The New Jersey Symphony has long lacked a permanent home, performing in a variety of spaces across the state.
But come 2026, that will change: The orchestra is getting a gleaming 550-seat theater in downtown Jersey City, the ensemble and the city announced on Wednesday.
The new theater, to be called Symphony Center, is expected to become a hub for concerts, classes and other activities.
While the New Jersey Symphony will continue to perform across the state, the theater will serve as its flagship location.
Last year, the orchestra announced it was trimming its season and cutting its administrative staff by about 15 percent.
Symphony Center was recently constructed for about $40 million, as part of a luxury housing development by the home builder Toll Brothers.
The space is owned by Jersey City, which will allow the symphony to use it under an initial 30-year lease agreement.
Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, said the theater was part of the city’s efforts to become a cultural destination.
The New Jersey Symphony performs in various locations throughout the state since it has long lacked a permanent home. But in 2026, that will all change as the orchestra and the city of Jersey City announced on Wednesday that the ensemble will be moving to a shiny new 550-seat theater in the heart of the city.
Concerts, lectures, and other events are anticipated to center around the new theater, which will be named Symphony Center. The theater will be the New Jersey Symphony’s flagship location, but it will still perform throughout the state.
The president and CEO of the orchestra, Gabriel van Aalst, stated, “We’ve always been in someone else’s house.”. Not only does this provide us with a place to live emotionally, but it also offers us the chance to reimagine, revisit, and reevaluate our business plan and consider how to best position the orchestra for going forward. “.
For the New Jersey Symphony, which is still dealing with the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic, along with many other arts organizations, the project is a success. The orchestra declared last year that it was going to reduce its season and its administrative staff by approximately fifteen percent. The orchestra has depleted its endowment to meet growing expenses; the fund’s value has dropped from approximately $9 million in 2019 to roughly $3 million today.
Recently, Symphony Center was built for roughly $40 million as a component of a Toll Brothers luxury home development. The Jersey City Symphony will be able to use the space for the first thirty years of its lease. The symphony intends to raise an extra $12 million to upgrade the venue’s furnishings and acoustics.
As part of Jersey City’s endeavors to establish itself as a cultural hub, the theater was mentioned by Mayor Steven Fulop. It would, he claimed, help draw tens of thousands of people downtown each year and raise the symphony’s profile.
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