“Most members of the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey don’t play music for a living. Rather, they live to play music,” writes Kevin Riordan in Sunday’s (10/18) Philadelphia Inquirer. “A physicist, a pharmacist, a data analyst, and a lawyer or two will be among the performers onstage at the amateur ensemble’s 25th anniversary concert…. The respected 95-member Philharmonic … will be performing Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 in G minor and Carl Orff’s cantata Carmina Burana…. The concert is set for Nov. 1.… ‘We’re always challenging ourselves to play better, play bigger, play more deeply,’ says Matthew Oberstein, the charismatic conductor and music director…. The Philharmonic was founded in 1990…. the number of annual subscriptions has grown to a stable 650…. Residencies for composers, a holiday pops concert, and adventurous programming—including Jake Runestad’s choral work in honor of veterans, Dreams of the Fallen, with text by Iraq War vet and poet Brian Turner—have helped grow audiences…. ‘A lot of us work hard during the day,’ says Karen Kessler, 48, of Mount Laurel, a Philharmonic violist for 24 years and a data analyst with the New Jersey Department of Labor. ‘When we come here … we cut loose.’ ”
Posted October 20, 2015
