May 3rd Concert Highlights Symphonic Dances and Piano Prodigy

Summit – On Sunday May 3rd at 3 p.m., the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra (NJIO) will present a free concert, Symphonic Dances, at Summit High School. Artistic Director and Conductor Warren Cohen leads the NJIO Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Gavin Davies leads the Intermezzo Orchestra. Highlighting the program is 17-year-old Carmen Knoll on piano, performing Frederic Chopin’s Concerto No. 1 in E minor. A student in the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School studying piano with Veda Kaplinsky, Ms. Knoll has won over 25 international competitions. She has been featured in solo recitals in the Juilliard School and Lincoln Center in addition to solo performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. This past year, she was awarded the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award after her performance on From The Top, the preeminent nationally broadcast showcase for young musicians, heard by over a million listeners a year. In 2014 she was awarded first prize at the Piano Arts North American Biennial Piano Competition and in 2013, Ms. Knoll performed at the 68th International Duszniki Chopin Festival in Poland.

As part of a year-long series of concerts revolving around the theme of Music in Motion, this musical program continues the theme with Edvard Grieg’s Symphonic Dances. The Symphonic Dances are a series of four pieces based on themes inspired by actual Norwegian folk melodies, colored with Grieg’s distinctive harmonies. The tunes are brilliantly scored and give each section of the orchestra an opportunity to shine. The classic Concerto No. 1 by Frederic Chopin will be impressively captured by the talented Ms. Knoll. This piece was actually written by a 20-year-old Chopin as a vehicle for his own formidable technique as a pianist. It quickly entered the repertoire and was taken up by many other pianists, even during his own lifetime. The three movements present a varied series of great tunes, dramatic episodes and brilliant virtuosity.

Concert Information

Sunday May 3, 2015 at 3 pm

Free Admission

Summit High School

125 Kent Place Boulevard, Summit, NJ

About NJIO

The New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra, now in its 21st season, has been recognized as a national leader in intergenerational excellence through its unique approach to teaching musical performance and as a model for intergenerational orchestras across the country. Not only do the intergenerational members play together, but they also mentor each other. In addition to providing free concerts and outreach to the community, the NJIO has been invited to perform at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and at the United Nations, and was a finalist for the Eisner Prize for Intergenerational Excellence. NJIO welcomes new members of all ages and abilities each concert period to one of its several orchestras - no auditions needed!

NJIO is committed to ensuring that all programs and concerts are accessible to everyone. For more information regarding the concert or to inquire about patron services, please contact Mary Beth Sweet at (908) 603-7691 or info@njio.org. www.njio.org

This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State and by a HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant from the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Funding is also provided by The John Bickford foundation, The Merck Foundation, The Lillian Pitkin Schenck Fund, The Shilling Family Foundation, The Standish Foundation and The Summit Medical Group.