Summer Celebration

Conductor Mark Laycock will lead the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in this year’s Fourth of July concert series.

By: Matt Smith
   It’s entirely possible there’s never been a Fourth of July symphonic concert without Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
   Mark Laycock says the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra won’t break from tradition with Variations on America, the program for the NJSO’s outdoor holiday concerts, which draw more than 50,000 people annually.

Mark Laycock will conduct the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s Fourth of July performances this year, which conclude with a July 1 concert and fireworks display in Mercer County Park.

   "The entire program is American," says Mr. Laycock, who will conduct the four performances in parks around New Jersey. "The second half is completely patriotic-based. I should add, that includes the ‘1812 Overture,’ which is the only non-American piece, but I’ve never heard a Fourth of July without the ‘1812 Overture.’ We’ve sort of adopted that as American."
   Mr. Laycock, also music director of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, joined the NJSO as assistant conductor last fall. He had worked with the orchestra in the past, leading 15 family concerts last year, so he says it was a natural fit.
   "I enjoyed it thoroughly," he says. "I had done a series of concerts with them the previous year, so we knew each other. I think it was a very smooth transition and I enjoyed all the musicmaking very much."
   Mr. Laycock says creating a diverse program for these concerts, which conclude July 1 at Mercer County Park in West Windsor, N.J., was the primary goal. The show’s first half will kick off with "outdoor" works by Charles Ives and Aaron Copland, and includes upbeat jazz selections from Louis Prima and Duke Ellington. In the second half, the NJSO brings out the big guns.
   "There’s jazz influence, there’s a representation from more of a symphonic composer, Aaron Copland, a piece that he actually wrote to be played outdoors, his ‘Outdoor Overture,’" he says. "There are a couple of pieces that are variations on either ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ or ‘My Country ‘Tis of Thee,’ music by George M. Cohan. It’s a great selection. It’s absolutely a selection for the entire family."
   In addition to garnering his post with the NJSO, this past season also was notable for Mr. Laycock in that the Princeton Chamber Symphony, which he has led since 1986, got a name change — to the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.

Above, a shot from last year’s festivities.

   "That orchestra had been growing and had undergone different transformations for just about 20 years, and the name hadn’t quite caught up," says the Princeton resident. "As the orchestra grew in size, it still connoted a slightly smaller group, but we were doing symphonies by major composers. So, I think with the name change came an appropriate moniker for what we we’re doing but also brought in a lot of new subscribers, which was a treat."
   Mr. Laycock says this year’s PSO schedule is all set, and like past years, the orchestra will offer a varied repertoire, presenting audiences with a number of lesser-known works.
   "One of the most fantastic things about hearing the Princeton Symphony is that if you attend a season or two seasons, you’ve heard five or 10 pieces that you probably won’t hear anywhere else," he says. "We play Dvoràk and Beethoven, but I think this orchestra in particular is interested in a wide array of symphonic expression, therefore we’re not limited to what we play, we’re only limited by the feeling that it must be a great piece."
   More obscure works this season range from Lowell Lieberman’s Second Piano Concerto in the season-opener to the American premiere in April 2002 of an Augusta Reed Thomas piece.
   He says getting some of the thousands of people that attend the Fourth of July concerts to come out to an NJSO or PSO concert in the fall is a goal, but he’s mostly concerned with creating music "that’s very accessible and thoroughly enjoyable, and that you would love to sit out on a blanket on a summer night and listen to.
   "The main focus is to present an orchestra that is just so lovely to hear and such a great means of expressing emotions and feelings, but you always hope that there are people who will hear an outdoor concert and will want to hear more, but it’s not designed with any ulterior motives in mind, it’s just designed to be the most enjoyable evening possible."
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra will perform Variations on America at Mercer County Park, West Windsor, N.J., July 1, 7:30 p.m. Fireworks will follow the performance. For information, call (973) 624-3713. On the Web: www.njsymphony.org