NJPAC - January/February/March 2022

avo! 

Bert Kreischer 

The Berty Boy Relapse Tour 

Mar 24 

jan/mar 2022

your shortcut to the 

performance programs 

Click below to access: 

18 Tom Papa 

Family Reunion Tour 

Saturday, January 15 | 7 & 9:30PM 

21 Stephanie Mills & The Whispers 

Saturday, January 15 | 8PM 

25 Mariza 

The 20th Anniversary Tour 

Sunday, January 23 | 7PM 

28 Celebrating the Theater Songs 

of Leonard Bernstein 

Saturday, January 29 | 7:30PM 

Shine Studio Portrait 2018 

dear friends 

John Schreiber 

President & CEO 

I’m so happy to welcome you to NJPAC as we begin our 

Spring season, when we will offer on our stages everything from 

George Clinton’s 80th birthday celebration, to the Alvin Ailey 

American Dance Theater’s annual Mother’s Day weekend 

residency, with any number of comedians, dance troupes, 

classic R&B singers, jazz greats and captivating children’s 

shows in between. 

We’re delighted to reunite with so many of NJPAC’s old friends — 

both on our stages, and in our audiences — and to welcome 

new ones as well. 

I have high hopes for 2022. The process of reopening the 

Arts Center has been a slow and cautious one, a kind of two-stepsforward, 

one-step-back dance of refining our policies, scheduling 

and rescheduling performances, erring always on the side of 

ensuring the health and safety of our patrons, our artists, our staff 

and our community. In addition to upgrades to our ventilation 

system, we have changed the way we check tickets at the door, 

sell snacks and drinks, even how the faucets in the restrooms work, 

all to make being in our buildings as safe as it can possibly be. 

And with that focus on health always our top priority, we were 

able to open our theaters last Fall, and safely welcome so many to 

rediscover the joy of live performance. Performers from Los Tigres 

del Norte to Christian McBride and the Last Poets drew full houses, 

crowds of people ecstatic to once again be in a theater, communing 

with a favorite performer and with other fans. 

As active and engaged as this Arts Center has been throughout 

the pandemic, offering more than 500 virtual events to keep our 

community connected, comforted and entertained, there really is 

nothing that matches the feeling of being in a magnificent theater 

like Prudential Hall as the lights go down and an artist you love 

takes center stage. 

For me, a life-long devotee of music of all kinds, it was a delight 

worth waiting for. If this is your first post-pandemic show, I actually 

envy you the thrill you’ll feel today as the music begins. 

Thank you for trusting us to provide a safe, secure way to enjoy 

the beauty and the magic of the performing arts. With a little luck, 

I think we have a wonderful, exciting and entertaining year 

to look forward to. 

All good wishes, 


3

The view from the top 

Robert Battle reflects on his first decade leading the 

revered Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 

By Jacqueline Cutler 

Celebrating his tenth year as 

Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey 

American Dance Theater, Robert 

Battle can now exhale — at least 

a little. Stepping into that role was 

understandably nerve-wracking. 

After all, he’s only the third person to 

hold this job, following Ailey and then 

Ailey’s star dancer, Judith Jamison. 

Although Battle never met Ailey, 

Jamison selected Battle for this post 

herself. And taking Ailey’s place was 

such an intimidating position to be in 

Photo by Dario Calmese 

that Battle did not allow himself even 

to utter the word “daunting” for years. 

“I avoided saying that for the 

first years here as director when I 

would be asked that question, 

because I needed not to go there 

or else I would begin to live there,” 

Battle admits. “Now, in hindsight, 

I am perfectly fine saying 

it was daunting.” 

Having proven himself more than 

capable over his first decade at 

the helm of the celebrated troupe, 

Robert Battle 

he’s more relaxed. Battle laughs 

easily as he reflects on his years 

with the company, and on its 

enduring connection to NJPAC. 

Ailey’s work was a massive 

inspiration to Battle, who was 

a 12-year-old and already 

dancing seriously when he first 

saw the magic of the company 

he would one day helm. 

“I saw the Ailey company, 

in Miami on tour, that performance 

that they do in the morning for 

young folks,” Battle says before 

pausing, the energy and beauty of 

those dances still etched into his 

soul 37 years later. “Oh, man! I just 

wanted to dance. It bumped it up 

several notches. That solidified it 

somewhere in that age range.” 

After attending Juilliard on 

scholarship, the Parsons 

Company signed 

Battle before he 

graduated. 

But Battle, 

who also took 

summer classes at the Ailey 

school, was soon noticed by 

both organizations, both 

for his dancing and his 

creative choreography. 

“I just had this appetite 

for making little 

dances here 

and there,” Battle says. “I wasn’t 

commissioned. I just loved the 

act of making things.” 

Both companies — Parsons and 

later Ailey — gave Battle the space 

and confidence to create dance. 

But did he ever think that he would 

someday run one of the country’s 

most vaunted dance companies? 

“I have a healthy imagination 

and ego, but it was not even in 

the cards,” Battle says. 

Today, he profoundly feels the 

responsibility of leading this company, 

and notes that its annual residency 

(continued on next page) 

Jeroboam Bozeman & Yannick Lebrun. Photo by Dario Calmese 

FOR A FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, VISIT NJPAC.ORG OR CALL 1.888.MY.NJPAC 

5

the view from the top 

at NJPAC in Newark is essential to 

both the dancers and their audience. 

(He confirms that the company’s 

traditional Mother’s Day weekend 

performances, two of which will be 

primarily devoted to Battle’s own 

pieces in celebration of his 10 years 

with the organization, will conclude 

with Ailey’s glorious “Revelations.”) 

NJPAC has also been the home of 

final performances by Ailey Camp for 

more than 15 years, bringing dance 

to thousands of area young people. 

“First of all, the consistency,” Battle 

says of the annual performances at 

NJPAC. “It’s not everywhere that we 

tour [that] we are there every year. 

There is a consistency to the audience. 

Not everybody treks across the Hudson 

to come to see the performances. 

It is an important extension in 

our presence, in the work.” 

“There is such a strong African 

American presence in the work,” 

he continues. “It is very meaningful 

to be there and to be providing 

this kind of artistic expression 

to the community.” 

The troupe’s relationship with NJPAC 

flourished even during the pandemic, 

when the Arts Center offered the 

company and its sister organization, 

Ailey II, stages to use, to work on 

new numbers by both Battle and 

Jamar Roberts, the company’s 

first resident choreographer. 

This allowed them to continually 

choreograph and dance, which was 

difficult throughout the health crisis, 

as many dancers were confined 

to Manhattan apartments. 

“We teched Jamar’s ‘Holding Space’ 

during the pandemic. Then by the 

time we got to the (Ailey) Center, 

we had worked through the kinks.” 

Roberts, who took his final bow as a 

dancer in December, credits Battle’s 

encouragement with changing his life. 

“It allowed me to have the life that I’ve 

always dreamed of having,” Roberts 

shares, “which is living a creative life.” 

That’s part of the chain of dance, 

the gift Ailey handed to Jamison, 

Jamison to Battle and that Battle 

now offers to newcomers like Roberts. 

The gift may be daunting, as Battle 

now acknowledges — but it makes them 

all part of Ailey’s invaluable legacy. • 

dance in the spotlight: 

NJPAC’s spring season offers an 

array of dance performances, 

across a range of styles: 

• The Russian Ballet Theatre’s 

new production of Swan Lake, 

appearing on the Betty Wold 

Johnson stage in Prudential Hall 

on February 13, features Pyotr Ilyich 

Tchaikovsky’s beloved classic 

paired with new hand-painted 

sets and 150 new costumes 

designed by Sergei Novikov of 

the Mariinsky Theater. 

• The dance-activist troupe Urban 

Bush Women presents Hair & 

Other Stories, a piece that uses 

storytelling and dance to reflect 

on race, identity and ideas of 

beauty through the lens of Black 

women’s hair. The performance 

comes to the Victoria Theater 

on April 1 & 2. 

summer performing 

arts programs 

hip hop 

jazz 

poetry 

theater 

“We were able to use NJPAC’s theater 

to tech those works,” Battle explains. 

Sign up today! njpac.org/education 

FOR A FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, VISIT NJPAC.ORG OR CALL 1.888.MY.NJPAC 7

Stepping off the screen 

Actress Syndee Winters joins troupe introducing 

a new generation to live performance through 

Disney Princess: The Concert 

By Jay Lustig 

“If there was a show like 

this when I was a kid, it would 

have been the best,” says lifelong 

Disney fan Syndee Winters about 

Disney Princess: The Concert, 

whose inaugural tour comes to 

the Betty Wold Johnson Stage at 

NJPAC’s Prudential Hall on April 13. 

“We’re really excited about 

what the show will mean for 

little girls and their moms.” 

Disney princesses such as Cinderella, 

Ariel (from The Little Mermaid), 

Mulan and the Frozen princesses 

Elsa and Anna “are strong, 

From left to right: Arielle Jacobs, Susan Egan, Syndee Winters, and Anneliese van der Pol 

courageous, kind and fearless,” 

said Winters. “These young women 

in these classic, iconic Disney films 

share that story. They all exhibit a 

level of bravery and courage, with 

a little dash of kindness as well.” 

