New Jersey festival Orchestra presents: AMERICA: HONORING 250 YEARS!

Sunday September 27 @ 2:30pm. Tickets $56 – $101 inclusive of ticketing fees. Celebrate America’s 250th anniversary as the New Jersey Festival Orchestra opens its 2026–2027 season with an inspiring musical journey. Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait honors Abraham Lincoln’s enduring words through stirring orchestral music, while Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World” captures the spirit of America through unforgettable melodies. The September 27 performance at the Sieminski Theater also features Mozart’s brilliant Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, K. 365. Program: Copland Lincoln Portrait. Dvorak Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”. Mozart Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra K. 365 9/27 Only Artists:: Kaiden Griggs & Kate Lee Kaiden Griggs: Kaiden began studying piano at age six, and has studied classical piano repertoire with Dr. Anna Ouspenskaya in Virginia for the last seven years. In his first major performance, he debuted the Saint-Saens Concerto Number Two (first movement) at Carnegie Hall in New York City with the Orchestra Manhattan conducted by Karim Said. He was subsequently invited as soloist performing the Saint-Saens Concerto Number Two with the Municipal Philharmonic Orchestra of Guayaquil, Ecuador, conducted by Gevorg Sargsyan. The studio performance was just released online by Cicerone (CiMA) Records. Kaiden is preparing for future performances of Tschaikovsky, Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff concertos. Kaiden is a rising Sophomore at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia. He participates in mathematics competitions and also enjoys 3D printing projects. He fences epee and participated in the 2026 Summer Nationals in Portland, Oregon. Kate Lee: Thirteen-year-old pianist Kate Lee began studying piano at the age of four and continues to study with Dr. Anna Ouspenskaya. At ten, she first appeared as an orchestral soloist, performing Polunin’s Piano Concerto in A Minor with the New York Chamber Players at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. She has performed with the Cairo Opera House Orchestra, Paducah Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Manhattan, and Butler Philharmonic Orchestra in concertos by Kabalevsky, Beethoven, and Schumann. Kate is featured on three recordings released through CiMA: a live recording of Kabalevsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3, a Beethoven concerto movement included on Orchestra Manhattan’s compilation album Manhattan Moods, and a separate complete recording of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Orchestra Manhattan under David Wroe. The complete Beethoven recording has surpassed 50,000 streams on Spotify. Her recent honors include top prizes in the American Fine Arts Festival International Concerto Competition, Thomas Hulbert International Competition, and Charleston International Piano Competition.