Xian Zhang has been named the NJSO's 14th director.
NEWARK -- London. Milan. Beijing. Gothenburg. Rotterdam.
That's a list of just a few of the cities in which Xian Zhang has conducted. In a press conference in Newark Monday, Zhang announced that she will be taking her worldly musical talent to New Jersey.
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Starting in the 2016-17 season, Zhang will head the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra as its 14th music director. During a question and answer session with reporters at the announcement, Zhang - the NJSO's first ever female director - commented on four different reasons she decided to make the move to the Garden State.
- The orchestra's flexibility - Uniquely, the NJSO regularly performs at six venues across the state: the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark; State Theater in New Brunswick; Count Basie Theater in Red Bank; Richardson Auditorium in Princeton; Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown; and bergenPAC in Englewood. Zhang said the unusual setup is actually a plus, because it "has made the orchestra flexible." And, she said, because the orchestra plays fewer shows in each venue, "you need to really grab people's hearts in a limited number of chances."
- Connection with the musicians. Zhang said she has guest conducted at the NJSO several times before, and instantly felt very at home with the musicians. They "pay a lot of attention to the maestro. Many orchestras sound the same (no matter what), but this orchestra actually changes a great deal" from piece to piece and composer to composer, she said.
- The audiences. The crowds in Jersey are more entertaining, and more engaged, Zhang said. "I enjoy tremendously the interactions with the audiences...in New Jersey," she said, pointing out that one of her goals as director will be to focus on creating connections between the players and the public.
- Homecoming. Zhang, originally from China, first moved to New York in 1998, where she eventually became the Associate Conductor of the New York Philharmonic. She left in 2009 for Italy, to serve as music director for the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi. Now, she said, it feels like time to return to the U.S. "I wanted my career to be open...but, I left so that I could come back some day," she said. "Now, that made all the sense (to do)."
Zhang will appear with the NJSO in April before officially taking over her new post in September 2016.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.