Winters, who has starred as Nala 

in The Lion King on Broadway, 

is joined in the cast by Tony nominee 

Susan Egan (the original Belle in 

Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast), 

Arielle Jacobs (who has played 

Jasmine in Broadway’s Aladdin) 

and Anneliese van der Pol 

(who also has played Belle on 

Broadway). The show features them 

singing songs from these shows and 

others, with the familiar animated 

movie footage projected onto a 

50-foot LED screen behind them. 

“You can see Pocahontas 

standing on top of a mountain 

peak,” said Winters. “You see the 

cherry blossoms from Mulan.” 

In addition to singing Nala’s songs 

in Disney Princess, Winters gives 

voice to Tiana and other characters. 

In 2009’s The Princess and the 

“We understand 

what it takes 

for a show to be 

successful and 

how important it 

is for women to 

work together and 

build something 

fantastic.” 

 

– Syndee Winters 

Frog, Tiana became Disney’s first 

African American princess. 

“When Princess Tiana came 

out,” says Winters, “it opened up 

possibilities for another generation 

of young women coming up. I’m 

so honored and excited to be 

able to bring that to the stage.” 

She said the four actresses on the tour 

have a strong bond due to the time 

they have spent on Broadway. 

“We all have walked those city 

blocks of Broadway and 

understand eight shows a week,” 

she said. “We understand what 

it takes for a show to be successful 

and how important it is for 

women to work together and 

build something fantastic.” 

Winters, who lives in New York, 

also has appeared in Hamilton 

on Broadway and is a recording 

artist and concert performer. 

She also starred in Lena: A Moment 

with a Lady, a one-woman film 

about the late jazz singer and 

activist Lena Horne that NJPAC 

has offered, via online streaming, 

to middle and high school classes 

as a virtual performance. 

“I’ve always been a fan of classic 

actresses, and jazz music and 

vocalists,” said Winters, adding 

that she originally knew Horne 

as Glinda the Good Witch 

in the 1978 film The Wiz. 

“Then, as I got older and 

learned about her impact on the 

(entertainment) industry, and also 

for artists like myself, I thought that 

her story is so important that I would 

love to pay tribute to her through 

telling her story and sharing some of 

the songs that she’s made famous 

throughout her amazing career. Also, 

she was not just a beautiful artist. 

She used her voice to help empower 

the movement for Civil Rights.” • 


9

stepping off the screen 

more fun for the whole family 

Let your dining experience 

take center stage. 

recycled 

percussion 

mar 4 

michael 

carbonaro 

apr 16 

blippi 

the musical 

feb 8 

Blippi the Musical | Feb. 8 

The toddler-favorite character in a 

jaunty orange bowtie jumps from 

the screen to the stage, in a show 

featuring song and dance numbers 

starring the YouTube kiddie sensation. 

Recycled Percussion | Mar 4 

This interactive show features music 

made with buckets, trash cans and 

other unexpected “instruments.” 


the peking 

acrobats 

mar 12 

Other kid-friendly performances coming to NJPAC this season include: 

The Peking Acrobats | Mar 12 

Chinese acrobats astound with their 

juggling, tumbling, rope walking, 

trick cycling and other feats. 

Michael Carbonaro: 

Lies on Stage | Apr 16 

Magician Michael Carbonaro 

returns to NJPAC with a 

brand new show. 

Whatever you’re in the mood for…you’re in the mood 

for NICO. Hang out on our outdoor patio. Indulge in 

our craveworthy American menu. Or unwind from the 

grind at our friendly neighborhood bar. It’s nothing 

but good times and delicious vibes here at NICO. 

NICO is open for dinner 

Tuesday – Saturday from 3 – 9PM. 

Don’t miss Happy Hour from 3 – 6PM! 

• 

n1co 

kitchen+bar 

New Jersey Performing Arts Center 

One Center Street, Newark, NJ 

973.642.1226 I njpac.org/nico

Getting the blues 

New Gallery Aferro exhibit at NICO Kitchen + Bar 

celebrates a shade, a mood — and Newark’s 

artistic community 

The idea of the color blue — its many 

associations, from the joy of Irving 

Berlin’s blue skies to the plaintive 

sorrow of the blues — has captivated 

musicians, particularly jazz musicians, 

for decades. From Miles Davis to Joni 

Mitchell, beloved artists and seminal 

recordings have invoked the shade. 

Those connections were on Emma 

Wilcox’s mind as she pulled together 

Cooler Than Blue, the new exhibit of 

pieces created by artists associated 

with Newark’s Gallery Aferro, which 

is now on display on the walls in 

NJPAC’s NICO Kitchen + Bar. 

“I was thinking about the connection 

between blue and jazz and other 

Joseph O’Neal, Onassis 15 & 16 (diptych) 

forms of music, and in particular I was 

thinking about that Curtis Mayfield 

song, ‘We the people who are darker 

than blue’ — I don’t know if it’s the 

zeitgeist, but when we were pulling 

pieces for this exhibit, we just kept 

pulling pieces that were cool, or blue, 

or aqua,” said Wilcox, the Co-Founder 

and Gallery Director at Aferro, and 

a working Newark artist herself. 

This exhibit, the second in an ongoing 

series curated by Gallery Aferro from 

the works of its resident and affiliated 

artists for display at the Arts Center’s 

in-house restaurant, went on display 

in early December. It replaced a 

collection of works organized around 

the pigment known as burnt umber, 

a brown-to-orange shade. While each 

collection displayed in the series will 

be curated around a single theme or 

idea, Wilcox says they won’t always be 

organized by color. “Next time won’t 

be green! We’ll keep it fresh,” she said. 

The artists included in the exhibit 

either hail from Newark, or were part 

of Gallery Aferro’s long-running artistin-residence 

program, which offers 

creators both studio space and a 

community of like-minded artists to 

work with at the Market Street gallery. 

“We’re just a quick walk across 

Military Park from NJPAC, and we 

want NJPAC’s patrons to get to know 

that there are so many artists working 

here in Newark, so many artists who 

have studios here,” explained Wilcox. 

“We are excited to be able to 

showcase the work of Newark’s artists 

through this ongoing partnership with 

Gallery Aferro,” said John Schreiber, 

President and CEO of NJPAC. 

“The world is coming to know our city 

as one with a vibrant, thriving arts 

scene, one that encompasses the 

visual arts as well as the performing 

arts. The pieces Emma has shared with 

us from Gallery Aferro’s collections 

are intriguing, engaging, and a 

wonderful display of the range of 

work being done here,” he added. 

Several pieces in Cooler Than Blue 

were created by longtime Aferro artistin-residence 

Anne Q. McKeown, who, 

Wilcox noted, is not just an artist in her 

own right, but also a master papermaker 

who has worked with “blue chip 

artists” like Kiki Smith and Ai Weiwei. 

During her years of residency at 

Aferro, Wilcox said, “the whole building 

has gone paper-making mad.” 

There’s constantly stuff in the fridge 

and the break room that you really 

should not eat. And you haven’t lived 

until you’ve seen a couple dozen 

people in the alley outside your 

building, making homemade paper 

under Anne’s direction, beating the 

pulp with mallets as people walk past 

asking; `What is going on here?!’” 

McKeown’s pieces are abstracts, 

with shades ranging from the subtlest 

pale blues to electrically bright aquas 

paired with pink and orange. 

(continued on next page) 

Lizzy Storm, Untitled 

Fausto Sevila, Untitled 


13

getting the blues 

But other works in the collection 

are figural, or even map-like. 

Newarker Layqa Nuna Yawar’s piece, 

titled love in the age of islamophobia, 

is an intimate, realistic portrait, with 

tints of blue reflected only in the 

shadows on his subject’s skin. 

“It’s a tiny, exquisite piece. 

And [Yawar] is really known for 

his murals, things the size of buildings, 

so we wanted to show off what he can 

do on a smaller scale,” said Wilcox. 

By contrast, on the back wall 

of NICO’s bar hangs a massive 

diptych called “Onassis 15 & 16” 

Top: Art hanging within NICO’s dining area 

Bottom: Anne Q. McKeown, Untitled (triptych) 

by Newark’s Joseph O’Neal, a 

longtime affiliate of both Gallery 

Aferro and the Index Art Center. 

The piece pictures the familiar 

brunette bob of Jacqueline 

Kennedy Onassis, with her face 

obscured by a patch of pale blue. 

“He’s an old soul, his work has 

all these mid-century modern 

references. Here, it’s clearly Jackie 

O., but she almost looks like she has 

a head full of sky,” Wilcox says. 

Another piece, “The Tenth Month” 

by Dahlia Elsayed, an artist who 

Wilcox says “takes the whole state 

of New Jersey as her inspiration,” 

features what looks like a map, 

with small and mysterious labels — 

one reads “the sky over exit 11” — 

identifying different areas. 

