Between all the birthday observations and the promotion of my radio shows, I’ve been neglecting to share some items of musical news, most of them of local interest, and some of them of wider significance. After all, there are only so many hours in the day, and believe it or not, not all of mine are spent on Facebook – though it may certainly seem that way!
I usually like to put my own spin on things, but I’ve gotten so backlogged that yesterday I had to simply share a link to Peter Dobrin’s appreciation of Anthony Checchia, founder of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and for more than 50 years general manager of the Marlboro Music School and Festival, who died at September 7 at the age of 94.
Here’s some unfinished business regarding the New Jersey Symphony, which I should have passed along days ago. Like just about everyone else, any number of performing arts organizations were knocked sideways by the pandemic. Over the past year, the NJS has seemed particularly woozy (thankfully not reflected in the quality of its performances), so it was with cautious optimism that I learn the orchestra has found some potential stability in a new home.
It was announced a couple of weeks ago that the NJS will be settling into a newly-constructed, $40 million performing arts facility, Symphony Center, which, through an arrangement with Jersey City, it will occupy for 30 years. The facility will be part of a luxury housing development erected by Toll Brothers, with permission from the city granted with the stipulation that such a space be included. Jersey City is hoping to raise its profile as a performing arts destination. The orchestra’s move is scheduled to take place in Spring 2026.
In theory, this is great news. However, the hall is projected to seat 550, making it an especially intimate theater. By way of reference, Princeton’s Richardson Auditorium, about as intimate as I imagine a symphony orchestra can go, has seating for 900. The New Jersey Symphony has long maintained a concert series at the Princeton venue.
The orchestra, founded in 1922, has led something of a nomadic existence for decades, with concert series not only in Princeton, but also Engelwood, Morristown, New Brunswick, Red Bank, and especially Newark, where the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has served as its base of operations since 1997. The group is committed to continue the touring relationships. It’s to be assumed that it will continue to perform a series in Newark, but that remains to be seen.
Also, the orchestra will need to raise an additional $12 million to furnish its new space and tweak the acoustics. Programming is expected to be eclectic, with a mix of chamber music, world music, dance collaborations, and multimedia projects. Don’t expect to hear any Mahler symphonies in Jersey City.
Which brings us to the elephant in the room: with recent cuts and an impending move to a 550-seat hall, will the orchestra continue to operate at its current size?
Last season, the organization slashed its administrative staff by about 15 percent and ate into two thirds of a $9 million endowment. A number of concerts were dropped, diminishing its season, after subscribers (including myself) had already purchased tickets. I wouldn’t have subscribed in the first place had I known I wasn’t going to be able to hear those particular programs. I wish the orchestra luck, and I will continue to attend the occasional concert, but I’m sure I’m not alone in being hesitant to commit to a subscription again anytime soon.
Neither does the fact that, in June, the orchestra’s president and CEO, Gabriel van Aalst, tendered his resignation inspire confidence. It could simply be a matter of unfortunate timing, but it does appear as if Aalst hopped a lifeboat, taking off to become president and CEO of Dayton Live!, the primary host and presenter for performing arts in Miami City, Ohio. Craig Silliman, co-chair of the New Jersey Symphony’s board of trustees, has stepped up to serve as interim president and CEO, on an unpaid basis, until a successor is found.
Despite these understandable concerns, the orchestra has vowed to continue to play from the larger orchestral repertoire at its other venues throughout the state.
In a related piece of news, it was announced on Thursday that the orchestra’s dynamic music director Xian Zhang will take over the directorship of the Seattle Symphony, effective with the 2025-26 season. Her initial contract is for five years.
Zhang, whose star seems very much in the ascendency, as a regular guest conductor of leading orchestras in the United States (including those of Philadelphia, Boston, and the Metropolitan Opera) and abroad (London, Sao Paulo, and Toulouse, among others), is one of the few women to hold the artistic reins of a major American orchestra.
She assumed the directorship of the New Jersey Symphony in 2016. Her impending commitment to Seattle will mean a bicoastal existence, as she is bound to the New Jersey Symphony through 2028. Her New Jersey successor is yet to be named.
Congratulations to Xian Zhang, and best wishes to the New Jersey Symphony.
NJS’ statement on Symphony Space in Jersey City:
https://www.njsymphony.org/visit/venues/symphony-center-in-jersey-city
IMAGES: Xian Zhang on the rise, and a mock-up of Jersey City’s new Symphony Center
