HONORING VETERANS: Pianist Jeffrey Biegel is the soloist when the New Jersey Youth Symphony performs “Rhapsody in Red, White, and Blue” at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial on Veterans Day, November 3.

The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) will present a concert to honor veterans and armed forces on Sunday, November 3 at 3 p.m. at the Patriots Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton.

Veterans are invited to attend the concert for free by using discount code VETERAN. Tickets and more information can be found at NJYS.org.

The program features the New Jersey premiere of Peter Boyer’s Rhapsody in Red, White, and Blue with pianist Jeffrey Biegel. Biegel commissioned Boyer to compose the piece to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the premiere of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and gave its first performance in June 2023 with the Utah Symphony. Biegel later recorded the work for the Naxos label with the London Symphony Orchestra and Boyer conducting.

To support American orchestras post-pandemic, Biegel developed the Rhapsody National Initiative, which entails performances of Rhapsody in Red, White, and Blue with at least one orchestra in all 50 states over the course of three years at no cost to the orchestras that participate. NJYS is one of three youth orchestras participating in the initiative and presenting the New Jersey premiere of this work.

“I created the 50 states Rhapsody National Initiative as the first commissioning project not requiring orchestras to pay toward the composer’s fee, and, to bring orchestras in all 50 states to the initiative celebrating orchestras and music in America,” said Biegel. “Peter Boyer’s ‘Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue’ is a fabulous work reflecting the American flag, and music since the time of George Gershwin’s 1924 Rhapsody in Blue for whose centennial the new Rhapsody celebrates. The New Jersey Youth Symphony represents the state of New Jersey and the vibrant young musicians taking part in this unprecedented national endeavor.”

The concert will also feature the Candide Overture and music from West Side Story by Leornard Bernstein, as well as Three Spirituals by the African American composer Adolphus Hailstork. Performances of “America the Beautiful,” “Armed Forces Salute,” and other works complete the program.