“She started out as a novelist, and 

her paintings are almost little novels 

in art form. I don’t know what’s 

happening in this painting, but I’m 

intrigued, and my mind starts filling 

in the blanks. If you’re having a drink 

by yourself, you can sit close to it and 

make up the story,” said Wilcox. • 

NICO’s patrons visiting during 

the exhibit will find a QR code on the 

walls that links to an “art menu” 

describing all the pieces on display. 

Collectors, take note: All the pieces in 

the exhibit are also available for sale. 

enhance your 

experience 

Become a Member! 

Starting at just $75 for a full year, 

your exclusive benefits include: 

• Ticket pre-sales — secure your seats before the general public 

• Discounts on select performances — 20% throughout the year 

• 15% discount at NICO Kitchen + Bar 

• Parking perks (at the Advocate level) 

• Access to Women@NJPAC events and networking opportunities 

As a nonprofit organization, NJPAC relies on members to help fund 

the world class performances, arts education, and community 

engagement programs that brighten and enhance your life. 

Join today : 

At the NJPAC box office 

Online at njpac.org/membership 

Or call 973.297.5809 


15

calendar of events jan – jun 2022 

mariza 

jan 23 

michael 

carbonaro 

apr 16 

urban bush 

women 

apr 1 & 2 

patrizio 

feb 18 

seong-jin cho 

mar 6 

blippi 

the musical 

feb 8 

diana 

krall 

apr 3 

alvin ailey 

american dance theater 

may 6 – 8 

feb 

Sun Feb 6 7:30PM Eddie Vedder and The Earthlings 

Tue Feb 8 6PM Blippi the Musical 

Fri Feb 11 7:30 & 10PM Valentine’s All-Star Comedy Show with Bill Bellamy, Jess Hilarious, 

Lavell Crawford and Freddie Ricks 

Fri Feb 18 8PM Patrizio: Back to Love 

Sat Feb 26 8PM Eric Roberson 

Sun Feb 27 7PM Chris Redd 

mar 

Fri Mar 4 7PM Recycled Percussion 

Sat Mar 5 8PM Ron White 

Sun Mar 6 3PM Seong-Jin Cho 

Thu Mar 10 8PM Gary Gulman: Born on 3rd Base 

Fri Mar 11 8PM Deon Cole: Coleology Tour 

Fri Mar 11 8PM Gary Gulman: Born on 3rd Base 

Sat Mar 12 3 & 7:30PM Peking Acrobats 

Fri Mar 18 8PM George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic with special guests 

Sat Mar 19 3 & 8PM Candice Guardino’s Italian Bred 

Sat Mar 19 8PM 90’s All-Star Dance Concert featuring Robin S., CeCe Peniston, 

Black Sheep, George Lamond, Lisette Melendez, Aly-Us, 

Nardo Ranks, Marshall Jefferson, Strafe and Rochelle Fleming 

Tue Mar 22 7:30PM Alice Cooper with special guest Buckcherry 

Thu Mar 24 8PM Bert Kreischer: The Berty Boy Relapse Tour 

Fri Mar 25 8PM Vic DiBitetto 

Fri Mar 25 8:30PM Los Ángles Azules 

Sat Mar 26 8PM Vic DiBitetto 

apr 

Fri Apr 1 7:30PM Tom Segura: I’m Coming Everywhere World Tour 

Fri Apr 1 7:30PM Urban Bush Women: Hair & Other Stories 

Sat Apr 2 2PM Urban Bush Women: Hair & Other Stories 

Sun Apr 3 7:30PM Diana Krall 

Sat Apr 9 2 & 7:30PM Triveni: Zakir Hussain, Jayanthi Kumaresh & Kala Ramnath 

Wed Apr 13 7PM Disney Princess: The Concert 

Sat Apr 16 7:30PM Michael Carbonaro: Lies on Stage 

Sun Apr 24 3PM The Doo Wop Project 

Fri Apr 29 7 & 9:30PM Eric D’Alessandro 

may 

Fri May 6 8PM Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 

Sat May 7 8PM Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 

Sun May 8 3PM Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 

Sat May 21 2PM Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company 

Celebrating the Legacy of Nai-Ni Chen 

and the Year of the Water Tiger 

jun 

Fri Jun 10 8PM Ana Gabriel: Por Amor a Ustedes 

Sat Jun 11 7PM Nemr 

Sat Jun 18 8PM The Masked Singer National Tour 2022 

Fri Jun 24 8PM Johnny Mathis with special guest Gary Mule Deer 

Fri Jun 24 8PM Welcome to Night Vale: The Haunting of Night Vale 

Sat Jun 25 8PM Patti LaBelle with special guest Will Downing 

Artists, dates, times, locations and programs subject to change at any time. 

Artists, dates, times, locations and programs subject to change at any time. 


17

NJPAC presents 

Tom Papa 

Family Reunion Tour 

victoria theater 

lizzie & jonathan tisch stage 

Saturday, January 15, 2022 

@ 7PM & 9:30PM 

As a courtesy to the performers and fellow audience members, please be sure to silence all mobile devices. 

The use of recording equipment and the taking of photographs are strictly prohibited. 

This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, 

a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

meet the artist 

With more than 20 years as a 

stand-up comedian, Tom Papa is 

one of the top comedic voices in the 

country finding success in film, TV, 

radio and podcasts as well as on the 

live stage. He is a regular guest on 

The Joe Rogan Experience podcast 

and the late night TV shows. 

In 2020, Tom released his second 

book, You’re Doing Great!: And Other 

Reasons to Stay Alive, a collection of 

essays on how people really live in 

modern America and what’s truly 

good and wonderful about our lives. 

Tom’s first book, Your Dad Stole My 

Rake: And Other Family Dilemmas 

was released in 2018 from St. Martin’s 

Press, making “Summer Must Read” 

lists from Parade Magazine to 

The New York Post. The comedic book 

takes a hilarious look at the host of 

characters in our families with bizarre, 

inescapable behavior. 

On February 4, 2020, Netflix premiered 

Tom’s fourth hour-long standup special, 

Tom Papa: You’re Doing Great! 

A hilarious rebuttal to our current 

cultural feeling of dread, Tom wants 

you to remember that you’re doing 

great, life isn’t perfect, it never will 

be and that’s okay. 

Tom’s podcast, Breaking Bread with 

Tom Papa, features Tom and his guest 

for an hour of eating, drinking and 

enjoying life. Listeners are invited to take 

a seat at the table as Tom and his guests 

celebrate the true meaning of breaking 

bread with insightful, revealing and 

always funny conversations. 

Tom is host of the daily Netflix radio 

show, What a Joke with Papa and 

Fortune, on SiriusXM’s Netflix channel, 

airing Mondays through Thursdays 

from 10AM – 12PM. 

Tom was a regular performer on the 

nationally syndicated radio show, 

Live from Here, from 2017 until the show 

ended in 2020. The show, hosted by 

Chris Thile, featured a unique blend of 

musical and comedy performances. 

Tom was featured in his own regular 

segment, “Out In America with 

Tom Papa,” heard by the 2.6 million 

fans of the weekly radio show. 

Tom also appears on National Public 

Radio several times a year as a guest 

panelist on Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me. This 

year Tom had the honor to guest host 

the program, filling in for Peter Segal. 

In the fall of 2018, Tom hosted his own 

Food Network TV series, Baked, where 

he took his love of baking and explored 

bakeries throughout the country. The 

show developed from Tom’s love of 

FOR A FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, VISIT NJPAC.ORG OR CALL 1.888.GO.NJPAC 

19


making sourdough bread using his own 

sourdough starter and visiting expert 

bakers while on tour. 

Tom’s first two critically acclaimed 

hour-long specials were directed by 

Rob Zombie: Tom Papa: Freaked Out 

(2013) is streaming on Amazon and 

Hulu and is available as a download; 

and Tom Papa Live in New York City 

(2011) is streaming on Netflix and is 

available as a download. 

Tom is host of the hit podcast 

and SiriusXM show Come to Papa, 

a weekly, hour-long show featuring 

Tom exploring the funny side of life. 

Several times a year in New York and 

Los Angeles, Tom hosts a live Come to 

Papa scripted radio play that is recorded 

live for the podcast and SiriusXM show. 

With residencies at Largo in Los Angeles 

and The Village Underground in NYC, 

Tom writes the script for each show 

and casts top actors and comedians 

to play the roles or perform standup, 

all backed by a live band. Performers 

include Matt Damon, Sarah Silverman, 

Joel McHale, Bill Burr, Jim Gaffigan, 

John Mulaney, Kevin Nealon, 

Kevin Pollack and many more. 

In 2019, Tom was seen in Rob Zombie’s 

film 3 From Hell, the sequel to The Devil’s 

Rejects. In 2015, Tom guest starred on 

The Jim Gaffigan Show on TV Land and 

on Colin Quinn’s web series, Cop Show. 

In 2014 he was seen alongside 

Clive Owen in Steven Soderbergh’s 

Cinemax series The Knick, and he was 

seen in Chris Rock’s film Top Five. 

