Jennifer A. Chalsty
Trayton M. and Maris R. Davis
William and Joan Hickey
Dana and Peter Langerman
Arlene and Leonard Lieberman
A. Michael and Ruth C. Lipper/Lipper
Family Charitable Foundation
Harold and Donna Morrison
Thomas O’Flynn and Cheryl Barr
Marian and David Rocker
The Sagner Family Foundation
John and Mary Kay Strangfeld
Michael and Jill Tanenbaum
John and Suzanne Willian/
Goldman Sachs Gives
President’s Circle
$25,000 & above
Sandy Hill Foundation
Jeffrey and Karen Sherman
David S. Steiner and Sylvia Steiner
Charitable Trust
Morris and Charlotte Tanenbaum
Mary Ellen and Robert C. Waggoner
Composer’s Circle
$10,000 & above
Jean and Bruce Acken
Audrey Bartner
Judy and Brian Bedol
Judith Bernhaut
Mindy A. Cohen and David J. Bershad
Randi and Marc E. Berson
Nancy and James Bildner
Rose and John Cali
Carol and Roger Chartouni
Stewart and Judy Colton
Jodi and Wayne Cooperman
Edward and Sharon Cruz
Linda and Pat Di Filippo
Richard and Thasunda Duckett
Patrick C. Dunican, Jr., Esq.
Steven M. Goldman, Esq.
Phyllis and Steven E. Gross
Steve and Bonnie Holmes
Meg and Howard Jacobs
Kaminsky Family Foundation
Don and Margie Karp
The Honorable and
Mrs. Thomas H. Kean
Lee and Murray Kushner and Family
Michelle Y. Lee
Judith and Lester Lieberman
Ann M. Limberg
Amy and William Lipsey
Barry and Leslie Mandelbaum
Norma and Robert Marcalus
Richard S. and Kayla L. Pechter
Mr. Arnold and Dr. Sandra Peinado
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie C. Quick, III
Susan and Evan Ratner
Karen and Gary D. Rose
The Rubenstein Foundation
Philip R. Sellinger
Susan N. Sobbott
Cliff and Barbara Sobel
Joan Standish
Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch
Warren and Alexine Tranquada
Diana and Roy Vagelos
Ted and Nina Wells
Jan and Barry Zubrow
Encore Circle
$5,000 & above
Anonymous
Barbara and Val Azzoli
Lawrence E. Bathgate/Bathgate,
Wegener & Wolf
Barbara and Edward Becker
The Russell Berrie Foundation Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation
Daniel M. Bloomfield, M.D. Denise and Dennis Bone
Betsy and Kurt Borowsky/
Pick Foundation
Ms. Linda M. Bowden and
Mr. Harold B. Jenssen
Liz and Blair Boyer
James C. Brady
Norman L. Cantor
Mr. and Mrs. Percy Chubb, III
Sylvia J. Cohn
Bobbie and Bob Constable
Brendan P. Dougher
Susan and Thomas Dunn
April–June 2015
Dexter and Carol Earle Foundation
Leecia Roberta Eve
Robert and Brenda Fischbein
Philanthropic Fund of the
Jewish Community Foundation
Gregg N. Gerken
Lucia DiNapoli Gibbons
Lawrence P. Goldman and
Laurie B. Chock
Archie Gottesman and Gary DeBode
Dr. and Mrs. Frank Gump
Peter O. Hanson
Hobby’s Restaurant/The Brummer Family
Jockey Hollow Foundation
The Huisking Foundation Karma Foundation/Sharon Karmazin
Rabbi and Mrs. Clifford M. Kulwin
Ralph and MartyAnn LaRossa
Elaine and Rob LeBuhn
Carmen and Benito Lopez
Dena F. and Ralph Lowenbach
Tom and Joanne Marino
Judy and Heath McLendon
Mary Beth O’Connor, Lucky VIII Films
Edwin S. and Catherine Olsen
Deanne Wilson and Laurence B. Orloff
Jean and Kent Papsun
Dr. and Mrs. Victor Parsonnet
James and Nancy Pierson
Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Radest
Jessie Richards
E. Franklin Robbins Charitable Trust
Susan Satz
John Schreiber
Helen M. Taverna and Mark E. Reagan
Robert and Sharon Taylor
Steve and Gabi Vajtay
Thomas C. Wallace
Linda A. Willett, Esq.
