“Gemma New, who was born in Wellington, New Zealand, served for five years as assistant conductor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, beginning in 2011,” writes Ross Amico in Thursday’s (10/6) Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ). “She will return this week to conduct the ensemble in music by Finland’s Jean Sibelius, Norway’s Edvard Grieg, and New Zealand’s Douglas Lilburn, at four different venues across the state.… The series will mark the first time she has had an opportunity to conduct music by a New Zealand composer beyond the borders of her homeland.… New, who is not yet 30, has been conducting since the age of 15. She picked up the violin at 5, took to the piano at 7, and was performing in an orchestra at 9.… Former NJSO music director Jacques Lacombe … helped New to make the decision to attend the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. While she worked toward her master’s degree there, she acted as a cover conductor for the NJSO and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.… Last year, she was appointed music director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra in Ontario, Canada. This season, she adds … the position of resident conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony.”
Posted October 12, 2016