In 2013, Tom was seen alongside 

Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in 

the HBO film, Behind the Candelabra, 

which was directed by Steven 

Soderbergh and won 11 Emmy Awards. 

Tom was also seen in the hit Comedy 

Central series, Inside Amy Schumer. 

Tom starred opposite Matt Damon in 

the Steven Soderbergh film The Informant, 

and starred opposite Paul Giamatti in 

Rob Zombie’s animated feature, 

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto 

as the voice of El Superbeasto. 

Tom has appeared in the films Analyze 

That, opposite Robert DeNiro and 

Comedian; he had a voiceover role in 

the DreamWorks animated feature 

Bee Movie and also was a writer 

on the project. 

Personally chosen by Jerry Seinfeld, 

Tom hosted the NBC series 

The Marriage Ref, which ran for two 

seasons. Tom had a recurring role 

opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the 

CBS series The New Adventures of 

Old Christine, and starred in his own 

NBC series, Come to Papa. 

When not touring the country, 

Tom lives in Los Angeles with his wife, 

two daughters, a cat and dog where 

he spends most of his time writing and 

baking bread. 


Stephanie Mills & 

The Whispers 

prudential hall 

betty wold johnson stage 


8PM 






21

meet the artists 


Stephanie Mills first came to fame 

as “the little girl with the big voice,” 

as the star of the hit Broadway play, 

The Wiz, an adaptation of L. Frank 

Baum’s classic book The Wizard Of Oz. 

She had many R&B hits, including 

“I Have Learned to Respect the Power of 

Love,” “I Feel Good All Over,” “(You’re 

Puttin’) A Rush On Me,” “Something in the 

Way (You Make Me Feel)” and “Home,” 

along with the certified one-millionselling 

single, “Never Knew Love Like 

This Before.” She also had five Gold 

albums: Whatcha Gonna Do With 

My Lovin’, Sweet Sensation, Stephanie, 

If I Were Your Woman and Home. 

Born on March 22, 1957 in Brooklyn, NY, 

Mills honed her rich vocals singing 

gospel music at Brooklyn’s Cornerstone 

Baptist Church as a small child. At age 

nine, she began appearing in the 

Broadway play Maggie Flynn, and was 

presented with first prize after winning 

“The Amateur Hour” talent contest six 

weeks straight at New York’s famed 

Apollo Theater. That success led to her 

being chosen as the opening act for 

The Isley Brothers. 

Mills’ debut album Movin’ in 

the Right Direction was recorded for 

ABC Records in 1974. A year later, 

she won the role of Dorothy in The Wiz. 

Her rendition of the beautiful ballad 

“Home” was a showstopper, 

mesmerizing audiences nightly for a 

number of years. The original cast 

recording of The Wiz was produced 

by Jerry Wexler and issued by 

Atlantic Records in spring 1975. 

Singer Jermaine Jackson referred Mills 

to Motown head Berry Gordy, 

who signed her to his label. Her Motown 

debut, For the First Time, was written 

and produced by Burt Bacharach 

and Hal David, and was released 

in October 1976. 

In 1978, Mills signed to 20th Century 

Records and was teamed with the hit 

production duo of James Mtume, 

who had a Gold single with “Juicy Fruit,” 

and Reggie Lucas. Mills’ first LP for the 

label, Whatcha Gonna Do with My 

Lovin’, went Gold, reaching #12 on 

Billboard’s R&B and #22 on pop charts 

in the summer of 1979, and spawned 

the singles “Whatcha Gonna Do With 

My Lovin’” and “You Can Get Over.” 

Her next LP, Sweet Sensation (#3 R&B, 

#16 Pop) in Spring 1980, yielded “Sweet 

Sensation,” “Never Knew Love Like This 

Before” and the radio-aired LP track 

“Try My Love.” Around this time, 

she briefly married former Soul Train 

dancer Jeffrey Daniels of the group 

Shalamar. Next came the LP Stephanie 

in spring 1981, which peaked at #3 R&B 

and #30 Pop. The album included 

notable songs such as “Two Hearts” 

with Teddy Pendergrass, “Night 

Games” and the radio-aired LP cut 

“Don’t Stop Doin’ Whatcha Do.” 

In 1981, Mills switched to Neil Bogart’s 

Casablanca Records, releasing 

Tantalizingly Hot, Merciless and 

I’ve Got the Cure. 

In 1983 she had her own NBC-TV 

daytime talk show and reprised her 

role in the Broadway revival of The Wiz. 

She also signed with MCA Records, 

where she released Stephanie Mills. 

The first single from the album was 

“Stand Back” in late 1985. The album 

also featured the passionate ballad 

“I Have Learned to Respect the Power 

of Love,” which was initially written 

by Rene Moore and Angela Winbush 

as a gospel song and originally 

recorded by Alton McClain and Destiny. 

The title cut from Mills’ next LP is the 

Clay McMurray/Gloria Jones/ 

Pam Sawyer song, “If I Were Your 

Woman,” originally a 1971 hit for 

Gladys Knight and the Pips. 

Philly-based producer Nick Martinelli 

gave Mills her second #1 R&B hit with 

“I Feel Good All Over,” written by 

husband-and-wife songwriting duo 

Gabriel and Annette Hardeman. 

The song held the #1 R&B spot for 

three weeks in spring 1987. The track 

was included on Mills’ LP If I Were 

Your Woman, released June 1987 and 

peaked at #30 Pop in summer 1987. 

Paul Laurence produced and co-wrote 

with Timmy Allen “(You’re Putting) a 

Rush On Me,” giving the singer her third 

#1 R&B hit in fall 1987, followed by 

“Secret Lady,” which landed at #7 R&B 

in late 1987. Her covers of “If I Were 

Your Woman” and “Where Is The Love” 

followed. All were included on 

If I Were Your Woman, which peaked 

at #1 R&B in the summer of 1987. 

Following these hits, Mills contacted 

Ronald Isley about working with singer/ 

songwriter/producer Angela Winbush. 

The collaboration resulted in another 

#1 R&B single, “Something in the Way 

You Make Me Feel,” in summer 1989. 

Having starred for five years in the 

smash Broadway show The Wiz and 

recorded the song “Home” for the 1975 

original cast soundtrack album, 

she wanted to record the song again 

as a posthumous tribute to the play’s 

producer, Ken Harper, and composer, 

Charlie Smalls. With Take 6 on 

background vocals, the song went to 

#1 R&B in late 1989 and was followed 

by “Comfort of a Man” and “Real Love.” 

The Home LP ended up peaking at 

#5 R&B in the summer of 1989. She then 

recorded the single “Heart To Heart” 

with J.T. Taylor in late 1991. Her final 

MCA album, Something Real, included 

the hits “All Day All Night” and “Never 

Do Wrong.” She followed up with the 

gospel album, Personal Inspirations, 

for Interscope Records and recorded 

several tracks at Philadelphia 

International Records with Bunny Sigler 

and others in the late ’90s. 


23


arguably the most celebrated R&B 

balladeers of their generation. 

prudential hall 

betty wold johnson stage 

Sunday, January 23, 2021 

7PM 

In the annals of R&B history, 

The Whispers have earned a solid and 

memorable position. One of the world’s 

longest-running soul vocals groups, 

the Whispers are celebrating over 

50 years in the industry. They are known 

for their smooth soulful ballads and 

remain one of the premier R&B groups 

to ever grace the stage. Their musical 

success can be attributed to a careful 

balance of R&B, disco, jazz, and pop 

to the delight of millions of fans. 

They have had 33 top ten hits and 

over 20 Billboard charted albums over 

a span of five decades. 

The Whispers began their legendary 

and timeless career in 1964 when they 

first organized at Jordan High School 

in Watts, producing a string of hits 

continuing over the last five decades 

such as “Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong,” 

“And the Beat Goes On,” “Rock Steady,” 

“A Song For Donny” and “Lady.” 

They emerged as the leading romantic 

singers of their generation, racking up 

one Gold album after another and 

charting 46 Billboard hits. They are 

The first group to be signed to Soul Train 

Records, earning most of their greatest 

hits with Solar Records, the Whispers’ 

music has been sampled over 131 times, 

has been featured in over 600 musical 

compilations and heard on movie sound 

tracks such as Waiting to Exhale, 

Madea’s Family Reunion and Diary of 

a Mad Black Woman. And the Whispers 

sang the title track on Jay Leno’s movie 

soundtrack Collision Course. 

The group has not made any personnel 

changes since 1973 when Leaveil Degree 

replaced Gordy Harmon; they still 

consist of Walter Scott, Wallace Scott 

and Leaveil Degree. The passing of 

Nicholas Caldwell in 2016 left them as 

a trio, but still stellar and powerful in 

their stage presence. They are one of 

only a few “old school” groups that can 

boast of having over 50 years in the 

industry with a worldwide fan base, 

and maintaining their vocal dominance 

and original members. 

Their five decades of accomplishments 

have been acknowledged by induction 

into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, 

presentation of the Governor’s Award 

by the San Francisco Chapter of the 

GRAMMY ® Awards, an NAACP Image 

Award, and induction into the Bay Area 

Blues Society Hall of Fame and Rhythm 

and Blues Hall of Fame. The Black Music 

Academy of America selected the 

Whispers to receive its “Living 

Legends” Award. 