Helene and Gary Wingens
njpac.org 13
Muse (myooz) n.
A source of inspiration; esp. a guiding genius
Join NJPAC’s Muse Society
NJPAC has established The Muse Society to ensure it can continue to offer life-affirming educational
programs and inspirational performances. The Muse Society recognizes those visionary friends who
include NJPAC in their financial planning through bequests, charitable gift annuities, insurance and
other deferred gifts. For more information or to notify NJPAC of your intent to include it in your estate
planning, contact Peter H. Hansen, Senior Vice President of Development, at (973) 297-5817.
The Muse Society
We are deeply grateful to the following friends who have included the Arts Center in their estate plans
and made known their future gift.
As of March 1, 2015
Audrey Bartner
Andrew T. Berry, Esq. †
Allen I. Bildner †
Candice R. Bolte
Edmond H. & Joan K. Borneman
Raymond G. Chambers
Toby & Leon Cooperman
Fred Corrado
Ann Cummis
Mr. & Mrs. James Curtis
Harold R. Denton
Richard E. DiNardo
Charles H. Gillen †
Phyllis & Steven E. Gross
Jackie & Larry Horn
Rose Jacobs †
Gertrude Brooks Josephson †
and William Josephson in
Memory of Rebecca and
Samuel Brooks
Adrian and Erica Karp
Joseph Laraja Sr. †
Leonard Lieberman †
Ruth C. Lipper
Dena and Ralph Lowenbach
Opera Link/Jerome Hines †
Joseph and Bernice O’Reilly †
Mr and Mrs. Paul B. Ostergaard
Donald A. Robinson, Esq.
Estate of Eric F. Ross †
Arthur F. and Patricia E. Ryan
Ethel Smith †
Paul Stillman Trust †
Morris and Charlotte Tanenbaum
Carolyn M. VanDusen
Artemis Vardakis †
† Deceased
Members
New Jersey Performing Arts Center gives special thanks to the following Members who help meet the
Arts Center’s annual financial needs with gifts of $650 to $4,999. For information on becoming a
Member, please call (973) 297-5809. As of March 1, 2015
Connoisseurs
$3,000 & above
Mr. and Mrs. Lee Augsburger
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen D. Bach
Ms. Susan Blount
Patricia L. Capawana
Eleonore Kessler Cohen and
Max Insel Cohen
Joanne M. Friedman
Herb and Sandy Glickman
Alice Gerson Goldfarb
Renee and David Golush
Hellring Lindeman Goldstein &
Siegal LLP
Louis V. Henston
Mrs. Robert G. Kuchner
LeClairRyan
Ellen and Donald Legow
Amy and John McHugh
Ms. Christine S. Pearson
J.G. Petrucci Co. Inc.
John J. Phillips
Dennis and Family
Laurence and Elizabeth
Schiffenhaus
Stephen and Mary Jo Sichak
Richard Verdoni, M.D.
Richard J. and Arlene Vezza
Mr. and Mrs. Edward D. Zinbarg
Aleta and Paul Zoidis
Platinum
$1,250 & above
Anonymous
Ronald K. Andrews
Joseph and Jacqueline Basralian
George Bean
Eileen R. Becker
Barata B. Bey
Marianne and Harold Breene
Barbara and David Bunting
Mr. and Mrs. Charles M.
