Arts & Entertainment
Westfield Sympony will Perform on National Stage
The Westfield Symphony Orchestra will perform at Lincoln Center in Manhattan Monday.
The Westfield Symphony Orchestra will be in the national spotlight Monday.
The symphony will perform with New York City-based Teatro Grattacielo at Lincoln Center in Manhattan.
"We can prove to the whole nation what a professional gem the Westfield Symphony is," said David Wroe, the symphony's music director. Wroe is also the music director of Teatro Grattacielo.
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This is the first time the two groups have collaborated. It's also the first time the Westfield Symphony has worked with an opera company.
Together they will perform Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's Italian opera I Gioielli della Madonna (The Jewels of the Madonna). The opera concerns the love triangle between a blacksmith, his adopted sister and the head of the local mafia.
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The performance will also feature the participation of 130 choristers, guitar players, dancers, mimes and, of course, the Westfield Symphony's 66 members. Wroe said at some points in the performance close to 200 people will be on stage simultaneously.
Wroe said the concert is going to thrust the Westfield Symphony into the eyes of the entire nation and will give the symphony the chance to show the country what it's capable of. Journalists from the New York Times and Opera News are expected to review the performance, Wroe said.
"We're honored to be there and honored to serve as the ambassador for Westfield," he said.
The group is also excited about its first appearance at Lincoln Center - one of the most famous performing arts venues in the country. Wroe said the Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, where the group will perform, is the newest hall at the center. Wroe described it as a magnificent arena. The lighting illuminates the theater in a way that gives off a romantic, intimate red glow.
"We are tickled to death to be going," Wroe said.
The performance is Monday May 24th at 8pm at the Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th Street. Tickets are available at Lincoln Center, Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12pm-6pm or through CenterCharge at 212-721-6500 or www.jalc.org.
