By Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra
The Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra will present its annual Holiday Concert on Sunday, December 4, at 7pm at the Princeton Alliance Church. The church is located at20 Schalks Crossing Road, on the corner of Scudder Mills Road and Schalks Crossing Road in Plainsboro, NJ. The theme of this concert is “Romance for the Holidays,” and features the Happy Singers and Chinese Musical Voices in “Butterfly Lovers,” and a Community Chorus singing excerpts from Handel’s “Messiah.”
The Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra is an award-winning orchestra based in the West Windsor-Plainsboro area. Itconsists of professional musicians, high-level amateurs, university students, and gifted pre-college students. The conductor, Ms. Chiu-Tze Lin is very active in music performance throughout the Tri-State Area. Ms. Lin is also the music director of the IMPACT (International Musical Performing Arts Cultural Troupe), a group involved in summer cultural exchange programs between the United States and other countries.
The Happy Singers and Chinese Musical Voices are both directed by their highly-acclaimed choral conductor, Wennie Nai-Yueh Niu. Ms. Niureceived her Masters degree in Music from Northwestern Universityand Bachelors degree fromthe National Taiwan Normal University. In addition to numerous famous voice masters, she has worked with Jannet Bookspan and Joan Dornamann, coaches for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Ms Niu has performed widely as a vocalist in Chicago, New Jersey, and New York. She has played major roles in "The King and I," "Cosi Fan Tutte," "Don Giovanni," "Amal and the Night Visitors," "La Boheme," "Rigoletto," "Hansel and Gretel," and "The Pirates of Penzance." She has been widely acclaimed for her many solo recitals. Ms. Niu has also conducted university choral groups in Taiwan. She is devoted to promoting musicianship in her community and the next generation of young musicians.
The Chinese Musical Voices and Happy Singers have made joint appearances in Avery Fisher Hall of Lincoln Center in New York City. The Chinese Musical Voices was formed in 1988 by the residents of Southern New Jersey and the Greater Delaware Valley region. It has participated in a concert at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, celebrating the 125th anniversary of Philadelphia Chinatown. In 2010, the chorus was invited to participate in the Globalization Concert of Temple University, performing with six other Chinese choruses in the famous “Yellow River” Cantata.
The Happy Singers was formed in 1993 with residents from the Greater Princeton area. It is devoted to community service and promoting Chinese culture via choral music. It has appeared in concert frequently in the West Windsor International Cultural Festival, and Plainsboro Founder’s Day and Cultural Day. The Happy Singers has also performed in charity events for Habitat for Humanity, Taiwan Earthquake Relief, Alzheimer Foundation, and the West Windsor Senior Center.
The concert program will also include an all-time classic for the holiday season, “Romeo and Juliet” by Tchaikovsky. The “Festive Sounds of Hanukkah” will also be performed to celebrate the rich cultural diversity of Central New Jersey. A Community Chorus from the Central New Jersey area will sing selections from the Christmas section of Handel’s “Messiah." The audience will also be invited to join in a holiday music sing-along at the end of the concert.
General admission is $15, $12 for seniors and students. Premium seating is available at $25 each. Tickets purchased in advance are $12 and can be obtained online from the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra website www.bravuraphil.org or by calling (609) 790-9559, (732) 792-2070, (609) 658-5036, or emailing [email protected]. Further information regarding the orchestra can be found at www.bravuraphil.org.