Chapin, III
Austin G. Cleary
Mr. and Mrs. William F. Conger
Carol and John Cornwell
Carmen Amalia Corrales
Andrea Cummis
Carolyn Davis
D’Maris and Joseph Dempsey
Michael J. and Mary Ann
Denton
Robert M. Embrey
Alice and Glenn Engel
Herbert and Karin Fastert
Dorothy Thorson Foord
Lauren and Steven Friedman
Doralee and Lawrence Garfinkel
Thomas P. Giblin
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Gilfillan
Karolee and Sanford Glassman
Sue Goldberg
Ellen L. and Jonathan L.
Goldstein
Dorothy Gould and
Michalene Bowman
Dr. and Mrs. Jorge G. Guerra
Mysia and Hank Hoogsteden
Lonnie and Bette Hanauer
Bob Haralambakis
Kitty and Dave Hartman
Mary Ellen and Gates Hawn
Jackie and Larry Horn
Richard and Cindy Johnson
John Kappelhof
Adrian and Erica Karp
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Klehm, III
April–June 2015
Platinum
$1,250 & above
(continued)
Max L. Kleinman
Koven Foundation
Irvin and Marjorie Kricheff
Dr. and Mrs. Donald Louria
Liz and David Lowenstein
Kevin and Trisha Luing
Lum, Drasco & Positan LLC
Massey Insurance Agency
Jack and Ellen Moskowitz
Mr. Bruce Murphy and
Ms. Mary Jane Lauzon
H. Herbert Myers Memorial
Foundation
Michael and Nancy Neary
Mrs. Norma Sewall Nichols
Jeffrey S. Norman
North Ward Center
Dr. Christy Oliver and
Bessie T. Oliver
Bobbi and Barry H. Ostrowsky
Wayne Paglieri and
Jessalyn Chang
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan
Rabinowitz
Drs. Shirley and Morton
Rosenberg
Brent N. Rudnick
Barbara Sager
Mr. and Mrs. Newton B.
Schott, Jr.
Rita and Leonard Selesner
Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Shapiro
Joan and Allan Spinner
Elaine J. Staley
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Taylor
Jeanne and Vince Tobin
Ms. Kate S. Tomlinson and
Mr. Roger Labrie
Mr. and Mrs. R. Charles
Tschampion
George Ulanet Company
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur F. Weinbach
Dr. Joy Weinstein and
Dr. Bruce Forman
The Honorable Alvin Weiss
Dr. Dorian J. Wilson
Sonny and Alan Winters
Mr. and Mrs. Pat Wood
Karen C. Young
Claire and Gil Zweig
Copper
$650 & above
Susan and N. William Atwater
Dr. Sherry Barron-Seabrook and
David Seabrook
Tai Beauchamp
Victoria and A. Nurhan Becidyan
Marge and John Bonnet
Henry Brandon
Dr. and Mrs. Robert J. Braun
James and Sharon Briggs
Dr. Kimberly Brown (and
Parkway Eye Care Center)
Jean and Michael Chodorcoff
Judith Musicant and\
Hugh A. Clark
Nancy Clarke
Robert and Josephine Cleary
Willie L. Cooper
Pamela J. Craig and
Robert V. Delaney
Mr. and Mrs. David R. Dacey
Elayne Wishart and
Bruce L. Deichl
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Dixon
Irwin and Janet Dorros
Barbara Duncan
James P. Edwards
Mr. Richard R. Eger and
Ms. Anne Aronovitch
Harlean and Jerry Enis
Dani Faibes
Mr. and Mrs. Myron Feldman
Sanford and Zella Felzenberg
Rebecca Glass and Derek Fields
Barbara and Marc Gellman
Kenneth and Claudia Gentner
Dr. Louis Gianvito
Clifford and Karen Goldman
Mr. and Mrs. Charles C.
