About Us
Services
Mission
We exist to celebrate orchestral music as a vital force in contemporary society—preserving classical traditions while embracing emerging idioms. The core of our being and identity is to provide high-quality performances and educational initiatives to underserved areas and populations within the greater southern New Jersey area. Our small size offers accessibility to the community, providing a local, intimate arts experience at low or no cost to attendees.
Vision
We aspire to ignite a lifelong love of music in every generation and culture by serving as a local model for musical excellence, engaging young musicians, and fostering community-centered performance. Our friendly, approachable style of presenting programs continues to appeal to audiences of all ages. Founded on strong personal connections, meaningful partnerships with local entities ensure our efforts to grow and thrive in such areas and environments.
My Story
Every time I walk the streets of Center City Philadelphia, where my family lives, I find myself passing by the very corner where my parents worked as street vendors some 45 years ago. Immediately, I am transported to that young boy who hid inside a cardboard box, just beneath their stand, to insulate myself from the cold during the winter months. As with many lower-income immigrant families, my siblings and I faced adversity from a transient living situation to the challenges of the inner-city public education system. It was not until I found the gift of music that I began to channel my own identity as an individual who can contribute positively to our society as an artist and performer.
Given my own background, presenting programs to those who lack easy access is such a joyous experience for me. Music indeed has the power to transform lives because of its profound influence on the imagination, mental development, and vital life skills. My goal is to share the magical wonder of classical music while also teaching its life-long value, fostering fulfillment.
About The Orchestra
The New Jersey Chamber Orchestra (NJCO) is New Jersey’s newest professional orchestra, featuring distinguished soloists and special guests including performers from The Philadelphia Orchestra, Symphony in C and other highly sought after artists.
The orchestra brings many of the area’s finest musicians on the stage together to perform in intimate atmospheres for the community. The NJCO works to bring world-class musicians to audiences in and around New Jersey and Philadelphia so that classical music can be more accessible and enjoyable for all. Our programs are full of variety, ranging from American folk music to robust romanticism. All of the music is very audience friendly, presenting classical music in fun, informal settings.
Whether it’s Copland’s Simple Gifts melody or the rich harmonies of a Borodin symphony, the orchestra’s mission is to dazzle, entertain, enrich and encourage its listeners with melodies that connect directly to their ears, minds and hearts. Our unique size of sometimes just 10 musicians allows us to be mobile and flexible with our programming to fit venues that cannot necessarily host an entire symphonic group. NJCO has recently been granted non-profit status in the state of New Jersey. You are invited to support our mission – please consider making your most generous donation by clicking the link below.
Thomas Hong
Conductor
Hailed by Kurt Masur as “One of the most talented young conductors of his generations,” THOMAS HONG enjoys the privilege of being one of many successful protégés of the great Maestro. Having won titled positions with the Dallas, Pittsburgh and Seattle Symphony Orchestras as well as Orchestre National de France, Hong has conducted countless concerts with those orchestras, ranging from classical, community, education and pops concerts. Presently, he is the artistic director and conductor of the University of Pennsylvania Orchestras. Other recent activities include being principal conductor for the inaugural season of the DSO on the GO series with the Dallas Symphony, and a re-engagement with the Utah Symphony, where he was the conductor for the Gina Brchauer International Piano Competition in Salt Lake City. Orchestras that Hong has conducted in the past include the Utah, Fort Worth, Virginia, Richmond, Spokane and Winnepeg Symphonies as well as the Seoul, Buffalo and Lutostawski Philharmonics. More recent invitations include the Berlin Symphony, North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica di Siciliana and Cairo Symphony Orchestra.
Among his operatic and vocal performances are Copland’s The Tender Land, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress and Donizetti’s L’Elixir d’Amore at the Wortham Opera Theatre in Houston. Awards that Hong has received include the Leopold Stokowski Fellowship, the Whitaker Opera Prize and a residency award by the Brahms society of Baden-Baden. His latest recording was from the show “From the Top” with pianist/host Christopher O’Riley and the DSO at the Meyerson Symphony Center. Hong was born in Incheon, Korea and immigrated to the United States with his family. He began his musical training as a pianist with Dr. Samuel Hsu at Cairn University. Later, he went on to earn a Master’s degree in choral conducting at Temple University and an Artist Diploma in orchestral conducting from The Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Maestros Alan Harler and Otto Werner Mueller, respectively. He concluded his artistic training with Maestro Larry Rachleff at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Currently, Hong lives in Philadelphia with his wife Rachel Ku and their daughter Esther.