The Whispers still provide dynamic, 

stellar performances to sell-out crowds 

around the globe. 


Mariza 

The 20th Anniversary Tour 






25


In last 20 years, Mariza has risen from 

a local phenomenon, known only to a 

small circle of admirers in Lisbon, to one 

of the most widely acclaimed stars of 

the international music circuit. 

It all started with her first CD, 

Fado em Mim (2001), which quickly 

led to a number of highly successful 

international presentations — 

the Québec Summer Festival, in which 

she received the event’s First Award 

(Most Outstanding Performance); 

New York’s Central Park, the Hollywood 

Bowl, the Royal Festival Hall, 

the WOMAD Festival and ultimately 

earned BBC Radio 3’s award for 

Best European World Music Artist. 

Fado em Mim was an exciting first 

album, showing a young singer with a 

rich, vibrant voice and a strong artistic 

personality. She sang several hits of 

Amália Rodrigues’ repertory, but her 

approach to the heritage of the great 

fado diva was already so personal 

that she could easily cast away any 

suggestion of mere imitation. And within 

her original material “Ó Gente da 

Minha Terra,” by the young composer 

Tiago Machado, soon became 

a major hit in its own right. 

Mariza’s career proceeded with even 

greater success, with multi-platinum 

album releases, and appearances 

on some of the most important stages 

in the world: the Paris Olympia, 

the Frankfurt Opera, London’s Royal 

Festival Hall, the Royal Theatre Carré 

in Amsterdam, Barcelona’s Palau de 

la Música, the Sydney Opera House, 

New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy 

Center in Washington D.C. and 

Walt Disney Concert Hall in 

Los Angeles (in the latter case with 

a stage setting specially designed 

for her by one of the world’s greatest 

architects, Frank Gehry). 

No Portuguese artist since 

Amália Rodrigues has experienced 

such a triumphant international career, 

accumulating success after success 

on the world’s most prestigious stages, 

rave reviews from the most demanding 

music critics worldwide and countless 

international awards and distinctions. 

Her musical partners are only the best: 

American conductor John Mauceri, 

flamenco singers José Mercé and 

Miguel Poveda, Brazilian artists 

Gilberto Gil, Jaques Morelenbaum 

and Ivan Lins, pop stars Lenny Kravitz 

and Sting, Cape Verdean singers 

Cesária Évora and Tito Paris, Portuguese 

fado singers Carlos do Carmo and 

Rui Veloso. And her repertoire, 

while firmly rooted in classical and 

contemporary fado, has grown to 


include occasional Cape Verdean 

mornas, Brazilian and Spanish classics 

and other songs she holds dear 

to her heart. 

Mariza has proved to be a major 

international artist, strongly original 

and immensely gifted, from whom 

much can be expected in the future. 

The young girl from Mozambique, 

raised in the popular Lisbon 

neighborhood of Mouraria, 

has mastered the roots of her musical 

culture and developed into a universal 

artist who is able to open herself to 

the world without ever losing her 

Portuguese identity. Her numerous 

awards in her own native Portugal, 

and around Europe, include the BBC 

Radio 3 Award for Best European 

World Music Artist (three times) 

and multiple nominations for 

a Latin GRAMMY®. 

Mariza now celebrates both the 20th 

anniversary of her career and the 100th 

anniversary of the late “Queen of Fado” 

Amália Rodrigues, with Mariza Sings 

Amália, her first full album of classics, 

released in the U.S. on January 29, 2021 

by Nonesuch/Warner Music. 

Mariza and Amália have a lot in 

common beyond their Portuguese 

heritage. With her residencies at 

legendary venues such as the 

Paris Olympia and Carnegie Hall, 

Mariza swept global audiences off 

their feet in the early part of this 

century, as Rodrigues had done in the 

1950s and 1960s. Through her critically 

acclaimed recordings and unexpected 

collaborations, Mariza expanded 

what fado could be, just like Rodrigues 

had done in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Mariza became the most celebrated 

ambassador of Portugal’s music in the 

21st century, just as Rodrigues had been 

in the 20th century. 

Mariza’s world tour to celebrate 

her 20th anniversary as a recording 

artist, including a tour of major 

North American cities, was originally 

scheduled for the 2020-2021 season, 

but had to be postponed due 

to the pandemic. 

The 2022 tour will include performances 

at NJPAC in Newark, the Zeiterion 

Theatre in New Bedford, City Winery 

in Philadelphia, and Koerner Hall 

in Toronto. 

ana 

gabriel 

jun 10 


27

victoria theater 

lizzie & jonathan tisch stage 



7:30PM 


Celebrating the Theater Songs 

of Leonard Bernstein 

featuring 

Bill Charlap & the Bill Charlap Trio 

Author Jamie Bernstein 

Host Ted Chapin 

The American Song series at NJPAC is presented, in part, through the generous support of the 

Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the David S. Steiner and Sylvia Steiner Charitable Trust, 

and the Joan and Allen Bildner Family Fund. 





Few composers capture their time 

and become the iconic voice of their 

age. Leonard Bernstein found his 

“voice” in the early 1940s and projected 

the sound of urban and urbane 

America from the period of World War II 

to the anti-war movements of the 1970s 

and the restoration of freedom in 

Europe, with the fall of the Berlin Wall 

and Soviet communism. 

Writing for small ensembles, symphony 

orchestras, Broadway, film and opera 

houses, Leonard Bernstein projected a 

simple message of understanding and 

hope, employing both complex and 

simple forms and styles, yet always 

sounding like “Bernstein” — a voice best 

known in his score to West Side Story. 

Exploring his output, one finds the 

famous and obscure works that both are 

reflective of their times and somehow 

also preserve and encapsulate them. 

Everywhere one hears his internal 

struggle to sound inevitable as the 

tumultuous second half of the 20th century 

unfolded itself. He is at once linked 

with the music of Benjamin Britten and 

Dimitri Shostakovich, as well as 

George Gershwin and Aaron Copland. 

While his music finds its spiritual 

home in his worldview, his music speaks 

with a New York accent, even though 

he was born in Massachusetts. His love 

affair with Europe and his sensitivity to 

his Russian and Jewish roots are never 

far from his lyrical expressivity, with its 

fragile sense of optimism, its loneliness, 

its humor and its demand for acceptance. 

All of this is wrapped in the rhythmic 

propulsion of a great American urban 

landscape. He has left us an aural image 

of his time and place and, at the same 

time, an eternal voice of humanity. 


29



GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist 

Bill Charlap has performed with 

many of the leading artists of our time, 

from Phil Woods and Benny Carter to 

Gerry Mulligan and Wynton Marsalis. 

He is acclaimed for his interpretations 

of the American popular songbook, 

and has recorded albums featuring 

the music of Hoagy Carmichael, 

Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, 

Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers 

and Duke Ellington. 

The Bill Charlap Trio, with bassist 

Peter Washington and drummer 

Kenny Washington, marks its 23rd year 

together this season, and is recognized 

as one of the leading ensembles in jazz. 

The trio earned GRAMMY® nominations 

for 2017’s Uptown Downtown (Impulse!/ 

Verve) and Somewhere: The Songs of 

Leonard Bernstein and The Bill Charlap 

Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard (both 

on the Blue Note label). Their 2016 album 

Notes from New York (Impulse!/Verve) 

earned a five-star review in DownBeat, 

which hailed it as “a master class in 

class.” The trio’s most recent recording 

features them supporting 

Tony Bennet and Diana Krall on the 

chart-topping, GRAMMY®-nominated 

album Love is Here to Stay. The Bill 

Charlap Trio tours all over the world and 

their New York engagements include 

regular appearances at Jazz at Lincoln 

Center and the Village Vanguard. 

Last summer, Charlap celebrated 

his 15th year as artistic director of the 

92nd Street Y’s Jazz in July Festival. 

He has also produced concerts for Jazz 

at Lincoln Center, New Jersey Performing 

Arts Center (NJPAC), the Chicago 

Symphony Center and the Hollywood 

Bowl. He is Director of Jazz Studies at 

William Paterson University in Wayne, 

New Jersey. Founded in 1973, 

the program is one of the longestrunning 

and most respected jazz 

programs in the world. 

Born in New York City, Charlap began 

playing the piano at age three. His 

father was Broadway composer Moose 

Charlap, whose credits include Peter 

Pan, and his mother is singer 

Sandy Stewart, who toured with 

Benny Goodman, appeared on the 

Ed Sullivan Show, the Perry Como Show 

and earned a GRAMMY® Award 

nomination for her recording of 

“My Coloring Book.” 

Charlap’s collaboration with 

Tony Bennet, The Silver Lining: 

The Songs of Jerome Kern (RPM/ 

Columbia), won the 2016 GRAMMY® 

Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal 

Album. It features Charlap and Bennet 

together and in collaboration with The 

Bill Charlap Trio and in duo piano 

performances with his wife, renowned 

jazz pianist and composer Renee 

Rosnes. 