Goodfellow
Thomas L. Green
Wayne and Catherine Greenfeder
Linda and John Groh
Peter H. Hansen
James E. Heims
April–June 2015
Lorraine and Bob Henry
Mr. and Mrs. Dan Herbert
Lynn A. and Gregory E. Hlubik
Joan Hollander Salutes NJPAC
Jean A. Horton
N. Lynne Hughes, Esq.
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Jacob
Linda and Charles Jantzen
Linda A. Jenkins
Marilyn Joseph
James & Carolyn Kinder
Joan and Daniel Kram
Mark and Sheryl Larner
Lois Lautenberg
Deanna and Frank Lawatsch
Zoraya E. Lee-Hamlin
Jody Levinson
Melanie and Alan Levitan
Joan M. Lowery
Paulina K. Marks
Carol and Thomas Martin
Edward and Jeanne Martine
Henry and Carol Mauermeyer
Cindy L. McCollum and
Josh Mackoff
Dr. Rashied McCreary
Robert L. and Rita Modell
Jeffrey A. Moran
Drs. Douglas and
Susan Morrison
Joan Murdock
Joanne Nabors
Joseph and Sheila Nadler
Nora O’Brien-Suric
William and Patricia O’Connor
Margaret H. Parker
Lisa and Daniel Peterson
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Peyton
Jay R. Post, Jr., CFP
Dr. Kalmon D. Post and
Linda Farber-Post
Caroline and Harry Pozycki
Katherine McLain Pursley and
Joseph J. Pursley
Susan Ramundo
Brian James Remite
Dr. Diane M. Ridley-White
C. James Rimes
Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf
Betty Robertson
Ina and Mark Roffman
Ann Roseman and Stan Lumish
Carole Roth-Sullivan
Suzanne and Richard Scheller
Sharon and James Schwarz
Drs. Rosanne S. Scriffignano and
Anthony Scriffignano
Jeffrey and Lisa Silvershein
Edie Simonelli
Marilyn and Leon Sokol
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Spalteholz
Rosemary and Robert Steinbaum
Beverly and Ed Stern
Lei Sun
Alexander Sweetwood
Marilyn Termyna
Marva Tidwell
Louise and David J. Travis
The Henry S. & Agnes M.
Truzack Foundation
Daniel and Elaine Turner
Mr. and Mrs. David S. Untracht
Frank and Polly Vecchione
Paul and Sharlene Vichness
Mr. Leigh R. Walters and
Robin Walters
Anne M. Wargo
Susan D. Wasserman
Joyce Watterman
Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Weldon, III
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Whelan
E. Belvin Williams, Ph.D.
Deter Wisniewski
Steven Witt
Kathleen and Vincent Zarzycki
Jodi and Michael Zwain
njpac.org 15
Season Funders
New Jersey Performing Arts Center is grateful to the following partners
for their commitment and investment in NJPAC’s mission.
The Chambers Family and
The MCJ Amelior
Foundation
Toby & Leon Cooperman
Betty Wold Johnson
McGladrey LLP
Edison Properties Newark
Foundation
The Philip and Janice Levin
Foundation
William J. & Paula Marino
Major support provided by:
The Merck Company
Foundation
Panasonic Corporation
of North America
The Smart Family Foundation/
David S. Stone, Esq.,
Stone and Magnanini
Additional support provided by:
McCrane Foundation, Inc.,
care of Margrit McCrane
PNC Bank, N.A.
Steve & Elaine Pozycki
Pat & Art Ryan
The Walter V. and Judith L.
Shipley Family Foundation
The Star-Ledger
Verizon
Victoria Foundation
Judy & Josh Weston
Steinway & Sons
John & Mary Kay Strangfeld
Surdna Foundation
Michael & Jill Tanenbaum
John & Suzanne Willian/
Goldman Sachs Gives
The New Jersey Cultural Trust
Official Sponsors:
Official Soft Drink
of NJPAC
Official Airline of NJPAC
Official Automotive
Partner of NJPAC
Media Sponsor
NJPAC is grateful for the extraordinary commitment of:
For Your Information
As part of our Enhanced Safety
Program, the following items are
prohibited upon entry into Prudential
Hall, the Victoria Theater, and all
public spaces of NJPAC: backpacks,
large pocketbooks, shopping bags,
suitcases, briefcases, weapons, animals
(except service animals).
Late Seating Policy: Latecomers and
persons leaving the theater midshow will be seated/re-seated at the
discretion of the management.
