From the 2003 archives of State of the Arts, a profile of composer George Antheil (1900-1959). The Trenton, NJ-born musician became a sensation in Paris in the 1920s with modernist creations that shocked concert goers. Later, he became a Hollywood composer, writing numerous scores for Humphrey Bogart films. His autobiography, Bad Boy of Music, is ... The post George Antheil: Bad Boy of Music appeared first on State Of The Arts - NJ ..read more

We profile Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), the New Jersey Symphony's Resident Artistic Catalyst, and the debut performance of his new composition written especially for his NJ Symphony friends, Farah (Joy). The Haitian-American composer, violinist, and activist collaborated with spoken-word poet, dancer and actor Marc Bamuthi Joseph. The work, for soprano and orchestra, ruminates on the ... The post DBR and NJ Symphony appeared first on State Of The Arts - NJ ..read more

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Sameer Patel, performs the world premiere of William Harvey's violin concerto, with the composer as soloist. Each movement musically tells the story of a decision that helped make Mohandas Gandhi the iconic leader he would become. The work is dedicated to the composer's friend, Gandhi's granddaughter, Ela. Produced by ... The post Seven Decisions of Gandhi by William Harvey appeared first on State Of The Arts - NJ ..read more

The Chivalrous Crickets bring together backgrounds in Early European music, Appalachian folk tunes, opera, Irish, Scottish, and English music, creating their unique sound on banjo, fiddle, pipes, baroque guitar, dulcian, theorbo, cello, and more. Their vocal harmonies are enriched by sister voices—both Fiona Gillespie and Genevieve King grew up in a musical family. Their original ... The post The Chivalrous Crickets appeared first on State Of The Arts - NJ ..read more

Renowned violin virtuoso Stefan Jackiw has a long and warm relationship with conductor Jed Gaylin and the Bay Atlantic Symphony. They first worked together 20 years ago when Stefan was still a freshman at Harvard University and have collaborated 8 times since. This year, the pair tacked Benjamin Britten's rarely heard Violin Concerto. It was ... The post Britten’s Violin Concerto: The Bay Atlantic Symphony with Stefan Jackiw appeared first on State Of The Arts - NJ ..read more

Jazz vocalist Samara Joy is in her early 20s, but her deeply moving take on the standards brings to mind the greats. In 2019, she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition at NJPAC, and her career took off. We catch Samara in performance at the Bethany Jazz Vespers in Newark and at Harlem's ... The post Samara Joy: Reverence for Tradition appeared first on State Of The Arts - NJ ..read more

Resistance Revival Chorus is a collective of more than 60 women and non-binary singers, sharing their women-centered music of resistance with audiences across the country. Formed by a collection of New York area artists and activists after the original Women’s March in 2017, RRC combines social justice awareness and a legacy of protest music in ... The post Resistance Revival Chorus appeared first on State Of The Arts - NJ ..read more

The New York Times referred to Dorthaan Kirk as Newark's First Lady of Jazz. In 2020, she won the NEA Jazz Masters Award for Advocacy. Dorthaan was married to legendary jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Kirk, but when he died a the age of 42, she embarked on a long career promoting the music and the musicians ... The post First Lady of Jazz: Dorthaan Kirk appeared first on State Of The Arts - NJ ..read more

In 2014, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra opened its season with a performance of George Antheil's 1948 Overture "McKonkey's Ferry," inspired by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze's famous painting of George Washington Crossing the Delaware River on December 25, 1776. Antheil was born and raised in Trenton, NJ, and spent summers near Washington's Crossing. He became a ... The post McKonkey’s Ferry Overture by George Antheil appeared first on State Of The Arts - NJ ..read more

Native New Jersey musician Ara Dinkjian is considered one of the most accomplished oud players in the world. But at heart he’s always been a composer, and an innovator pushing genres to unite eastern and western cultures through music. Ten years ago he started exploring the boundaries of folk music with kanunist Tamer Pinarbasi and ... The post The Secret Trio appeared first on State Of The Arts - NJ ..read more