PROGRAMS FROM THE PAST, BY SEASON (in reverse chronology)
2022-2023
Saturday, November 5, 2022 7:30 pm
Hunterdon Central High School
DANGEROUS MUSIC
Hunterdon Symphony
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
Clinton Ambs, Narrator
Mari Green, Vocal Soloist
***
Les Preludes -- Franz Liszt
Swan Lake -- Pyotr Tchaikovsky
A Tribute to Ukraine -- Mykola Leontovych & Stepan Charnetsky, arr. Kursar
"Strange Fruit" -- Abel Meeropol (aka Lewis Allen), arr. Kursar
Mari Green, Vocal Soloist
Adagio for Strings -- Samuel Barber
"Waltz No 2" from Suite for Variety Orchestra - Dmitri Shostakovich
Overture to Tannhauser -- Richard Wagner
Narrative by Barbara Volkov, with Rachel Wang
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Sunday, December 18, 2022 3:00 pm
North Hunterdon High School
HOLIDAY FAVORITES
Hunterdon Symphony
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
Nathan Bishop, Co-Conductor
***
A Canadian Brass Christmas -- Luther Henderson, arr. Custer
The Nutcracker Suite -- Pyotr Tchaikovsky
White Christmas -- Irving Berlin
Overture to Miracle on 34th Street -- Bruce Broughton, arr. Vinson, Christopher
Music from Frozen -- Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, arr. Krogstad
Sleigh Ride -- Leroy Anderson
A Christmas Festival -- Leroy Anderson
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Saturday, February 11, 2023 3:00 pm
Clinton Township Middle School
THE ORCHESTRA GOES TO THE CIRCUS
A Concert for Young People
Hunterdon Symphony
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
Jason Kaplan, Narrator
Andrew Pecota, Bassoon
***
Entrance of the Gladiators -- Julius Fucik
Pink Panther -- Henry Mancini, arr. Custer
Peter and the Wolf -- Sergei Prokofiev
Peter Gunn -- Henry Mancini (arr. Custer)
Bassoon Circus -- Maxime Goulet
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[Still to come this season:
April 22, 7:30 pm AN ARABIAN NIGHT - Hunterdon Central High School
June 29, 7:00 pm BACK TO BROADWAY - Concert Under the Stars - Deer Path Park]
2021-2022
Sunday, October 17, 2021. 3:00 pm
Rosemont Valley Farm
OPEN AIR SOUNDS
The Spirit and Beauty of the Outdoors
Hunterdon Symphony
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
***
Outdoor Overture -- Aaron Copland
Rodeo Suite -- Aaron Copland
Symphony No 6 in F Major -- Ludwig van Beethoven
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Sunday, November 14, 2021 3:00 pm
South Hunterdon High School
MUSIC DEJA VU
Bringing Sounds of the Past into the Future
Hunterdon Symphony
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
***
Pulcinella Suite -- Igor Stravinsky
Premiere - Symphony No 4, "Truimfante" Mvt. 1 -- W.I. Mokriski
Symphony No 6 in F Major -- Ludwig van Beethoven
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Sunday, December 19, 2021 3:00 pm
Hunterdon Central High School
HANDEL'S MESSIAH
Hunterdon Choral Union
Thomas DiGiovanni, Conductor
Rebecca Nixon, Soprano; Abigail Sherman, Alto
Liam Nixon, Tenor; Devon McGuire, Bass
Hunterdon Symphony
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
Terri Garippa, Flute
***
Fantasia on Greensleeves -- Ralph Vaughan Williams
Orchestral Suite No 2 in B minor -- Johann Sebastian Bach
Terri Garippa, Flute
The Messiah -- George Friedrich Handel
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Saturday, February 5, 2022 3:00 pm
Clinton Township Middle School
CATS, BATS, & RATS
A Concert for Young People
Hunterdon Symphony
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
***
The Bats
Overture to "Die Fledermaus" -- Johann Strauss II
Movie Spectacular -- Arr. Jay Bocook
The Cats
Cat Duet -- Gioachino Rossini
Savannah and Abigail Wrigley, Soloists
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -- Harry Gregson-Williams, arr. Bulla