Camera and Recording Equipment
is Prohibited: The use of recording
equipment and the taking of
photographs of any performance
or the possession of any device for
such use without the written
permission of the management is
strictly prohibited.
Parking Facilities: Easy parking is
available in the 1,100-car garage
under Military Park, directly across
from NJPAC. Safe and secure
surface parking is also available.
Smoking is prohibited throughout all
indoor spaces of NJPAC.
Lost and Found: Any found items
should be returned to NJPAC
Security or Guest Services staff. If
you believe you have lost an item,
call (973) 297-5868. Found clothing
items will be held for 30 days after
which they will be donated to a
local shelter.
Mobile
Device
Courtesy
Reminder:
Please respect performers and fellow
audience members by ensuring that
all cellular phones and mobile devices
are turned off during performances.
Newark Light Rail: NJ Transit’s
Newark Light Rail offers frequent
service in Downtown Newark that
includes a station stop at NJPAC,
offering a convenient alternative to
driving to a performance or event.
This service is an extension of the
Newark City Subway and connects
all rail lines served by Newark Penn
and Broad Street Stations. Other
popular destinations served by the
extension are the Bears and Eagles
Riverfront Stadium, The Newark
Museum and Broad Street area
businesses. For more information,
visit njtransit.com/nlr.
Disabilities: All Tiers of Prudential
Hall and the Victoria Theater
are wheelchair accessible. Open
captioning is provided at select
performances. Sennheisser Infraport
infra red audio receivers are
available free-of-charge from an
NJPAC Guest Service staff member.
NJPAC welcomes children of all
ages to its family events, but adult
performances are not recommended for
children 5-years-old and younger.
New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
NJPAC, One Center Street, Newark,
NJ, 07102; Telephone: (973) 642-8989,
Box Office: (888) 466-5722; njpac.org
April–June 2015
April–June 2015
njpac.org 17
Maestros and masterworks
A roster of internationally beloved artists, including
Joshua Bell, Lang Lang and Daniele Gatti, is announced
for NJPAC’s 2015-16 Classical music season
Photo by xun-chi
Sponsored by Bank of America, the 201516 Classical Series opens in the splendor of
Prudential Hall on Saturday, Sept. 26, when
Lang Lang performs in recital, his first concert
at NJPAC in four seasons. A native of China,
yet a citizen of the world, this electrifying
pianist is a favorite of NJPAC audiences. The
program will be announced at a later date.
Lang Lang returns to Prudential Hall on
September 26, 2015
Whether you’re a classical music listener who
wants heart-thumping power that channels
down to the toes, or lilting melodies that caress
the ear, a half-dozen concerts announced for
the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s
2015-16 season are bound to enthrall.
“NJPAC has assembled one of the strongest
classical seasons since its opening: headline
soloists such as Lang Lang, Pinchas Zukerman
and Joshua Bell join world-class conductors,
ranging from Valery Gergiev to Michael Tilson
Thomas,” said David Rodriguez, NJPAC’s
Executive Vice President and Executive
Producer. “Throughout the season, audiences
are taken on a journey from the rhythmic
strength of Stravinsky to the melodic phrasing
of Copland, and everything in between.”
Great
Britain’s
finest
ensembles—the
London Symphony and Royal Philharmonic
orchestras—and Paris’ Orchestre National
de France meet on these shores in the season
ahead, and one of this country’s classical
showstoppers, the San Francisco Symphony,
arrives packing works by American composer
Aaron Copland. Two acclaimed soloists—
pianist Lang Lang and violinist Joshua Bell—
make return appearances; however, Bell also
will assume the role of conductor when he
leads the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
All told, a colorful season of superstar
virtuosos—with a distinct British accent.
Next up, on Saturday, Oct. 24, is the London
Symphony Orchestra under the baton of
Valery Gergiev and featuring guest soloist
Yefim Bronfman on piano. A pair of works
by Bartók (the dazzling Piano Concerto No. 3
and the suite from The Miraculous Mandarin)
are matched with Stravinsky’s complete
The Firebird, rounding out an intriguing
offering of early 20th-century masterpieces.