Charlap and Rosnes frequently 

collaborate in duo piano concerts. 

Their highly acclaimed 2010 album 

Double Portrait was produced by the 

Blue Note label. 

Peter Washington is one of the most 

in-demand and recorded bassists in 

modern jazz, with a discography of over 

400 recordings. Born in Los Angeles, 

Washington played classical bass as a 

teen and majored in english literature at 

UC Berkeley, where he became 

interested in jazz. He was invited by 

Art Blakey to join the Jazz Messengers 

in New York. From there, Washington 

became part of two of jazz’s most 

celebrated trios: the Tommy Flanagan 

Trio, and for the past 13 years, 

the Bill Charlap Trio. Washington’s 

freelance work roster is a “who’s who” 

of jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie, 

Clark Terry, Milt Jackson, Johnny Griffin, 

Bobby Hutcherson and the Carnegie 

Hall Jazz Band. In 2008, Washington 

became part of The Blue Note 7, 

a septet formed in honor of the 70th 

anniversary of Blue Note Records. 

The group recorded the album Mosaic 

and toured the U.S. in 2009. 

Kenny Washington was born in 

Brooklyn. In 1977, while still in his teens, 

he worked with Lee Konitz and his 

nonet. He has been a member of the 

Bill Charlap Trio for the past 13 years 

and has performed and recorded with 

dozens of major artists, giving him 

a discography of hundreds of titles. 

Artists include Benny Carter, Betty Carter, 

Johnny Griffin, Ron Carter, Clark Terry, 

Milt Jackson, Tommy Flanagan, 

Dizzy Gillespie, Arturo Sandoval and 

Benny Goodman. Washington is a noted 

jazz historian and radio personality; 

he has written liner notes and helped 

prepare re-releases by Art Blakey, 

Count Basie and others and has also 

been a disc jockey on WBGO and 

Sirius satellite jazz radio. He currently 

serves on the faculties of Purchase 

College, State University of New York 

and The Juilliard School, teaching 

drums and jazz history. 


31



Jamie Bernstein is a writer, narrator, 

broadcaster and filmmaker who has 

transformed a lifetime of loving music 

into a career of sharing her knowledge 

and excitement with others. 

Inspired by her father Leonard Bernstein’s 

lifelong impulse to share and teach, 

Jamie has devised multiple ways of 

communicating her own excitement 

about orchestral music. Beginning 15 

years ago with “The Bernstein Beat,” 

a family concert about her father’s music 

modeled after his own groundbreaking 

Young People’s Concerts with the 

New York Philharmonic, Jamie has gone 

on to design, write and narrate concerts 

for worldwide audiences of all ages 

about the music of Mozart, Copland, 

Stravinsky and many others. 

Until the pandemic restricted her 

travels, Jamie crisscrossed the world 

as a concert narrator, appearing 

everywhere from Beijing to London 

to Vancouver. A frequent speaker on 

musical topics, Jamie has presented 

talks around the world, from conferences 

in Japan to seminars at Harvard 

University. In Spanish-speaking 

locations such as Madrid, Seville and 

Caracas, Jamie narrates en español — 

thanks to her Chilean-born mother, 

Felicia Montealegre, who raised her 

children to be bilingual. 

In her role as a broadcaster, Jamie has 

produced and hosted shows for radio 

stations in the United States and Great 

Britain. She has presented the New York 

Philharmonic’s live national radio 

broadcasts, as well as live broadcasts 

from Tanglewood. 

Jamie is the co-director of a film 

documentary, Crescendo: the Power 

of Music — which focuses on children 

in struggling urban communities who 

participate in youth orchestra programs 

for social transformation inspired by 

Venezuela’s groundbreaking El Sistema 

movement. The film has won numerous 

prizes on the festival circuit, and is now 

viewable on iTunes. 

Jamie has also directed her 

father’s chamber opera, Trouble in 

Tahiti, in various locations around the 

country, including the Moab Music 

Festival, Festival del Sole in Napa, CA 

and Tanglewood. 

Jamie’s memoir, Famous Father Girl, was 

published by HarperCollins in June of 

2018, as the Leonard Bernstein centennial 

celebrations were at their peak all 

around the world. The paperback was 

released in June of 2019. The author 

also performs the audiobook. 

Jamie writes articles and poetry, 

which have appeared in such 

publications as Symphony, DoubleTake, 

The Nation, Opera News and Musical 

America. She also edits Prelude, Fugue 

& Riffs, a newsletter about issues and 

events pertaining to her father’s legacy. 

Ted Chapin was chosen by the 

Rodgers and Hammerstein families 

to run their office. He expanded 

it into the Rodgers & Hammerstein 

Organization, responsible for 

management of the copyrights 

created by Richard Rodgers and/ 

or Oscar Hammerstein II and 

many others. On his watch, 

there were new major productions 

of their musicals on Broadway 

(eight Tony Awards for Best Musical 

Revival). In addition to revivals, 

he has encouraged new Broadway 

productions, among them 

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, 

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, 

State Fair, A Grand Night for Singing 

and Holiday Inn, and major, 

highly rated television productions 

like The Sound of Music Live! 

on NBC and the multi-racial 

Cinderella with Brandy Norwood 

and Whitney Houston on ABC. 

Ted was the co-founder of the 

Encores! series at City Center and 

has been a host and interviewer on 

many television shows, including 

three seasons of NJTV’s American 

Songbook at NJPAC, and Working in 

the Theater and Careers in the Theater 

for the American Theatre Wing. 

He was the producer for two wellreceived 

seasons at the 92nd Street 

Y’s Lyrics and Lyricists, which included 

salutes to Bobby Darin, Stephen 

Sondheim, Sammy Davis, Jr., Lynn 

Ahrens, Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Hart 

and Leonard Bernstein. 

His book Everything Was Possible: 

The Birth of the Musical “Follies,” 

based on his experience as the 

production assistant on the original 

Broadway production of the 

Sondheim/Prince musical Follies, 

was published by Alfred A. Knopf. 

A new addition of the paperback 

was recently published by 

Applause Books. 

He serves on the boards of New 

York City Center and The Kurt Weill 

Foundation, where he currently serves 

as chairman; and The American 

Theater Wing, where he was chairman 

for four years and recently served as 

co-chairman. He has been a guest 

lecturer at many universities including 

Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Duke, Pace, 

Belmont, Lawrence and NYU. He has 

been honored with the UJA Excellence 

in Theater Award, the Leonard Harris 

Award from City Center, the Floria 

Lasky Award and others. 

He comes by an association with 

Leonard Bernstein honestly: his father 

Schuyler Chapin and Bernstein met 

at Columbia Records and worked 

together in several capacities over 

the years. He was also assistant 

director of the Los Angeles and 

San Francisco Civic Light Opera 

production of Candide. His career 

began as production assistant for 

the Broadway productions of Follies, 

The Rothschilds and The Unknown 

Soldier and His Wife, and as 

associate to director Alan Arkin on 

the original Broadway production of 

Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys and 

the CBS-TV production of Twigs with 

Carol Burnett. He was the producer 

of the Musical Theater Lab, the first 

not-for-profit organization devoted 

to the development of new musicals. 


33

At NJPAC, our dedicated supporters 

are behind all that we accomplish. 

Their generosity brings exhilarating 

performances to our stages and 

inspirational arts education programs to 

more than 110,000 students, teachers and 

families each year. Their contributions 

enable us to share the arts with audiences 

throughout our community. 

njpac shining stars 

New Jersey Performing Arts Center reserves special accolades for its Shining Stars — the generous 

visionaries, luminaries and great dreamers who make everything possible. This list includes contributors 

whose cumulative giving to NJPAC totals $1 million and above. As of December 13, 2021 

Dreamers 

$10,000,000 & above 

Anonymous (2) 

The Chambers Family and 

The MCJ Amelior Foundation 

City of Newark 

Stewart and Judy Colton 

Toby and Leon Cooperman 

Essex County 

Betty Wold Johnson+ 

New Jersey State Council on the Arts 

Prudential/The Prudential Foundation 

Estate of Eric F. Ross 

State of New Jersey 

Victoria Foundation 

Women@NJPAC 

Luminaries 

$5,000,000 & above 

Bank of America 

The Joan and Allen Bildner 

Family Fund 

CIT 

The Horizon Foundation for New 

Jersey/Horizon Blue Cross 

Blue Shield of New Jersey 

Merck Foundation 

Katherine M.+ and Albert W. Merck+ 

NJ Advance Media 

PSEG Foundation/PSEG 

Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch 

Wells Fargo Foundation 

The Josh Weston Family 

Visionaries 

$1,000,000 & above 

ADP 

Alcatel-Lucent 

American Express 

Anonymous 

AT&T 

BD 

Randi and Marc E. Berson 

Casino Reinvestment 

Development Authority 

Chubb 

Joanne D. Corzine Foundation 

Jon S. Corzine Foundation 

Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation 

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation 

Edison Properties Newark 

Foundation/The Gottesman Family 

Anne Evans Estabrook DBA 

Elberon Development Co. 

