New Jersey Symphony Orchestra history

Born as the Salaam Temple in 1925, Newark Symphony Hall has been the home of almost a century of arts and culture in what is now New Jersey’s oldest and largest arts and entertainment venue.

In 1930, it became the first symphony composed by an African American to be performed by a professional orchestra in the United States.

Samuel Antek, a Toscanini prodigy and concertmaster under Rene Pollain, became the New Jersey Symphony’s music director in 1947.

Antek created the “Music for Fun” series of children’s concerts, introduced the first outdoor pops concert on the estate of Augustus C. Studer in Montclair, established the New Jersey Symphony’s first youth orchestra in 1955 and began radio broadcasts on WNJR.

In the first half of 1968 then Music Director Kenneth Schermerhorn announced his departure to take up the baton of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

1986–87 • Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.

1992–93 • Lowell Lieberman: Flute Concerto (James Galway, flute)

1994–95 • William Bolcom: Lyric Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (James Galway, flute)

1995–96 • Richard Danielpour: Piano Concerto No.

George Walker—a longtime Montclair resident—was among the greatest composers to call the Garden State home, and in 1996, he became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music.

1997–98 • Krzysztof Penderecki: Violin Concerto No.

Next up was the composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain’s “Voodoo Violin Concerto,” a 25-minute work from 2002 that reflects his Haitian heritage but also fuses elements of hip-hop, jazz and classical contemporary styles.

2003–04 • Boris Parsadanian: Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra (Maarika Järvi, flute)

In addition, he stated the New Jersey Symphony's accumulated debt is at $15 million as of October 2007.

In November 2008, Jacques Lacombe guest-conducted the New Jersey Symphony for the first time.

In March 2009, the New Jersey Symphony indicated that Järvi had agreed to serve as the orchestra's artistic adviser after the conclusion of his contract as music director, and subsequently to take the title of conductor laureate.

Jacques Lacombe became the New Jersey Symphony’s music director in 2010 and, during his tenure, garnered praise from critics and audiences for his creative programming and his talents at the podium.

Dare joined the nonprofit world in May 2011, when he asked to meet the chairman of the troubled Brooklyn Philharmonic and was hired as chief executive there.

Following the departure of Gremillet as New Jersey Symphony president, the orchestra appointed Richard Dare as its next December 2012.

Dare took up the post at the beginning of January 2013.

Michelle Cann makes a triumphant return to the Symphony stage for the first time since 2014 with Strauss’ light, virtuosic and witty Burleske for Piano and Orchestra.

In June 2016, the New Jersey Symphony announced Gabriel van Aalst as its new CEO, beginning in October 2016.

Award-winning composer Dorothy Chang wrote her inspirational and bright Northern Star as part of a larger collection of commissions from several Canadian composers in 2017.

New Jersey Symphony Music Director Xian Zhang performed it for the first time in Vancouver in 2018.

In December 2021, the organization changed its name from "New Jersey Symphony Orchestra" to "New Jersey Symphony" as part of a rebranding effort.