Nathan Bishop, Conductor
The Rats
The Nutcracker - Battle scene between the Nutcracker and the Rat King -- P.I. Tchaikovsky
Ricky the River Rat -- story and music by Lawrence Kursar
Sharyn Huray, Narrator
Audrey Spies, Christine Chen, and Reagan Ost, Percussion soloists
----------
Saturday, April 9, 2022 7:30 pm
Hunterdon Central High School
THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT
Hunterdon Symphony
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
Ilya Yakushev, Piano
Hunterdon Choral Union
Thomas DiGiovanni, Conductor
Richard Tarriff, Baritone
***
"Hoe Down" from Rodeo Suite -- Aaron Copland
Old American Songs (Set 1 & 2) -- Aaron Copland
with Choral Union, & Richard Tarriff, Baritone
"El Salon Mexico" -- Aaron Copland
Shchedryk -- Mykola Leontovych, arr. Kursar
with Choral Union
Piano Concert No 5 in Eb Major "The Emperor" -- Ludwig van Beethoven
Ilya Yakushev, Piano
----------
Thursday, June 23, 2022 7:00 pm
HC Department of Parks & Recreation
Concert Under the Stars
with a few words by Marcia Karrow
(Rain location used: North Hunterdon High School)
THE AUSTRIAN SEND-OFF CONCERT
Hunterdon Symphony
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
Anna Grace Roth, Mezzo-Soprano
***
Overture from Prometheus -- Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No 1 "Afro-American" -- William Grant Still
"Hoe Down" from Rodeo -- Aaron Copland
Finlandia -- Jean Sibelius
Im Abendrot -- Franz Schubert, arr. Kursar
Anna Grace Roth, Mezzo-Soprano
Symphony No 9 "From the New World", Finale -- Antonin Dvorak
Shchedryk -- Mykola Leontovych, arr. Kursar
Anna Grace Roth, Mezzo-Soprano
Green Hornet -- Billy May
Andrew Pecota, Bassoon
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The Austrian Concerts:
July 2, 7 pm Salzburg
Tuesday, June 28, 7:30 pm Wiener Musikverein, Vienna
Sunday, June 26, 5:30 pm Congress Center, Baden Bei Wien
(same program as June 23)
----------
2020 - 2021
Sunday, October 4, 2020. 3:00 pm
Rosemont Valley Farm, Stockton, New Jersey
LIVE CONCERTS ON THE FARM #1
Hunterdon Symphony Strings and Small Ensembles
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
Michael Newman, Guitar
Laura Oltman, Guitar
***
Renaissance Dances -- Tielman Susato
Two Ayres for Cornets and Sagbuts -- John Adson
Rondeau -- Jean-Joseph Mouret
Presentation Brass Quintet
*
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba -- G.F. Handel
Greensleeves to a Ground -- Anonymous, from the XVII Century
Excerpt from "Flute Quartet in C Major" -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Flute Quartet
*
Allegro from String Trio in B flat Major -- Franz Schubert
Quaran-Trio
*
Tango -- Michael McLean
Por Una Cabeza -- Carlos Gardel
The Six Feet Five
*
Light in Darkness -- Evelyn Glennie
Taylor Newman, Marimba
*
Musica Incidental Campesina -- Leo Brouwer
Michael Newman & Laura Oltman, Guitar duo
*
from "Beatleriano" -- Lennon/McCartney, arr. Leo Brouwer
Michael Newman & Laura Oltman, Guitar duo
*
Cavatina -- Stanley Myers
Michael Newman & Laura Oltman, Guitar duo
*
Concerto in B flat Major -- G. F. Handel
Hunterdon Symphony Strings with
Michael Newman & Laura Oltman, Guitar duo
----------
Sunday, October 18, 2020. 3:00 pm
Rosemont Valley Farm, Stockton, New Jersey
LIVE CONCERTS ON THE FARM #2
Hunterdon Symphony Strings and Small Ensembles
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
Patty Gonsky, Cello
Richard Hotchkiss, Cello
***
Music from the Isles, Sea Sketches -- Ian MacDonald
Presentation Brass Quintet
*
Piano Quintet in A Major "Trout Quintet" -- Franz Schubert
Saturday Strings Faculty Quintet, with Guest John Girvin, Piano
*
Eleanor Rigby -- Lennon & McCartney, arr. Giles
Here Comes the Sun -- Harrison, arr. IGD
