The Alternative Press

The New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra (NJIO) presents a Free Concert entitled “Longing for Home” on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at New Providence High School, 35 Pioneer Drive, New Providence, NJ.

NJIO Music Director and Conductor, Farkhad Khudyev, has programmed a concert with the theme of “Longing for Home”, featuring the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A Major with special guest soloist William Shadel.  The Symphony will also perform “Kadra’s Dance” by Sibelius, “Sabre Dance” by Khachaturian and the Dvorak Symphony No. 8 in G Major. 

The Intermezzo String Orchestra under the baton of Gavin Davies will perform works by Handel, Mussorgsky, Franck and Peter Warlock. 

The Prelude String Ensemble under the direction of Margaret Zufall Roberts will perform prior to the concert.

Highly regarded up-and-coming Conductor Farkhad Khudyev is concluding his first season as Music Director and Conductor at the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra.   In a recent interview, Mr. Khudyev was quoted as saying, “Conducting has always been something incredibly special to me…Through this mystical and beautiful art I felt I could communicate the best that great artists have given us, while simultaneously bringing my own inner world into the music.”

Mr. Khudyev comes originally from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where he first studied violin and composition at the Special Music School for the most gifted musicians in the country. He distinguished himself at the age of 10 as the youngest performer ever selected to play with the National Violin Ensemble of Turkmenistan. Mr. Khudyev came to the United States in 2001 on a full scholarship from the Interlochen Arts Academy, and then completed his Bachelor of Music degree on a full scholarship at the Oberlin Conservatory. He received his Master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the Yale School of Music.  Mr. Khudyev has served as the Music Director of the Saybrook College Orchestra at Yale University, the Assistant Conductor of the Yale Philharmonia and the New Music New Haven ensemble, the Assistant Conductor of the NOYO Orchestra as well as the Guest Conductor of the Yale Symphony Orchestra.  Mr. Khudyev is the winner of the coveted Grand Prize and the Gold Medal of the 2007 National Fischoff Chamber Music Competition as the member of Prima Trio.  Mr. Khudyev was invited to be one of 10 semifinalists from around the world to participate at the First International Chicago Symphony Orchestra Sir Georg Solti Conducting Competition and Apprenticeship with Riccardo Muti. Currently, Mr. Khudyev serves as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra, the Music Director of the New Haven Chamber Orchestra and the principal guest conductor of the National Orchestra of Ashgabat.

In February, 2012, Mr. Khudyev was chosen by Kurt Masur to participate in the famed Kurt Masur Conducting Seminar at the Manhattan School of Music.  Each day, in a series of open rehearsals, participants chosen from an international pool of applicants were given the opportunity to conduct an orchestra of MSM students in a master class format.  The seminar concluded with a concert led by Maestro Masur and selected seminar participants, including Mr. Khudyev.    

Guest soloist William Shadel is the principal clarinetist with the Westfield Symphony and was the principal clarinetist of the New Jersey Symphony for thirteen years.  He has performed and recorded with the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Karl Bohm, Eric Leinsdorf, Sir Colin Davis, Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur and others, and has performed with Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and Marilyn Horne.  He has toured widely across the United States as clarinetist of the New Jersey Chamber Music Society, and was the leader of the Festival Woodwinds.  In reviewing his Town Hall recital in New York City, the New York Times music critic compared his performance to that of Kreisler and Caruso.

On Broadway, Mr. Shadel has performed on clarinet, saxophones, and flute in many productions, including Merlin, Zorba, Gypsy, Steel Pier, Big Deal, Camelot, in Dancin’ as an onstage soloist, and West Side Story in Vienna, Austria.  He has shared the stage with Henry Mancini, played and recorded with Glen Campbell, and accompanied Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, Marvin Hamlisch, Maureen McGovern, Natalie Cole, Rosemary Clooney, and Tony Bennett.  He was the lead woodwind player at the Garden State Arts Center and a former member of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point.  He is an honor graduate of Montclair State University and has a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He was a professor in the music department of Montclair State University, and taught at William Paterson University.

The New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra was founded in 1994, and has grown into one of New Jersey’s shining stars. With three orchestras and over 100 volunteer musicians from various New Jersey communities, the NJIO has successfully bridged the generations through music. Our members have ranged in age from 6 to 93 years old.

Since its founding, NJIO has consciously nurtured the belief that senior citizens can share their wisdom and become vital resources for children. By bringing youth and senior citizens together, it has promoted mutual growth and fostered understanding between generations. The genuine camaraderie prevalent at all its rehearsals and concerts emanates from the perfect union of the eagerness to learn and the ability to teach, as the young and the young at heart share music stands and experiences throughout the season.  Players, young and old, are able to move along the musical continuum from beginner to advanced, benefiting through their interactions with each other, while advancing toward the common goal of artistic excellence.

NJIO promotes the idea that music performance is beneficial to everyone by providing three full orchestral concerts each season, as well as outreach performances and special events in the central New Jersey community. Currently, NJIO is accepting applications for its annual concerto competition, the spring cello workshop and the summer introduction to chamber music program.  Information about these and other programs is available on the NJIO website at www.njio.org

This concert is free and open to the public.  Donations will be gratefully accepted.  New Providence High School is handicap accessible.

For more information see our website at www.njio.org  or email us at info@njio.org or call 908-603-7691.

This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.  Additional funding for this concert was provided by a Union County Board of Freeholders: H.E.A.R.T. (History, Education, and Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant and The Summit Area Foundation.  The concert series was made possible through the generous support of The Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation, Henkel of America, Inc., The Provident Bank Foundation, The Standish Foundation, The Lillian P. Schenck Trust Fund and Tokio Marine Management.