Event Details
NJIO Presents “Holiday Spirit” — A Joyful Free Family Concert in Summit on December 13
The New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra (NJIO) invites music lovers of all ages to celebrate the season at its annual Holiday Spirit concert on Saturday, December 13 at 2:00 p.m. at Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School in Summit, NJ. Admission is free, with suggested donations of $10 per person gratefully accepted. The concert will also be livestreamed and recorded, with details available at www.njio.org.
This festive event brings together NJIO’s three orchestras—Prelude, Intermezzo, and Symphony—for one joyful performance that showcases musicians of many ages and skill levels performing side by side. The program features a playful mix of holiday and family-friendly favorites, including Reineke’s Toy Symphony, Vivaldi’s Winter, and the always-rousing Radetzky March (complete with audience clapping). Concertgoers can also join in the fun with a sing-along of classic carols and hand-held percussion instruments for “Sleigh Ride” to close the concert.
Following the performance, families are invited to stay for NJIO’s Instrument Petting Zoo, sponsored by Elefante Music, where children can meet musicians and try out orchestral instruments.
Thanks to a generous $4,000 grant from The Summit Foundation, this year’s Holiday Spirit concert will feature extra touches of fun, including printed program books for the sing-along and “instrument passports” for young concertgoers to collect stamps as they explore the Petting Zoo.
This concert is made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Summit Foundation, Instrument Petting Zoo sponsor Elefante Music, Allison Ziefert Real Estate Group - Compass, and our season sponsors: the Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation, The Henry S. and Agnes M. Truzack Foundation, Standish Foundation, and many other generous supporters. NJIO is a proud participating organization in the Families First Discovery Pass Program, a program of the NJ Departments of Health and Human Services.
About the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra
NJIO is committed to ensuring that its programs and concerts are accessible. For more information regarding the concert or to inquire about patron services, please contact NJIO at info@njio.org, or visit NJIO’s website www.njio.org
New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra, now in its 32nd season, has been nationally recognized as a leader in intergenerational excellence through its unique approach to teaching musical performance and as a model for intergenerational orchestras across the country. Depending on space availability, NJIO welcomes new members of all ages and abilities each concert period to one of its orchestras – no auditions needed!
The Holiday Spirit concert is the second of four free NJIO performances this season. Upcoming concerts include the Winter Concert on March 1, 2026 at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark and the Spring Concert on May 3, 2026 at 3 p.m. at Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church in Plainfield.