Please welcome back our new student blogger Andrew Unger, who is about to let you in on some of the best deals for professional music performances right here in the TCNJ area! Read more about how you can even watch the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra perform on March 1st for just $10!
Andrew Unger, Junior Music Major
Next Stop, Market East!
Location, location, location.
One of the many things I value about my school is its close proximity to artistically lively metropolitan areas. Music is all around us, and we have the privilege of having world-renowned orchestras, chamber groups, and soloists performing right across the pond -in New York, Philly, and even our own New Jersey- on a regular basis. Just thinking about the incredible opportunities I’ve had in the past few years sends shivers down my spine.
In the Spring of 2012, I took my little sister to the Kimmel Center to see my idol, Simon Rattle, conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra in a rendition of Brahms’ 3rd Symphony, Webern’s 6 Pieces for Orchestra, and Schumann’s Rhenish Symphony. Just last semester, I saw the principal horn of the New York Philharmonic, Phil Myers, perform chamber music alongside TCNJ’s own Dr. Tomoko Kanamaru at Symphony Space in NYC. I also shook his hand and had a lovely one-sided conversation (I was too nervous to say a word) with him backstage following the concert. Soon after, I saw one of the inaugural concerts of the new music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, in a stupefying Verdi Requiem. This past January, I drove for five minutes to Trenton’s War Memorial to see an electrifying New Jersey Symphony performance of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, conducted by Jacques Lacombe. In the spring, I plan on visiting Princeton’s McCarter Theater to hear international piano soloist Mitsuko Uchida.
All of this and more is right under our noses! If you have a student ID, you can get rush tickets for as low as 8 dollars to see the Philly Orchestra. Why not?
Speaking of great deals, contact Joe Pagani at <paganij1@tcnj.edu> for information about 10 dollar tickets to see the New Jersey Symphony perform, among other things, Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition on March 1st. If enough students participate, we will be provided with free bus transportation by the NJSO. Mark your calendar!
BLOGGER BONUS! We also asked our bloggers the following question. Check out Andrew’s response below!
What was the best or most exciting part of your winter break?
The most exciting part of my winter break was recording a rock song with a group of friends. Other than that, I enjoyed relaxing and spending time with my family.
Andrew, I was delighted to find and read your blogging comments about the spectacular music scene in our region. From first-hand experience, I can truly say you are absolutely right and that you have only tapped what is available to your peers. I am Co-Founder of Boheme Opera NJ, the opera company that is mounting a new production of Charles Gounod’s FAUST in your own campus backyard at Kendall Main Stage Theatre on April 20 at 7pm and April 21 at 4pm. It is a marvelous opportunity to hear not only the compelling musical score of this French classic played by the Boheme Opera Orchestra, but also to witness a veteran world-class cast and stunning virtual sets and animation by amazing designer J. Matthew Root. Faust will be sung in French with projected English supertitles. Tickets for TCNJ students are as low as $15 for performances, and Boheme is also offering free admittance to students to its final dress rehearsal on April 18 at 7pm. You don’t have to get into a car or catch a train, simply walk across the campus to Kendall.
As a graduate of Temple University and student of Temple’s Great Teacher Harvey Wedeen and recording artist/accompanist extraordinaire Lambert Orkis, and then subsequently a protege of Karl Ulrich Schnabel, I was fortunate to have worked with such vocal greats as the late great basso Jerome Hines, the hilarious and talented Met tenor Anthony Laciura, and current leading baritone around the world, Mark Delavan. In its history, our Boheme organization has also honored legendary greats such as the late tenor Franco Corelli, soprano Licia Albanese, and the Met’s youngest artist ever to debut on its main stage, soprano Roberta Peters. I have found that the longer you work in the music field, no matter what genre or style, you will have the opportunity to meet and experience great musicians and great music. It’s all within your reach.
I encourage you to share our glorious production with your friends, their friends and the campus community at large. Thanks for helping us get the word out! Tickets are now available in person at the TCNJ box office or visit http://www.tcnj.edu/boxoffice. To learn more about Boheme Opera NJ and Faust, visit http://www.bohemeopera.com.