Ford Foundation 

Gibbons P.C. 

Veronica M. Goldberg 

The Griffinger Family 

Harrah’s Foundation 

Hess Foundation, Inc. 

WIlliam and Joan Hickey 

Jaqua Foundation 

Johnson & Johnson Family 

of Companies 

JPMorgan Chase 

Kresge Foundation 

The Blanche and Irving 

Laurie Foundation 

Arlene Lieberman/The Leonard 

Lieberman Family Foundation 

A. Michael and Ruth C. Lipper/Lipper 

Family Charitable Foundation 

William J. and Paula Marino 

McCrane Foundation, Inc., 

care of Margrit McCrane 

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 

New Jersey Cultural Trust 

Panasonic Foundation 

Dr. Victor Parsonnet and 

Jane Parsonnet+ 

Pfizer Inc. 

Michael F. Price 

PwC 

Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. 

Charitable Trust 

RWJBarnabas Health 

The Ryan Family 

The Sagner Family Foundation 

Schering-Plough Corporation 

The Walter V. and Judith L. 

Shipley Family Foundation 

Sills Cummis & Gross, PC 

The Smart Family Foundation/David 

S. Stone, Esq., 

Stone and Magnanini 

John Strangfeld and 

Mary Kay Strangfeld Foundation 

Michael and Jill Tanenbaum 

Morris and Charlotte Tanenbaum 

TD Bank/TD Charitable Foundation 

Turner Construction Company/ 

Pat A. Di Filippo 

Turrell Fund 

United Airlines 

Diana and P. Roy Vagelos 

Verizon 

Robert and Mary Ellen Waggoner 

Wallace Foundation 

njpac leadership As of January 1, 2022 

Board of Directors 

Co-Chair 

Steven M. Goldman, Esq. 

Managing Partner 

PBM Capital Group 

Co-Chair 

Barry H. Ostrowsky 



Treasurer 

Marc E. Berson 

Chairman 

The Fidelco Group 

Assistant Treasurer 

David Jones 

Co-Founder, President & CEO 

Castle Oak Securitites, LLC 

Secretary 

Michael R. Griffinger, Esq. 

Director 

Gibbons P.C. 

Founding Chair 

Raymond G. Chambers 


Director Emeritus 

& Chair Emeritus 

John Strangfeld 

Retired Chairman & CEO 

Prudential Financial 

Chairs Emeriti 

William J. Marino 

Retired Chairman, President & CEO 

Horizon BCBS of New Jersey 

Arthur F. Ryan 

Retired Chairman & CEO 

Prudential Financial 

Honorary Counsel & 

Director Emeritus 

Donald A. Robinson, Esq. 

Partner 

Robinson & Miller LLC 

Lara Abrash 

Marsha I. Atkind 

Lawrence E. Bathgate II, Esq. 

James L. Bildner 

Daniel M. Bloomfield, M.D. 

Modia “Mo” Butler 

Jacob S. Buurma, Esq. 

Nancy Cantor, Ph.D. 

Regina Carter 

Mindy A. Cohen 

Matthew Connor 

Edwan Davis 

Enrico Della Corna 


Robert H. Doherty 

Patrick C. Dunican, Jr., Esq. 

Debbie Dyson 

Shereef Elnahal, M.D. 

Anne Evans Estabrook 

Christine C. Gilfillan 

Savion Glover 

Yan Gu 

Ryan P. Haygood, Esq. 

William V. Hickey 

Jeffrey T. Hoffman 

Ralph Izzo 

The Hon. Thomas H. Kean 

Scott A. Kobler, Esq. 

Mitchell Livingston 

Charles Lowrey 

Ellen B. Marshall 

Christian McBride 

Carlos Medina 

D. Nicholas Miceli 

Eva Reda 

Christopher R. Reidy 

Steve Richard (effective 1/19/22) 

Richard W. Roper 

fayemi shakur (effective 1/19/22) 

The Hon. Clifford M. Sobel 

Gary St. Hilaire 

David S. Stone, Esq. 

Michael A. Tanenbaum, Esq. 

Rishi Varma 

Carmen S. Villar 

Robert C. Waggoner 

Nina M. Wells, Esq. 

Josh S. Weston 

Karen Young 

Ex Officio 

The Hon. Ras J. Baraka 

The Hon. Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. 

Elizabeth A. Mattson 

The Hon. Elizabeth Maher Muoio 

The Hon. Philip D. Murphy 

The Hon. Luis A. Quintana 


Faith Taylor 

The Hon. Tahesha Way 

Directors Emeriti 

Dennis M. Bone 

Barbara Bell Coleman 

Albert R. Gamper, Jr. 


Judith Jamison 

A. Michael Lipper 

Victor Parsonnet, M.D. 

Diana T. Vagelos 

Women@NJPAC Board of Trustees 

President 

Faith Taylor 

Global Sustainability Leader, Kyndryl 

Co-Executive Vice President 

Margarethe Laurenzi 

Executive Director, Maher 

Charitable Foundation 

Co-Executive Vice President 

Sonia Luaces 

Partner 

PwC LLP 

Vice Presidents 

Deborah Q. Belfatto 

Community Leader and 

Philanthropist 

Mindy A. Cohen 



Suzanne M. Spero 

Executive Director 


Treasurer 

Lisa Osofsky 

Partner, Private Client Services 

Practice Leader 

Mazars USA, LLP 

Secretary 

Christine Pearson 



Immediate Past President 

Marcia Wilson Brown, Esq. 

Retired Vice Chancellor for External 

and Governmental Relations 

Rutgers University – Newark 

Farah N. Ansari 

Linda Baraka 

Rana Peterson Barclay 

Audrey Bartner 

Adenah Bayoh 

Sherri-Ann P. Butterfield, Ph.D 

Patricia L. Capawana 

Alejandra Ceja 

Patricia A. Chambers* ** 

Sally Chubb* ** 

Mary Lynn Clark 

Barbara Bell Coleman** 

Michellene Davis, Esq. 

Antoinette Ellis-Williams 

Catherine J. Flynn 

Christine C. Gilfillan 

Aisha Glover 

Veronica M. Goldberg* ** 

Zenola Harper, Esq. 

Shané Harris 

Tammye T. Jones 

Vani Krishnamurthy 

Brooke Lawson 

Ruth C. Lipper** 

Dena F. Lowenbach** 

Marlie Massena 

Gabriella E. Morris, Esq.* 

Ferlanda Fox Nixon, Esq. 

Lori Spoon 

Mary Kay Strangfeld** 

Mikki Taylor 

Diana T. Vagelos* ** 

Nina Mitchell Wells, Esq. 

Nicole D. Wescoe 

*Founding Member 

**Trustee Emerita 

• retired 

+ deceased 


njpac leadership As of December 13, 2021 

Council of Trustees 

Val Azzoli 

Michael F. Bartow 

Rona Brummer 

John M. Castrucci, CPA 

Elizabeth G. Christopherson 

Susan Cole, Ph.D. 

Robert S. Constable 

Irene Cooper-Basch 

Anthony R. Coscia, Esq. 

Andrea Cummis 

Samuel A. Delgado 

Steven J. Diner, Ph.D. 

Andrew Dumas 

Dawood Farahi, Ph.D. 

Curtland E. Fields 

Albert R. Gamper 

Bruce I. Goldstein, Esq. 

Renee Golush 

Paula Gottesman 

Sandra Greenberg 

Benefactor 

$1,000,000 & above 




Leadership Circle 

$200,000 & above 

ADP 

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 

Anonymous 




The Horizon Foundation for 

New Jersey/Horizon Blue Cross 





TD Bank/TD Charitable Foundation 


Co-Chair Circle 

$100,000 & above 


BD 

F.M. Kirby Foundation 

The Healthcare Foundation 

of New Jersey 

Mars Wrigley 

Matrix Development 


Kent C. Hiteshew 

Patrick E. Hobbs 

John A. Hoffman, Esq. 

Lawrence S. Horn, Esq. 

Reverend M. William Howard, Jr. 

Reverend Reginald Jackson 

Howard Jacobs 

Robert L. Johnson, M.D. 

Marilyn “Penny” Joseph 

Donald M. Karp, Esq. 

Gene R. Korf 

Rabbi Clifford M. Kulwin 

Ellen W. Lambert, Esq. 

Paul Lichtman 

Kevin Luing 

Joseph Manfredi 

Antonio S. Matinho 

Bari J. Mattes 

John E. McCormac, CPA 

Catherine M. McFarland 

Joyce R. Michaelson 

Director’s Circle 

$50,000 & above 

Anonymous 

Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office 

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. 

Deloitte LLP 




Investors Bank/Investors 

Foundation, Inc. 


M&T Bank 


NJM Insurance Group 


PNC 

PwC 

Richmond County Savings Foundation 

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 

Rutgers, The State University 

of New Jersey 

Santander Bank, N.A. 