Bronfman’s performance of Bartók’s Third
Piano Concerto has been called “brilliantly
charismatic” by The New York Times.
A second London orchestra crosses the
pond on Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. The Royal
Philharmonic, with Pinchas Zukerman both
on the podium and as violin soloist, portrays
its prowess with Elgar, Mozart and Brahms.
The renowned musician, music director and
teacher, who is the orchestra’s principal guest
conductor, is front and center for Elgar’s
beloved Serenade for Strings and Mozart’s
Violin Concerto No. 5 (a work he has perfected
in performance since his teens).
Concluding the bill is Brahms’ sublime First
Symphony, popularly recorded and performed
by the orchestra and praised by reviewers.
“I am delighted to be returning to the New
Jersey Performing Arts Center with the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra,” said Zukerman.
“Prudential Hall is a gorgeous hall with
great acoustics.”
Later that month, another champion violinist—
Julian Rachlin—joins the Orchestre National
de France and conductor Daniele Gatti on
Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. A magical program is
composed of Debussy (Prélude à l’après-midi
d’un faune), Shostakovich (Violin Concerto
No. 1) and Tchaikovsky (the breathtaking
April–June 2015
Symphony No. 5). France’s national orchestra
has been a critics’ darling since Gatti, who
also is the new chief conductor of the Royal
Concertgebouw Orchestra, became music
director in 2008.
Symphony, with what promises to be an
exuberant celebration of Copland. Music
Director Michael Tilson Thomas conducts, and
Israeli pianist Inon Barnatan is guest soloist, in
a program featuring the composer’s Orchestral
Variations (1957), Inscape (1967) and Piano
Concerto (1926). The bill also includes
Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, glowingly
illustrative of the Romantic repertoire.
Joshua Bell was heard at NJPAC last Spring,
blazing into Sibelius’ Violin Concerto and
Ravel’s Tzigane, backed by the New Jersey
Symphony Orchestra. On Saturday, March
19, 2016, he is accompanied by the orchestra Described as “a true poet of the keyboard”
he serves as music director—London’s by London’s Evening Standard, Barnatan
Academy of St Martin in the Fields—and leads is known widely for his compelling and
symphonies by Prokofiev (No. 1, “Classical”)
insightful
musicianship.
In December
“At one point,
Newark
was his whole
life. 2014, his
and Beethoven (his cheery No. 8). As a bonus,
debut with the NJSO—performing Chopin’s
stand at Piano
one endConcerto
of Broadway
Newark praised
as
the ensemble performs the ConcertHe’d
Romance
No. in1—was
as
by modern composer Gyōrgy Ligeti.a kid, and say:“unflaggingly
elegant”
‘Someday, I’m
going by
to The
go toStar-Ledger.
the
end of this street.’ It was a big deal for him. Little
Hearts will flutter when Bell’s fans hear that A tradition, the Bank of America Classical
did he know he’d
join the will
U.S. continue
Air Force,tothenbe held an
he has chosen Tchaikovsky’s pyrotechnic
Overtures,
Violin Concerto for his solo showpiece,
a hour
priorwith
to each
concert. These
go all around
the globe
Dizzyclassical
and many
composition he practically owns. more times with
interactive
presentations
are hosted by
his own band.
At one point,
Maestro George Marriner Maull of New
going
to is
the end
of Broadway
Newark was
Wrapping up on Friday, April 15,
2016
Jersey’s
DiscoveryinOrchestra
andthe
are free to
the energy-fueled, youthful San be-all
Francisco
ticketfor
holders.
and end-all
him.”