California Dreamin' -- J and M Phillips, arr. Talanov
The Six Feet Five
(A socially distanced string quintet)
*
Jazz Spirits:
Ain't Misbehavin' -- Fats Waller
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square -- Manning Sherwin
That's a Plenty -- Lew Pollack
Presentation Brass Quintet
*
Hunterdon Symphony Strings:
Concerto for Two Violins in D minor -- Johann Sebastian Bach
Vivace
Christian Bench & Nathan Bishop, Violins
Giles -- Evelyn Glennie
Taylor Newman, Marimba
Concerto for Two Cellos in G minor -- Antonio Vivaldi
Patty Gonsky & Richard Hotchkiss, Cellos
Ashokan Farewell -- Jay Ungar
Christian Bench, Violin
----------
Tuesday, December 22, 2020. 6:30 pm
Broadcast on WDVR 89.7 FM
Sergeantsville, New Jersey
A HOLIDAY CONCERT RADIO BROADCAST
Hunterdon Symphony Strings
***
Brandenburg Concerto No 3 in G Major -- Johann Sebastian Bach
Christmas Concerto in G minor -- Arcangelo Corelli
Patty Gonsky, Conductor
Christian Bench, Violin; Rachel Puelle, Violin; Richard Hotchkiss, Cello
(Recorded Live at the ESC in Califon on Monday, December 14, 2020, John Forrestal recording engineer)
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Thursday, June 17, 2021
Deer Path Park
ESCAPE WITH MUSIC
Hunterdon Symphony - Together Again
plus small ensembles
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
Amalia Crevani & Amy Suznovich, Sopranos
***
Symphony No 4, mvt 1 -- Felix Mendelssohn
Hungarian Dance No 1 -- Johannes Brahms
"Deh Vieni non tarderà" from The Marriage of Figaro -- W. A. Mozart
Amalia Crevani, Soprano
Lord of the Rings Medley -- Howard Shore
Amalia Crevani, Soprano
George M. Cohan Medley -- G. M. Cohan, arr. Nagle
Hallelujah for Flute Quartet -- Leonard Cohen, arr. M. Shaw
The Doubtful Wife (a Reel) -- Catherine McMichael
Flute Quartet
Amparito Roca -- Jaime Texidor Dalmau, arr. J.Lichtmann
Killer Tango -- Sonny Komparnek
Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans? -- Eddie Delange & Louis Alter, arr. R. Lowden
The Pandemix
D'un Matin de Printemps -- Lili Boulanger
Danzas de Panama -- William Grant Still
"Sull'aria" from The Marriage of Figaro -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Amalia Crevani & Any Suznovich, Sopranos
Symphony No 5, Finale -- Ludwig van Beethoven
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2019 - 2020
Saturday, November 2, 2019 7:30 pm
Hunterdon Central High School
FLAMES OF PASSION
Hunterdon Symphony
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
***
Prometheus Overture -- Ludwig van Beethoven
Danse Macabre -- Camille Saint-Saens
Nancy Roth, Violin
Suite No 2, Spartacus -- Aram Khachaturian
Danzon No 2 -- Arturo Marquez Navarro
Firebird 1919 -- Igor Stravinsky
----------
Sunday, December 15, 2019. 3:00 pm
Hunterdon Central High School
A BRITISH ISLES HOLIDAY
Hunterdon Symphony
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
Hunterdon Choral Union
Richard McIntyre, Conductor
***
Coronation March -- William Walton, arr. Stone
Fantasia on "Greensleeves" -- Ralph Vaughan Williams
Fantasia on We Three Kings -- Brian Balmages
A Brief History - 40 Years since the December 1979 String Festival that preceded the forming of Hunterdon Symphony
Nancy Roth, Co-Founder
Concerto Grosso for string orchestra -- Ralph Vaughan Williams
With Saturday Strings and a flash mob of past Symphony members from the audience joining the orchestra on stage to perform Concerto Grosso, as performed in Dec 1979
*
King Arthur -- Henry Purcell, words by John Dryden
Act III: The Frost Scene
Hunterdon Choral Union
Cupid: Abigail Merk; Cold Genius: James Ofalt
Magnificat -- Gerald Finzi
*
A Canadian Brass Christmas -- Arr. Calvin Custer
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Saturday, February 8, 2020 3:00 pm
