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Tuesday, December 9, 2014

“TOYS & OTHER MAGIC”: A MUSICAL TREAT FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES

Learning to play the French Horn at NJIO's Instrument Petting ZooTOYS AND OTHER MAGIC
Children’s matinee concert performed by the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra (NJIO)

WHEN: Sunday, December 14, 3 PM
WHERE:
St. Bernard and St. Stanislaus Church, 1235 George Street in Plainfield (Handicapped access from Sumner Ave. entrance)
ADMISSION Free

Share the joy of the holidays with family and friends at a special family concert featuring festive music of the season. The program will be performed without an intermission and includes family-friendly music, a children's play-along piece and post-concert interactive instrument petting zoo, where kids “try out” several different orchestral musical instruments under the guidance of one of the intergenerational musicians of the orchestra.  (Top image: Learning to play French horn at NJIO's Instrument Petting Zoo)

Standing room only performance by NJIO at the Kennedy CenterNJIO, whose musicians have ranged in age from 5 to 93, is one of the nation’s renowned intergenerational orchestras, known for the superior quality of its music and recognized for excellence in its intergenerational programming.  Artistic Director and Conductor Warren Cohen will lead the afternoon program which includes Overture to Judas Maccabeus, considered one of Handel's finest oratorios (a story told with voice and orchestra) and has remained one of his best known works. It is also significant as this was the first positive portrayal of a Jewish hero in European music or literature. (Above: Standing room only performance by NJIO at the Kennedy Center. Photos by Alan Kaufman)

Also included in the afternoon program is Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in G minor, also known as the Christmas Concerto, with its beautifully elaborate texture crafted from the violin and cello solos, and its Neapolitan Christmas Carol theme.  Several familiar Leroy Anderson holiday pieces will also be presented, including the catchy Sleigh Ride, the waltzing Song of the Bells, and The Christmas Festival, which was written for the Boston Pops combining several Carols with the tune of Jingle Bells.

The program also includes Reinecke’s Toy Symphony, originally written in jest, thus allowing the composer to engage in all sorts of musical hijinks, including odd sound effects, unusual harmonies and silly percussion and wind parts which will be contributed by the audience with toy instruments that NJIO will provide to them.

About New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra

NJIO bridges the generations through music and brings artistic excellence to our communities by presenting concerts at local venues and outreach performances at senior and health care facilities. A finalist for the Eisner Prize for Intergenerational Excellence, NJIO is recognized across the country as a model for intergenerational programming. NJIO provides education and performance opportunities for people of all ages that would like to be part of an orchestra or ensemble. Our members are all ages and all abilities, who learn side by side with experienced players and professional musicians who mentor their fellow performers. For more information regarding this concert or patron services, please contact Mary Beth Sweet, info@njio.org or (908) 603-7691. NJIO is committed to ensuring that its programs and events are accessible to all.

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.   Funding is also provided by, The Merck Foundation, The Lillian Pitkin Schenck Fund, The Shilling Family Foundation, The Standish Foundation, and The Summit Medical Group. Musical Instruments for the Petting Zoo are provided by K&S Music.