2015-16 Bank of America Classical Series
Lang Lang in recital
London Symphony Orchestra
Valery Gergiev, conductor
Royal Philharmonic
Pinchas Zukerman, conductor
& violin
Orchestra National de France
Daniele Gatti, conductor
Joshua Bell & Academy of St Martin
in the Fields
San Francisco Symphony
Michael Tilson-Thomas, conductor
Photo by Erik Kabik
Sep 26
Oct 24
Jan 8
Jan 29
Mar 19
Apr 15
Joshua Bell leads and performs with Academy
of St Martin in the Fields on March 19, 2016
April–June 2015
njpac.org 19
NJPAC Staff & Administration
DEVELOPMENT
Peter Hansen*
Development
Lisa Hayward
Vice President,
Development
Sue-Ellen M. Wright
Assistant Vice President,
Corporate, Foundation &
Government Relations
Ursula Hartwig-Flint***
Director, Donor Services
Lauren Antonelli
Manager, Individual Giving
Eileen Greenlay
Manager, Corporate
Development
Patricia Bachorz
Grant Writer
Jessica Spielberg
Senior Prospect Researcher
Evelyn Wen-Ting Chiu
ARTS EDUCATION
Coordinator,
Alison Scott-Williams
Individual Giving
Vice President, Arts Education
Hillary Cohen
Jennifer Tsukayama
Membership Coordinator
Senior Director,
Bailey Fox
Arts Education
Development Associate,
Caitlin Evans Jones**
Corporate & Foundations
Director of Partnerships &
Stacey Goods
Professional Development
Development Associate,
Rebecca Hinkle
Database
Director, Arts Training
Shara Morrow
Jamie M. Mayer
Director, In-School Programs Senior Administrative Assistant
Michele Wright
FINANCE
Director of Music Programs Lennon Register
& New Initiatives
Vice President & CFO
Erika Hicks
Mary Jaffa**
Program Manager of
In-School Programs (Music)
Finance
Rosa Hyde
Rene Tovera****
Manager, Performances
Assistant Vice President
Eyesha Marable
& Controller
Manager, Sales & Partnerships Betty Robertson*
Patricia Sweeting
Senior Accountant—
Coordinator, After School &
General Accounting
Summer Programs
Manuela Silva***
Alexis Almeida
Senior Accountant-Payroll
Program Coordinator
Geraldine Richardson **
for Music Programs &
Staff Accountant—
New Initiatives
Accounts Payable
Christopher Phillips
Amite Kapoor
Administrative Assistant &
Business Information Analyst
Office Manager
Lauren McCarthy
Kristina Watters
Administrative Assistant
HUMAN RESOURCES
Office Manager
Marsha R. Bonner
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
John Schreiber
President & CEO
Josephine (Jo) Edwards
Executive Assistant to the
President and CEO
Casey Hastrich
Senior Administrative
Assistant
Bobbie Arbesfeld***
Senior Advisor
David Rodriguez
Executive Vice President &
Executive Producer
Kira M. Ruth**
Office Manager
Warren Tranquada*
Executive Vice President &
COO
Pamela C. Chisena***
Administrative Manager
COMMUNICATIONS
Debra R. Kinzler
Communications
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Donna Walker–Kuhne
Vice President,
Jose R. Acevedo
Manager of Group Sales
Chiara Morrison
Manager of Community
Engagement & Cultivation
Brittany Blackwell
Coordinator,
Penny Claiborne**
Coordinator, Group Sales
Erma Jones***
Assistant
Service Recognition
(as of 10/1/14)
* * * * 20+ years
* * * 15+ years
* * 10+ years
* 5+ years
MARKETING
Katie Sword
Marketing
Linda Fowler
Director, Content Marketing
Debra L. Volz**
Director, Advertising &
Graphic Production
Nathan Leslie
Charlene A. Roberts
Marketing Managers
Doris Ann Pezzolla***
Senior Graphic Designer
Sandra Silva
Graphic Designer
Tina Boyer
Advertising & Production
Coordinator
Latoya Dawson
Advertising & Graphic
Production Assistant
Shachi Parikh