Clinton Township Middle School
MUSIC IN FLIGHT
A Concert for Young People
followed by an Instrument Petting Zoo
Hunterdon Symphony
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
***
Insect Flight
Flight of the Bumble Bee -- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Wasps Overture -- Ralph Vaughan Williams
*
Space Flight
Apollo 13 -- James Horner
The Empire Strikes Back -- John Williams
*
Balloon Flight
A Hunterdon Ode: Balloon Flight -- Raymond Wojcik
Wizard of Oz -- Harold Arlen
Wicked -- Stephen Schwartz
A Hunterdon Ode: This work composed by Raymond Wojcik
was commissioned by the Hunterdon Tricentennial Committee for the 300th anniversary of Hunterdon County celebrated in 2014. It was premiered at the Hunterdon Symphony Pops Concert in June of that year. Subtitled "Balloon Flight," the music describes a hot air balloon ride over the County's many historic features and farmlands, with a theme inspired by the vistas from atop some of the highest points in the county.
The work begins with fast, exciting music that depicts the balloons and a feeling of celebration, followed by a fanfare announcing the Anniversary. The music slows to a trumpet solo depicting graveyards of centuries of war veterans, followed by the "Hunterdon Theme," played by the solo horn. A section of busy music then suggests the labor intensive work of farming. The Hunterdon Theme is heard again, followed by the melody of the solo trumpet transformed into the rich, golden light of late afternoon. A return to the fast, exciting music of the opening leads to a triumphant conclusion.
A resident of Califon at the time of the composition, Wojcik died shortly after its premier. During his career he was a composer, conductor and educator. His works include music for orchestra, chamber ensembles, dance companies, and film. His activities as a composer included a three-year position as composer-in-residence at the Cape May Music Festival. His music has been recorded by the Moravian Philharmonic (Czech Republic) and Rzesnow Philharmonic (Poland) and performed in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Virginia, and Michigan.
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Thursday, August 13, 2020 7:00 pm
Hunterdon County Fairgrounds, Ringoes, NJ
HONK IF YOU LOVE HUNTERDON SYMPHONY!
A Drive-In Concert
Hunterdon Symphony Strings
Lawrence Kursar, Conductor
& Small Ensembles
***
Concerto for Four Violins in B minor -- Antonio Vivaldi
Liam Doherty, Grace Miller, Jonathan Chin & Ana Constantin, Violins
*
Turkish March -- Ludwig van Beethoven, arr. S. Cooper
Pink Panther -- Henry Mancini, arr. A. Frackenpohl
Habanera -- Georges Bizet, arr. K. Dorsey
Doin' The Raccoon -- J. Fred Coots
Pandemic Brass Quintet
*
Entr'act from Carmen -- Georges Bizet
Andrew Burden, Flute; Lily Ayotte, Flute; Joseph Pagani, Harp
*
Concerto for Two Violins in D minor -- Johann Sebastian Bach
Vivace: Christian Bench & Nathan Bishop, Violins
Largo ma non tanto: Liam Doherty & Ana Constantin, Violins
Allegro: Christian Bench & Nathan Bishop, Violins
*
A Little Prayer -- Evelyn Glennie
Taylor Newman, Marimba
*
Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra in C Major -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Andrew Burden, Flute; Joseph Pagani, Harp
*
Allegro from Sonata for Two Flutes, No 5 in D Major -- Johann Christoph Schultze
Lily Ayotte, Flute; Josh Shaevitz, Piccolo Trumpet
*
The Simpsons -- Danny Elfman & Alf Clausen, arr. G. Schlecta
Jupiter Hymn -- Gustav Holst, arr. Paul Hanna
Maria/Tonight -- Leonard Bernstein, arr. J. Gale
Pandemic Brass Quintet
*
Slippery Elm Rag -- Clarence Woods
Bohemia Rag -- Joseph Lamb
Easy Winners -- Scott Joplin
The Six Feet Five
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