Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Gemma New

Gemma New Returns to New Zealand Symphony

Congratulations to Gemma New, now back on her home turf as principal conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra!

New is a familiar face here in New Jersey, thanks to her five-year stint as associate conductor of the New Jersey Symphony. Like her compatriot Edmund Hillary, she has been scaling mountains ever since, as resident conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and music director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra in Hamilton, Ontario.

I saw her lead a concert at Richardson Auditorium here in Princeton in 2019, and her Sibelius 2nd was a knockout – an inspiring performance, with New, an unassuming presence off the podium, astonishingly authoritative, with a clean and confident baton technique.

I interviewed her in advance of the concert for the Trenton Times. Nice to see the article linked among the footnotes on her Wikipedia page. I think I broke the ice by being so well-versed in the music of Douglas Lilburn (New Zealand’s national composer).

Best wishes to Gemma New. Now on to the next peak!

https://www.nj.com/times-entertainment/2016/10/classical_music_njso_performin_1.html

Press release

https://www.primoartists.com/news/new-nzso-appointment

Conducting Lilburn’s “Aotearoa Overture”

February 28, 2022
Gemma New NZ to NJ & Classical Music

From the antipodes to New Jersey!

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, less than 30 years ago, conductor Gemma New has come up in the world, both literally and figuratively. This former associate conductor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is entering her second season as music director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra in Ontario, a recent Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and now resident conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

She returns this week to conduct the NJSO in music by Sibelius (his Symphony No. 2), Grieg (his Piano Concerto, with Stewart Goodyear the soloist), and her compatriot Douglas Lilburn (the “Aotearoa Overture,” a piece seemingly no non-New Zealander can pronounce). Remaining performances will take place at Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium tonight at 8:00, the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank tomorrow night at 8:00, and the State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick Sunday afternoon at 3:00.

You can learn more about this up-and-coming conductor, her thoughtfully constructed program, the relationship of Sibelius to New Zealand, and the special significance of Lilburn’s music to Kiwi audiences, in my article in today’s Trenton Times.

http://www.nj.com/times-entertainment/index.ssf/2016/10/classical_music_njso_performin_1.html

October 7, 2016
Princeton’s Mega Music Events and Gemma New’s Triumph

Apologies if any of you were stuck sitting in a cubicle somewhere hoping for a few seconds of escapism courtesy of Classic Ross Amico. Unfortunately, I was up to my eyeballs trying to figure out how to synthesize all the abundant material for a newspaper article about two mega-events coming up in Princeton, beginning this weekend: the Golandsky Institute International Piano Festival, and the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute, a workshop for young composers, with JoAnn Falletta and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

The reminders from my editors that they were expecting an article from me began to arrive around 4:00, four hours past deadline. I uploaded the last of the photos around 6. All in a day’s work.

Speaking of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, belated congratulations to Gemma New, associate conductor of the NJSO, who has been named music director of Ontario’s Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. New, 28, is also founder/director of the Baltimore-based new music collective, the LUNAR ensemble.

Apparently, the announcement was made back in May, but you know how it is when you’re working. You’ll find the press release here:

http://hpo.org/gemma-new-music-director/

At least this article was published by the CBC only three days ago:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/gemma-new-of-hamilton-philharmonic-is-1-of-continent-s-few-female-conductors-1.3137925

July 6, 2015

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