• By Mabel Pais

New Jersey Symphony presents Music Director Xian Zhang conducting Mozart, Bach and Abels, with the Symphony’s principal violins, Eric Wyrick and Francine Storck, stepping up to perform Bach’s Double Concerto with the orchestra. Schedule of concert locations, dates, and times is below.

On Saturday May 17, 2025, at 2 pm at NJPAC in Newark,  Colton Conducting Fellow Gregory McDaniel (njsymphony.org/musicians-orchestra/artist-initiatives/new-jersey-symphony-colton-fellowship) joins Zhang for a special Discover Series performance for families.

Xian Conducts Mozart

Music by Mozart, Bach, and Abels

Princeton – Friday, May 16, 8 pm, Richardson Auditorium

Newark – Saturday, May 17, 8 pm, NJPAC

Newark –  Sunday, May 18, 3 pm, NJPAC

Event page – (njsymphony.org/events/detail/xian-conducts-mozart-1)

Xian Zhang conductor

Eric Wyrick violin

Francine Storck violin

New Jersey Symphony

On the program:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Eine kleine Nachtmusik

Johann Sebastian Bach Double Concerto for Two Violins

Michael Abels Delights and Dances

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 35, “Haffner”

Discover Mozart & Bach

New Jersey Symphony Family Concert

Newark – Saturday, May 17, 2 pm, NJPAC

Event page – (njsymphony.org/events/detail/discover-mozart-bach)

Xian Zhang conductor

Gregory D. McDaniel conductor

Bill Barclay host

Eric Wyrick violin

Francine Storck violin

Annamaria Witek cello

New Jersey Symphony

The Symphony’s Discover concerts are inspired by Leonard Bernstein’s masterful way of putting young audiences at the center of music-making. This interactive, one-hour concert will feature inside tips, listening cues, and fun facts that make for the perfect Saturday afternoon family outing! This will also be a Relaxed Performance, designed to accommodate the differing sensory needs of patrons.

For more information, visit these pages at njsymphony.org.

For more about Discover Mozart & Bach –  (njsymphony.org/events/detail/discover-mozart-bach)

For more about Relaxed Performances – (njsymphony.org/visit/accessibility-1/what-is-a-relaxed-performance)

TICKETS

For a complete list of concerts and information on tickets, visit  njsymphony.org/events.

The Artists

Xian Zhang

2024–25 marks the GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning conductor Xian Zhang’s ninth season as music director of the New Jersey Symphony. Starting in 2025–26, Zhang will also hold the role of music director at Seattle Symphony. Zhang holds the position of conductor emeritus of Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, having previously held the position of music director between 2009–2016.

The 2024–25 season sees Zhang return to the Metropolitan Opera in New York to conduct David McVicar’s acclaimed production of Puccini’s Tosca.

Learn more about Xian Zhang at njsymphony.org/musicians-orchestra/musical-leadership/xian-zhang

Gregory D. McDaniel

Gregory D. McDaniel is a passionate conductor who is active in many different musical surroundings.

Praised for his “impeccable musicality and technique” (La Presse – Montreal), McDaniel was recently featured in concert with the Orchestre Métropolitain in Québec, conducting Lili Boulanger’s D’un Matin de printemps. Last summer, as a member of the Orchestral Conducting Academy at the Académie du Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, he worked with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec under the tutelage of conductors Thomas Rosner and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Learn more about Gregory D. McDaniel, at njsymphony.org/musicians-orchestra/musical-leadership/gregory-d-mcdaniel

Bill Barclay

Barclay is a writer, director and composer, described as a “personable polymath” (London Times), Barclay’s original works have been described as “witty and incisive” (The New York Times), “quietly transfixing” (The New Yorker), and “quite simply exquisite” (The Guardian). Venues include The Hollywood Bowl, The Kennedy Center, The Royal Albert Hall, Buckingham Palace, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Barbican, Washington National Cathedral, St Martin-in-the-Fields, and The Southbank Centre. Broadway and West End credits include ‘Farinelli and the King,’ ‘Twelfth Night,’ and ‘Richard III’ all starring Sir Mark Rylance.

Major tours include ‘The Chevalier’ (London Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Music of the Baroque, 8 others); ‘Secret Byrd’ for The Gesualdo Six and Fretwork (20 cities on tour); ‘Anthony & Cleopatra’ (LA Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra and others); and ‘Peer Gynt’ (Boston, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras). He has been commissioned five times by The Boston Symphony Orchestra, appearing across eight seasons. To learn more about Bill Barclay, visit concerttheatreworks.com/bill-barclay

Eric Wyrick

Violinist Eric Wyrick has been concertmaster of the New Jersey Symphony since 1998. Recently retired from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Eric had been a member of the internationally-acclaimed ensemble for 38 years.

As soloist with the New Jersey Symphony, Wyrick has delighted New Jersey audiences with performances of the great solo violin repertoire ranging from unusual and underperformed works such as the Schumann, Strauss, and Busoni violin concertos to presenting the complete Bach ‘Brandenburg Concertos’ and the Vivaldi ‘Four Seasons’ as soloist and leader. Wyrick has featured collaborations with contemporary local New Jersey composers Darryl Kubian and Steve Mackey in their solo compositions as well as a special revival of Princeton’s legendary Edward T. Cone Violin Concerto. Read more at njsymphony.org/musicians-orchestra/musical-leadership/eric-wyrick.

Francine Storck

Francine Storck is principal second violin of the New Jersey Symphony. A native of Princeton, she began playing professionally with the Collegium Musicum of Princeton at the age of 16. She attended the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, where she was concertmaster of the Orchestra, played with the Toledo Symphony, and was a prizewinner at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition with her quartet’s performance of Bartók’s String Quartet No. 6 and Beethoven’s  ‘Grosse Fugue.’

Learn more  at njsymphony.org/musicians/detail/francine-storck.

Annamaria Witek

Annamaria Witek is a freshman at The John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University as a student of Tomoko Fujita. Witek began playing cello in third grade in the music program of the South Orangetown Central School District. She studied with Madeleine Golz for seven years and has also studied with Karen Poleshuck, Sam Bae, and Nicole Johnson. She was principal cellist of the New Jersey Symphony’s Academy Orchestra and was the winner of the 2024 NJ Symphony Henry Lewis Concerto Competition. Annamaria was cellist of the NJ Symphony Anne Lieberson String Quartet for two years and is also a founding member of BridgeMusik in Rockland County. Learn more at  dropbox.com/scl/fi/ftfeto3h4okn4xsj0pdye/Annamaria-Witek-bio.pdf?rlkey=r791ersg1900x8a5wjygd45f8&e=1&st=g26m9ads&dl=0

New Jersey Symphony

New Jersey Symphony is a GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning orchestra. Under the direction of Music Director Xian Zhang, the Symphony performs more than 55 mainstage concerts across the state at venues in Newark, Princeton, New Brunswick, Red Bank, and Morristown, as well as at schools and public spaces statewide. Programming at the Symphony reflects an unwavering commitment to diverse communities throughout the state, while providing students unparalleled opportunities to achieve musical excellence through its Youth Orchestra and other education programs.

In 2024, the Symphony announced it would continue to deliver its statewide activities from a new, permanent office, rehearsal, and concert space in Jersey City, set to open in 2026.

For more information about the New Jersey Symphony, visit the website at njsymphony.org. 

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Education, Business, Social Issues, Health and Wellness, Spirituality, and Cuisine)