Czech National Symphony Orchestra Celebrates 30th Anniversary Season at New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Sponsored in part by the Smart Family Foundation/David S. Stone, Esq., Stone & Magnanini

When: Sunday, February 19, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. (2:00pm pre-concert talk for ticket holders)

Where: NJPAC is located at 1 Center Street, Newark, New Jersey; a short walk from the Newark Penn Station stop by Newark-bound PATH Train or Amtrak. 

Tickets: $49-$99. To purchase, contact NJPAC at 1.888.GO.NJPAC/1.888.466.5722 or visit NJPAC.org. 

NJPAC celebrates the Prague-based orchestra’s 30^th anniversary of exceptional musicianship, acclaimed recordings and world tours. Under the direction of Maestro Steven Mercurio, the Grammy Award-winning Czech National Symphony Orchestra plays Beethoven’s epic Fifth Symphony and Brahms’s impassioned Violin Concerto featuring guest violinist Robert McDuffie.

About Czech National Symphony Orchestra

Under the direction of Music Director Steven Mercurio, the CNSO celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2023. Recognized as one of Europe's first-rank symphonic ensembles and renowned for its versatility, the orchestra annually presents a broad program ranging from classical music concerts to contemporary genres, film scores, jazz and mu­sicals. Since 2005 the Czech National Symphony Orchestra has also organized the summer Prague Proms Festival, which with its impressive array of prominent international performers, appeals to a diverse audi­ence year in year out.

Composers, conductors, and performers such as Ennio Morricone, Lalo Schifrin, James Morrison, Branford & Wynton Marsalis, Pino Donnagio, Giuliano Taviani, José Carreras, Danny Elfman, Vince Men­doza, Giuseppe Tornatore, Carl Davis, Steven Mercurio, Marcello Rota, Christian Lindberg, Chick Corea, Vladimir Cosma repeatedly come back to Prague to either record with the orchestra or perform in the beau­tiful Smetana Hall at Prague’s Municipal House, the home concert stage of the orchestra. Highlights from re­cent concert seasons include a European tour with the legendary Ennio Morricone, and a Prague concert with Anna Netrebko.

Meanwhile in the studio the orchestra worked on recording Plácido Domingo and Vittorio Grigolo’s new Christmas album, also collaborating with Ennio Morricone on his score for the new western film The Hate­ful Eight directed by Quentin Tarantino. Ennio Morricone then went on to win an Oscar after 500 movie credits! The soundtrack was recorded live and launched by Tarantino, Morricone, and the CNSO at Abbey Road Studios in December 2015. Following on from the collaboration with Columbia Artists Management Inc., the orchestra toured the USA in February and March 2016. In 2017, the orchestra toured extensively with Ennio Morricone and James Newton Howard.

The CNSO has also renewed its longstanding cooperation with Andrea Bocelli, plus accompanied Ro­lando Villazon and Jonas Kaufmann. The orchestra has collaborated with some of the most prominent pop artists, such as Sting, George Michael, Natalie Cole, Dianne Reeves, Angélique Kidjo, Denise Donatelli, Ute Lemper, and great instrumentalists, such as James Morrison, Branford & Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Shew, Joe Lovano, John Abercrombie, John Patitucci, Dave Weckl, Chick Corea and many more.

Successful tours have taken place over the British Isles, USA, Canada, France, Spain, Dubai, Japan, Mexico, China, Korea, Oman, Australia, and New Zealand. The Czech National Symphony Orchestra’s re­cordings go on sale worldwide, and the orchestra takes pride in having produced a number of Gold CDs (for more than 30 000 copies sold). Other accolades include the Gustav Mahler Prize, awarded for the in­terpretation of Mahler’s works, and the prestigious contract the orchestra signed with IMG Artists London and Columbia Artists New York. Achievements also include a long-standing recording project in associa­tion with Tokyo-based media company Victor Entertainment. 

The Czech National Symphony Orchestra was set up in 1993 by trumpet player Jan Hasenöhrl along with the legendary conductor Zdenek Košler. In 1996, the American Paul Freeman took over as Chief Conductor, and remained in this position for an amazing ten years. At the beginning of the year 2007, Maes­tro Libor Pešek was named the Chief Conductor and he continues to hold down the post today. 

About NJPAC

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, N.J., is America’s most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted nearly 10 million visitors (including over 1.7 million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.

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