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United Nations,
New York City, February, 1999 |
NJIO has had a wonderful
history of performances. In addition to the regular community concerts,
NJIO has performed at the United Nations, the Capital Building in Washington
D.C., the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, NJ, the
Turtle Back Zoo for the New Jersey Zoological Society, the YM/WHA of Union,
NJ, the City of Summit’s Fourth of July Celebration, Calvary Episcopal
Church in Summit, and in the Plaza Fountain Concert Series of Lincoln Center
for the Performing Arts in New York City.
Special events have
included a gala benefit concert at Kean University’s Wilkins Theatre,
featuring internationally recognized composer, musician and musical satirist
Peter Schickele and the music of P.D.Q. Bach, and a trip to Spain for an
appearance and workshop at the International Day of Older Persons.
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NJIO in Spain |
NJIO is also featured in
the documentary “The Open Road: America Looks at Aging,” which aired in 2005
on public television stations across the U.S. NJIO has been recognized as a
model intergenerational program at the Creativity Matters conference
sponsored by The National Center for Creative Aging and was consulted for
the publication “Creativity Matters: The Arts and Aging Toolkit”. NJIO is
featured in the just-released draft of “ArtsPlan NJ”, co-sponsored by the
New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA), ArtPRIDE Foundation and New
Jersey Network Foundation.
NJIO has a long history of
working with prominent New Jersey musicians and has featured such artists as
the renowned jazz violinist John Blake; oboe virtuoso Oscar Petty;
saxophonist, composer and pianist Mario Lombardo; the Latin Jazz Connection
with Vincent Calabrese; soprano Angela Intili; New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
violinist Joseph Gluck; pianist Rio Clemente and his Jazz Trio; violinist
Jim Gaskill; harpsichordist Paul Somers; the Rahway Valley Jersey-Aires
Barbershop Quartet; harmonica virtuoso Robert Paparozzi; Reggie Workman,
renowned jazz bass man from the John Coltrane Quartet; Kamron Saniee, violin
prodigy; opera singer Jamie Baer Peterson, cello soloist Cynthia Longley and
composer and jazz keyboard artist Joe Kurasz. NJIO has presented
special programs with Tony-Award nominated tenor Willy Falk, accompanied by
Constantine Kitsopolous of the Chatham Opera.
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Lincoln Center, New York City |
NJIO has also presented
educational programs for its members and the general public. These have
included a presentation by Kerry Keane, musical instrument specialist from
Christie’s Auction House in New York featuring the “Hammer” Stradivarius
violin, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra principal bassoonist Robert Wagner,
New Jersey luthier Richard Gagliardi, and others.
In 1998 NJIO commissioned
a piece of music by composer Benjamin Lees, Intermezzo for String
Orchestra, which was premiered at our 1998 concert series. New Jersey
composer Mario Lombardo composed several pieces for NJIO over the years such
as Winter Frolic, Gavotte for Oboe and Strings and Music in Our
Lives. And Joe Kurasz composed the song Intergenerational for
the Orchestra’s 1997 season. |
