JCC unveils 2019 season for Gaelen Center for the Arts

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Gaelen Center for the Arts at JCC MetroWest will have a multi-faceted selection of arts and cultural programing for 2019. Building upon their already successful New Jersey Jewish Film Festival, popular youth theater programs and art gallery exhibitions, the coming season will include a Conservatory Chamber Music Concert Series, authors and concerts for children and families and will play host to Jewish authors. The Gaelen Center for the Arts at JCC MetroWest is located at 760 Northfield Ave. in West Orange.

This year finds The Gaelen Center for the Arts at JCC MeroWest teaming up with four music conservatories across the nation to bring talented music students to the stage. Kicking off the Conservatory Chamber Music Series on Thursday, Jan. 17, will be The Vera Quartet from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. The Curtis Institute educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry.

Additional chamber concerts include Trio Umami from The Juilliard School in New York City on Sunday, March 3; The Landon String Quartet from Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas, on Sunday, March 24; and The Mount Vernon Virtuosi String Orchestra from Peabody Institute of The John Hopkins University in Baltimore on Thursday, June 13.

Authors and speakers will be a big part of the 2019 season, featuring a wide range of talent that will appeal to adults and families. One not to miss this month is Mike Reiss, the longest-serving writer and producer of “The Simpsons,” who will offer a humorous look at the writing and making of the legendary Fox series on Thursday, Jan. 24. Jamie Bernstein, author of “Famous Father Girl: A Memoir of Growing Up Bernstein,” will give a rare look at her father, Leonard Bernstein, on Thursday, March 14. Martin Fletcher, author of “Promised Land: A Novel of Israel,” will speak on Thursday, April 11, and Ariel Berger, who chronicles the intimate conversations between himself and Elie Wiesel over decades in his book “Witness: Lessons From Elie Wiesel’s Classroom,” will bring those stories to JCC on Thursday, May 2. In “President Carter: The White House Years,” Stuart E. Eizenstat presents a comprehensive history of the Carter Administration, demonstrating that Carter was the most impactful, consequential, modern-era one-term U.S. president; Eizenstat will be the guest speaker on Wednesday, June 12.

“From award-winning authors sharing their stories to the next generation of virtuosos and ensembles, we’re thrilled to be able to offer this diverse range of programming to our community,” JCC MetroWest CEO Stuart Raynor said in a press release. “There really is something for everyone and we look forward to being the home that attracts great talent we as a community can come together and experience.”

For a complete list of the Gaelen Center’s 2019 events and to purchase tickets, visit https://jccmetrowest.org/programs/gaelen/#overview.

  JCC