| Photo courtesy of The New Jersey Symphony
JERSEY CITY, NJ — The world-class New Jersey Symphony will hold its grand finale performance on Sunday, June 30, 2024, of its Summer Outdoor Concerts at Liberty State Park. The performance will start at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
Mayor Steve M. Fulop invites residents and visitors to Liberty State Park for this special concert.
“Adding the New Jersey Symphony to Jersey City’s lineup of summer music events is a great way to provide residents and visitors a valuable opportunity to experience high-quality music performances in a community setting that entertains and inspires,” Fulop said.
This performance will be the third consecutive year the Emmy and Grammy Award-winning New Jersey Symphony will perform, conducted by Joshua Gersen. This year’s program celebrates patriotism and the Garden State with pieces like John Williams’ Liberty Fanfare, John Philip Sousa’s Atlantic City Pageant March, and other Jersey treasures such as:
John Stafford Smith/Damrosch The Star Spangled Banner
Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky Polonaise from Eugene Onegin
Giuseppe Verdi Overture to Nabucco
Peter Mascagni Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana
Georges Bizet Selections from Carmen
John Williams Liberty Fanfare
Valerie Coleman Seven O’Clock Shout
Aaron Copland’s Saturday Night Waltz and Hoe Down from Rodeo
George Gershwin / arr. Bennett Selections from Porgy and Bess
Various Composers/arr. Moss Salute to Ol’ Blue Eyes
John Philip Sousa Atlantic City Pageant March
Various Composers/arr. Lowden Armed Forces Salute
Fans can enjoy this performance next to the Hudson River, with a fantastic view of the Manhattan Skyline.
Before their Sunday performance at the Liberty State Park, the New Jersey Symphony is scheduled to perform at Branch Brook Park in Newark, New Jersey, on June 28 and at Marine Park in Red Bank, New Jersey, on June 29.
“This free community event would not be possible without the Arts and Culture Trust Fund, a critical investment in our city’s arts and culture scene,” said Christine Goodman, Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs.
Goodman has also released important information for fans to know, such as:
PARKING: Free parking is available after 5:30 p.m. in the Ferry Lot at Liberty State Park (1 Audrey Zapp Drive). Limited parking is available on the south end of the park. Attendees may also park at Liberty Science Center’s paid lot (222 Jersey City Boulevard).
SHUTTLES: Free concert shuttle buses will run to and from the Green Ring from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. To view the shuttle map, visit jerseycityculture.org.
LIGHT RAIL: Attendees can use the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to Liberty State Park and access the Liberty Science Center shuttle stop across the street.
RAIN LOCATION: Margaret Williams Theatre at Hepburn Hall, Center for the Arts at New Jersey City University (2039 Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City).
In the 2024-25 season, the New Jersey Symphony will present Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene with Renée Fleming, Billy Childs’ Diaspora, Daniel Freiberg’s Latin American Chronicles, Allison Loggins-Hull’s Can You See?, Qasim Naqvi’s God Docks at Death Harbor and Gabriela Ortiz’s Kauyumari. Classical favorites on the season include Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, “Choral,” Gustav Holst’s The Planets—An HD Odyssey, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Igor Stravinsky’s Suite from The Firebird.
Artistic partnerships include Paquito D’Rivera and his quintet, as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival; Nimbus Dance performing with The Firebird and God Docks at Death Harbor; Montclair State University Chorale performing on three programs; as well as Peking University Alumni Chorus and Starry Arts Children’s Chorus appearing on the Lunar New Year Celebration concert with Xian Zhang.
Joshua Gersen, an accomplished conductor and music director, will conduct this concert anew. Gersen was assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, where he filled in for an ailing Semyon Bychkov with just a few hour’s notice. His performance received critical acclaim from both audiences and colleagues in the orchestra.
He was a guest conductor at several prestigious orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Nationa Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, and the North Carolina Symphony. He received the 2015 and 2016 Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Award.
