NEWARK, NJ (June 10, 2018)—The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra today announces internationally renowned conductor Xian Zhang has extended her initial four-year term as NJSO Music Director for an additional four years. The contract extension secures the acclaimed conductor’s leadership of the NJSO through the 2023–24 season.
Zhang, the Orchestra’s 14th music director, took the helm of the NJSO in 2016. The NJSO officially announces her contract extension on stage at today’s final performance of the 2017–18 season at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
“Today’s announcement of Xian Zhang’s extension as NJSO Music Director propels the Orchestra into an exciting future,” NJSO President & CEO Gabriel van Aalst says. “Xian has fully embodied the NJSO’s mission to inspire and engage with New Jersey communities on and off stage, and her bold artistic vision has invigorated this organization. Musicians and audiences love her powerful musicianship and leadership, and as we approach the Orchestra’s milestone 100th anniversary in 2022, I cannot wait to see where she takes the NJSO.”
The announcement of Zhang’s continuing tenure caps a busy season during which the Orchestra ratified a new five-year contract agreement with its musicians’ union, Northern New Jersey Musicians Guild, Local 16-248 of the American Federation of Musicians. The Orchestra also named José Luis Domínguez Artistic Director of the NJSO Youth Orchestras through the 2019–20 season.
“This is a proud moment for the NJSO and a bold statement for the Orchestra’s future,” NJSO Board of Trustees Co-Chairs Linda Bowden and David Huber say. “Xian’s extraordinary artistic talent and vision for this Orchestra have thrilled concertgoers and fostered meaningful connections with the NJSO’s many constituents. Coupled with the new contract extension with our musicians, Xian’s continuing leadership secures a strong path forward for the Orchestra.”
“I congratulate Xian Zhang for continuing her exemplary work as Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra,” says New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “Her incredible talent and contributions have greatly enriched New Jersey’s position as a vibrant hub for music and the performing arts. I’m confident she will continue in this role with the same commitment to leadership that she has demonstrated over the past few years.”
Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka says: “Xian Zhang’s decision to extend her contract with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is another recognition of our city as a national leader in the performing arts. Ms. Zhang has been an outstanding conductor for the orchestra since taking the baton in 2016, adding power to its performances, the diversity of our musical community and luster to our city as a destination for the arts. Her vision, talent and commitment will lead the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra to greater heights, and we look forward to seeing and hearing the results.”
Zhang says: “It is both an honor and a privilege to be Music Director of such a wonderful group of musicians. Our concerts throughout the state, and the wonderful education and community work we do, means that we bring music to a lot of people! For me, therefore, to be at the helm of an orchestra soon to be celebrating 100 years of music making is truly inspiring.”
Concertmaster Eric Wyrick says: “Xian really knows how to stir up and spin a sound. She is all about energy and connection with musicians and audiences, and she is a wonderful human being. I’m very happy that she’s renewed her contract; it’s great for us to continue working together. We are just getting the benefit of what she has to offer us, and who we will be by the end of her tenure is an exciting question.”
Since assuming the helm of the NJSO, Zhang has revitalized NJSO programming with an industry-leading commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in mainstage concerts. A full realization of Zhang’s artistic vision, the 2018–19 season features a diverse array of musical voices, from female composers (Kate Whitley’s Speak Out in its US premiere, Maria Schneider’s Winter Morning Walks with soprano Dawn Upshaw and Florence Price’s Piano Concerto with acclaimed jazz pianist Aaron Diehl) to composers performing their own concertos (Steven Mackey’s Four Iconoclastic Episodes for violin and electric guitar, Amjad Ali Khan’s Samaagam for Sarod, Concertante Group and String Orchestra) to classical masters (Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony and Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra).
The NJSO’s inaugural Chinese New Year Celebration concert in 2019 reflects Zhang’s extensive outreach to New Jersey’s Chinese community; the East Coast premiere of Andrew Norman’s Cello Concerto (an NJSO co-commission) reflects her renewed commitment to the NJSO’s commissioning program. She brings world-class artists, including lauded pianists Daniil Trifonov and Emanuel Ax, to NJSO stages.
In the 2017–18 season, her inaugural Winter Festival—the Orchestra’s signature artistic event—was inspired by her own experiences in the United States. “America, Inspiring” celebrated foreign artists and composers whose experiences connect them to the nation’s legacy as a source of inspiration and beacon of ideals for people from all over the world.
In concert, Zhang has forged deep connections with New Jersey audiences through thoughtful and engaging comments from the podium and shaped the sound of the Orchestra through committed and inspiring leadership of standard repertoire works. Her advocacy for education and community engagement has included meaningful interaction with the student musicians of the NJSO Academy music-instruction programs; she has led NJSO Academy Orchestra performances on stage at NJPAC at NJSO concerts and conducted NJSO CHAMPS and #OrchestraYou. Off stage, she has demonstrated fundraising leadership in collaboration with the NJSO board and management.
NJ Advance Media praised the immediate effect of Zhang’s leadership in the 2016–17 season, writing that in her first year with the NJSO, the Music Director “clearly made her mark. Now it’s time to see how high [the Orchestra] can soar.”
“The dynamic performances Ms. Zhang led … proved that hers is a name worth memorizing,” The New York Times wrote. “On the podium she is a pint-size bundle of energy, conducting with feet firmly grounded and big, purposeful motions of the torso and arms. In brief remarks from the stage, she also showed herself to be a natural communicator, brimming with enthusiasm and humor: a good choice for this orchestra, which takes its ambassadorial role seriously with concert series offered across the state and numerous outreach initiatives.”
