Is it Time for a Hallelujah Chorus?

Where can you find Handel’s Messiah – one of the most beautiful and beloved pieces of choral music ever – in its original form, with full orchestra and chorus?  

The piece will be performed, just as Mr. Handel intended it, in Flemington, New Jersey on Sunday, December 9 at 3:00 pm.  

Hunterdon Choral Union and Hunterdon Symphony perform Messiah every other year – on even years – and on the odd years in between, the Hunterdon Musical Arts website is bombarded with contact messages asking for the piece.  “Well if you aren’t doing it this year, where can I find it?”  The truth is, aside from going into New York, we don’t know.  Many groups perform choral “highlights” from it, but rarely are they able to perform Part I (often called "The Christmas Portion") in its entirety, with the original orchestration. 

Sandy's over.  Hopefully, you have your power back.  How about a little Hallelujah Chorus to celebrate? You’ll find it right here, in Hunterdon County. The performance takes place in the Hunterdon Central High School Auditorium in Flemington, New Jersey – on Sunday, December 9 at 3:00 pm. Don’t miss it. You won’t find it here again until December 2014!  

Tickets are $20 general, $10 seniors/students, and are available at the following local merchants (cash or check only):  Califon Book Shop, Clinton Book Shop, Teaberry's Tea Room in Flemington, Minette's Candies in Frenchtown, and This and That on the Corner in Milford.  Visit the website for more information:  hunterdonmusicalarts.org

It Wouldn't Be Summer Without the Pops Concert!

Start your summer on Thursday evening with the uplifting sounds of "American Frontiers: A Summer Celebration," when Hunterdon Symphony takes the stage at Deer Path Park. You'll be treated to music that honors American frontiers of many sorts --from the Western Movement and wide-open-spaces to skyscrapers, jazz and men-in-space. Bring a chair or a blanket and relax on the wide, green lawn at Deer Path Park where you can enjoy music from "West Side Story," "Chicago," the film score from "Apollo 13," as well as heart-stirring tunes from Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, and the American West.

A longtime favorite of both audience members and players, the summer Pops Concert has been performed free to the public for almost 30 years. However, the fate of the Concert was in mortal peril this year due to county budget cuts --until Jersey Central Power & Light stepped forward as a major sponsor. The generous gift received from JCP&L this year, along with donations from Best Tile & Wood in Flemington, and a number of individual supporters, has enabled the orchestra to continue its tradition of presenting a free Pops Concert in Hunterdon.

Thursday, June 21 7:00 pm

Deer Path Park

West Woodschurch Road, Readington Township

For rain or extreme heat location, check the County website: www.co.hunterdon.jn.us

or call: 908-782-7275 after 4:30 pm on the day of the concert.

Get Your Hands on an Instrument! (Petting Zoo on February 11)

Have you ever gone to a concert and wished you could just get your hands on one of those cool instruments up on stage? Now is your chance. The "instrument petting zoo" Hunterdon Symphony will have immediately after their Concert for Young People on Saturday, February 11 was planned with kids in mind, but You can come, too.

Members of the Symphony will be on hand in the lobby of Clinton Township Middle School after the concert to assist potential musicians of all ages in getting "up close and personal" with instruments like the ones they have just seen in the performance. Try holding that trumpet or flute you always thought you might like to play. And go ahead: try making a sound. The cello and violin are going to be a bit small for you (yes, it really was planned with kids in mind), but you can get some idea what it would be like to play those, too.

So, after the concert, bring your kids over to "the zoo", but don't be shy about asking if You can try that instrument you've always dreamed of playing, too.

The concert (Cloudbursts, Twisters, and Thunderstorms: A Concert for Young People) takes place Saturday, February 11 at 3:00 pm at the Clinton Township Middle School, 34 Grayrock Road in Clinton, NJ. (The snow date is Sunday, Feb.12 at 3:00.) The "zoo" will take place in the lobby directly after the concert. Instruments for this event are on loan from Hunterdon Musical Instruments, Inc. in Flemington. All tickets for this concert are $5.

Cloudbursts, Twisters, and Thunderstorms

Music lovers of all ages are about to experience Cloudbursts, Twisters, and Thunderstorms!

Hunterdon Symphony's Concert for Young People, Saturday, February 11, at 3:00 pm, will focus on the storm segments in these exciting pieces of music: Rossini William Tell, Vivaldi Summer, Strauss Thunder and Lightning Polka, Beethoven Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral", and excerpts from "The Wizard of Oz" & "Wicked". You don't need to be young-in-age to love this concert!

The concert, conducted by Lawrence Kursar, features violinist, Christian Bench. It takes place in the Clinton Township Middle School auditorium, 34 Grayrock Road, in Clinton, NJ. If Cloudbursts give way to snow on February 11, the concert will take place on Sunday, February 12, at 3pm.