Meet The Montclair Orchestra’s New Advisory Board

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Montclair Orchestra. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here.

The Montclair Orchestra has announced the creation of an advisory board to help guide the organization as it continues to expand on its mission to present conservatory-level students with opportunities to perform alongside many of the best orchestral musicians in the world.

Among the members of the advisory board is the Metropolitan Opera’s incoming Music Director and Philadelphia Orchestra Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “I am impressed and inspired by the community-driven mission of the Montclair Orchestra. [The Montclair Orchestra’s Music Director] David Chan is one of the greatest musicians of our country, and I am proud to support him and the initiatives of this musical institution,” he says.

Joining Nézet-Séguin is Montclair mayor Robert Jackson, who recognizes the value of the orchestra to the town. “I am thrilled to serve on the Montclair Orchestra Advisory Board. The Orchestra is a major addition to Montclair’s cultural infrastructure and it must be carefully nurtured and fervently supported,” he says. “I hope that I can do both as a lover of great music and as the township’s mayor.”

Additional members of the advisory board include Fabio Luisi, Music Director of the Dallas Symphony and former MET Opera Principal Conductor; internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano soloist Joyce DiDonato; Jazz House Kids’ founder and president, Melissa Walker; and Grammy Award-winning virtuoso bassist, Christian McBride.

“Seemingly with each passing month, Montclair is proving itself to be one of the more important cultural havens in our country” says McBride. “The Montclair Orchestra further adds to the lure...and lore...of our great city. Symphonic music has always been a medium that can open new vistas in the human psyche. Hats off to [Founder and Chairman] Andre Weker, David Chan and our Montclair Orchestra.”

The Montclair Orchestra’s second season will commence with its first performance on Sept. 30, 2018, returning to Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church on South Fullerton Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey. A full 75-piece orchestra made up of student fellows and professional mentors will present A Shakespeare Evening—a curated selection of Shakespeare-themed music including Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet,” along with Korngold’s “Much Ado About Nothing” suite and Verdi’s music from “Macbeth.” Local actors will interweave spoken passages into the program to provide additional context for the music.

Tickets can be purchased individually or in multi-concert or full season packages. Information on ticket pricing and donor discounts can be found on the orchestra website at www.montclairorchestra.org.

The Montclair Orchestra is a unique training orchestra that offers playing fellowships to students from some of the most recognized music schools in the world, including The Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Cali School of Music and Mason-Gross School for the Arts. Led by Metropolitan Opera Orchestra concertmaster David Chan, fellows play alongside professional “mentors,” among them a number of the world's best orchestral musicians from an array of New York metro-area orchestras including the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke's. The result is an unforgettable experience for both the musicians and the audience. The Montclair Orchestra is a New Jersey-based 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Shutterstock / Eye Ubiquitous