Marketing Coordinator
Jerome H. Enis****
Consultant, Herbert
George Associates
OPERATIONS
Ross Richards***
Operations & Real Estate
Chad Spies**
Site Operations
Todd Vanderpool
Site Operations Manager
Elizabeth Mormak*
Assistant
Todd Tantillo**
Chief Engineer
J. Dante Esposito***
Lead Engineer
Brian Cady*
Michel Lionez Cuillerier***
Sherman Gamble**
Mariusz Koniuszewski*
Maintenance Engineers
John Hook
Chief of Security
Thomas Dixon***
Safety and Security Manager
Robin Jones*
Senior Director of
House Management
Molly Roberson
Jennifer Yelverton*
House Managers
Kathleen Dickson***
Senior Head Usher
Human Resources
Lamont Akins***
Ginny Bowers Coleman**
Jerry Battle*
Director of Volunteer Services
Edward Fleming**
Aga Ziaja
Cynthia Robinson**
HR Business Partner
Head Ushers
Rosetta Lee *
Lauren Vivenzio***
Receptionist & Purchasing/
Manager, Operations
HR Administrator
Hernan Soto***
INFORMATION
Operations Support
TECHNOLOGIES
Staff Supervisor
Ernie DiRocco*
Denise Williams
Chief Information Officer
Operations Support and
Carl Sims***
Services Coordinator
Director of Network
Jose Almonte
Infrastructure
Trenice Hassell
Rodney Johnson*
Corey Lester
Support Analyst,
Vincent Ransom
IT and Telecom
Aaron Ratzan
Brian Remite*
Francisco Soto
Database Analyst,
Operations Support Staff
Customer Care Systems
George Gardner***
House Painter
PRODUCTION
Chris Moses*
Senior Director of
Production
DJ Haugen
Christopher Staton
Production Managers
Samantha Davis
Assistant Production
Manager, Administration
Adam Steinbauer
Assistant Production Manager
William Worman**
Head Carpenter
Richard Edwards***
Mario Corrales***
Assistant Head Carpenters
Jacob Allen*
Head Electrician
John Enea
Gummersindo Fajarado***
Assistant Head Electricians
Paul Allshouse*
Head of Audio
Al Betancourt **
Jon Hiltz**
Assistant Head of Audio
Robert Binetti*
Bryan Danieli**
John Finney*
George Honczarenko*
Stage Crew
Eunice Peterson***
Senior Artist Assistant
Melvin Anderson
Lowell Craig**
Caresse Elliott
Daniel Ovalle
Allison Wyss***
Artist Assistants
PROGRAMMING
Evan White**
Senior Director of
Programming
Andy Donald
Producer, Artistic
Development &
Community Programming
Craig Pearce
Program Manager,
Arts Education
Kitab Rollins*
Manager, Performance &
Broadcast Rentals
Andrea Cummis
William W. Lockwood Jr.***
Programming Consultants
SPECIAL EVENTS
Austin Cleary**
Assistant Vice President
Roslyn Brown*
Event Planner
TICKET SERVICES
Erik Wiehardt*
Director, Ticket Services
Yesenia Jimenez ***
Associate Director,
Priority Customers
Stephanie Miller***
Associate Director,
Ticketing System
Nicole Craig**
Senior Box Office Manager
Robin Polakoff
Ticketing Systems Specialist
Veronica Dunn-Sloan*
Box Office Manager
Daryle Charles
April Jeffries
Robert Paglia
Priority Customer
Representatives
Jana Thompson
Box Office Representative
WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF NJPAC
Gail P. Stone*
Managing Director
Amy Mormak
Manager, Events & Marketing
April–June 2015
I may not know you,
but I will help save your life
WE ALL HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER.
WHEN YOU HELP THE AMERICAN RED CROSS, YOU HELP AMERICA.
THROUGH HER INVOLVEMENT WITH THE AMERICAN RED CROSS,
PATTI LABELLE HELPS TO SAVE LIVES EVERY DAY.
TO LEARN HOW PATTI LABELLE IS HELPING,
OR TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP, VISIT REDCROSS.ORG.

Calendar of Events April–June 2015

Transcription

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