Steinway and Sons 

Turrell Fund 


President’s Circle 

$25,000 & above 

Bloomberg Philanthropies 

CastleOak Securities, LP 

Edwin S. Olsen 

Richard S. Pechter 

Daria M. Placitella 

Jay R. Post, Jr., CFP 

Steven J. Pozycki 

Marian Rocker 

David J. Satz, Esq. 

Barbara J. Scott 

Marla S. Smith 

Suzanne M. Spero 

Joseph P. Starkey 

Sylvia Steiner 

Arthur R. Stern 

Andrew Vagelos 

Richard J. Vezza 

Kim Wachtel 

Constance K. Weaver 

Elnardo J. Webster, II 

E. Belvin Williams, Ph.D. 

Gary M. Wingens, Esq. 

njpac contributors—business partners 

NJPAC is deeply grateful to the following corporations, foundations and government agencies 

for their generous annual support of artistic and arts education programs, the endowment fund, 

and maintenance of the Arts Center. For more information, please contact Valerie Blau, 

Corporate Giving Manager, at 973.297.5135. As of December 13, 2021 

Chubb 

Edison Properties Newark Foundation 

Gibbons P.C. 

Greenberg Traurig, LLP 

Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment 

Johnson & Johnson Family 

of Companies 

L + M Development Partners Inc. 

Lowenstein Sandler LLP 

McCarter & English, LLP 

National Endowment for the Arts 

The Nicholas Martini Foundation 

Rita Allen Foundation 

T-Mobile USA, Inc. 

Turner Construction Company/ 



Valley Bank 

Verizon 

Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP 

Composer’s Circle 

$10,000 & above 

Boston Consulting Group 

Brookdale / Newark ShopRite 

Chiesa Shahinan & Giantomasi, PC 

Coca-Cola Refreshments 

DoorDash 

EpsteinBeckerGreen 

Gateway Security, Inc. 

Genova Burns LLC 

HLW Architecture LLC 

njpac contributors—business partners 

The Hyde and Watson Foundation 

Jacobs Levy Equity Management 

Landmark Fire Protection 

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation 

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton 

& Garrison, LLP 

The Provident Bank Foundation 

SP+ 

Stephen and Mary Birch 


Two Center Street Urban Renewal, LLC 

Whole Foods Market 

Encore Circle 

$5,000 & above 

Arnold & Porter 

Berkeley College 

Berkshire Hathaway 

Specialty Insurance 

Brach Eichler LLC 

J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc. 

Davis & Gilbert LLP 

DeWitt Stern Group 

E.J. Grassman Trust 

EisnerAmper LLP 

Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc. 

Gilbane Building Company 

Hansome Energy Systems 

Inserra Supermarkets 

Jewish Federation of Greater 

MetroWest NJ 

KPMG 

Langan 


Mercury Public Affairs 

Michael Rachlin & Company, LLC 

New Jersey Resources 

NFP Insurance Brokerage 

njpac contributors—vanguard society 

Peapack-Gladstone Bank 

Pennoni 

Prime Buchholz 

PS&S 

Schenck, Price, Smith & King, LLP 

Sherman Atlas Sylvester 

& Stamelman LLP 

SILVERMAN 

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill 

Structure Tone 

Thornton Tomasetti, Inc. 

U.S. Title Solutions 

Union Foundation 

Ware Malcomb 

Willis Towers Watson 

New Jersey Performing Arts Center is deeply grateful to the following individuals and families for their 

generous annual support, which makes it possible for NJPAC to maintain its world-class venue, fill it 

with star-studded, diverse performances, and carry out its arts education programs that transform 

New Jersey’s children. For more information, please contact Josh Adler, Director of Major Gifts, 

at 973.297.5821. As of December 13, 2021 

Leadership Circle 

$200,000 & above 





William and Joan Hickey 





Co-Chair Circle 

$100,000 & above 

Anonymous 


The Smart Family Foundation/ 

David S. Stone, Esq., Stone 

and Magnanini 

Director’s Circle 

$50,000 & above 

Anonymous 

Jennifer A. Chalsty 


David and Renee Golush 




President’s Circle 

$25,000 & above 


Sally Chubb 

Mindy A. Cohen and David J. Bershad 

The Hon. Jon S. and Sharon Corzine 


Mr. and Mrs. Warren Grover 

Kaminsky Family Foundation 

Don Katz and Leslie Larson 

Dana and Peter Langerman 

Charles F. Lowrey Jr. and 

Susan T. Rodriguez McCrane 

Foundation, Inc., 

care of Margrit McCrane 

Bobbi and Barry H. Ostrowsky 

Richard S. and Kayla L. Pechter 

Mr. and Mrs. Leslie C. Quick, III 

Marian and David Rocker 

Steven and Beverly Rubenstein 


The Sagner Family Foundation 

Tracy and Theodore Spencer 

David S. Steiner and Sylvia Steiner 

Charitable Trust 

Walsh Family Fund of the 

Community Foundation 

of New Jersey 

Nina and Ted Wells 

Composer’s Circle 

$10,000 & above 

Bruce and Jean Acken 

Anonymous 


Lawrence E. Bathgate, II 

and Michelle Bengue 

Judy Bernhaut 


Family Fund 

Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation 

Dennis and Denise Bone 

Ann and Stan Borowiec 

Rose Cali 

Edwan and Alexis Davis 

Linda V. Della Corna & 

Enrico A. Della Corna 

Patrick C. Dunican, Jr., Esq. 

Debbie Dyson 

J. Andres Espinosa 

Nancye and Robert Falzon 


Alice Gerson Goldfarb 

Arlene Goldman 

Phyllis and Steven E. Gross 

Gary St. Hilaire 

Jeffrey and Judy Hoffman 

Meg and Howard Jacobs 

The Honorable Thomas H. Kean 

Scott and Susan Kobler 

A. Michael and Ruth C. Lipper/ 

Lipper Family Charitable Foundation 

Amy and William Lipsey 

The Harold I. & Faye B. 

Liss Foundation 

Mitchell A. Livingston 

The Lester and Grace Maslow 


+ deceased 


37

njpac contributors—vanguard society 

Composer’s Circle continued... 


Harold and Donna Morrison 

James and Nancy Pierson 

Christopher R. Reidy 

Karen and Gary D. Rose 

Philip R. Sellinger 

Karen Sherman 

Cliff and Barbara Sobel 

Carmen Villar 

Amrit Walia 

Thomas C. Wallace 

Joyce and George Wein Foundation 

Karen and Bill Young 

Barbara+ and Edward D. Zinbarg 

Encore Circle 

$5,000 & above 

Margaret Anadu 

Anonymous 

Daniel Bloomfield and Betsy True 

Candice R. Bolte 

Linda M. Bowden 

The Hon. Jon M. Bramnick 

Modia Butler 

Nancy Cantor and Steven R. Brechin 

$1,000,000 & above 






State of New Jersey 


$250,000 & above 

ADP 




The Horizon Foundation for 

New Jersey/Horizon Blue Cross 





TD Bank /TD Charitable Foundation 


$100,000 & above 


Audible, Inc. 

Anonymous 

BD 



Norman L. Cantor 

Michael Choy 

Austin G. Cleary 

Sylvia J. Cohn 

The Colbert Family Fund of Coastal 

Community Foundation of SC 

Matt and Susan Connor 

Alma DeMetropolis, CFA 

Robert Doherty 

Donna and Kenneth Eberle 

Gregg N. Gerken 

Jill and James G. Gibson 

Lawrence P. Goldman and 

Laurie B. Chock 

Yan Gu 

The Huisking Foundation 

Karen and Ralph Izzo 

Rabbi and Mrs. Clifford M. Kulwin 

Judith Lieberman 

Barry and Leslie Mandelbaum 

Ellen Marshall and Jim Flanagan 

Mr. and Mrs. D. Nicholas Miceli 

Duncan and Alison Niederauer 

Laurence B. Orloff and Deanne Wilson 

Jean and Kent Papsun 

Judith and Kenneth Peskin 

njpac premier donors and sponsors 

Edison Properties Newark Foundation 

The Healthcare Foundation 

of New Jersey 



Mars Wrigley 

M&T Bank 


PwC 


The Smart Family Foundation/ 

David S. Stone, Esq., Stone 

and Magnanini 



Tanenbaum Keale, LLP 





$50,000 & above 


Randi and Marc E. Berson/ 

The Fidelco Group 


Family Fund 

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. 

Jennifer A. Chalsty 

Chubb 

Mindy A. Cohen and David J. Bershad 

Deloitte, LLP 

Roberta and Richard E. Polton 

Rob and Nora Radest 

Eva Reda 

Richard N. Ross 

Lennon Register and Barbara White 

David Rodriguez 

Susan Satz 

Virginia McEnerney and 


James and Sharon Schwarz 

Stephen and Mary Jo Sichak 

Paul and Denise Silverman 

Robert and Marjorie Sommer 

Rosemary and Robert Steinbaum 

Faith and Gary Taylor 

Robert and Sharon Taylor 

Alexine and Warren Tranquada 

Bruce A. Tucker 

Rishi Varma and Pooja Khanna 

Robert and Mary Ellen Waggoner 

Helene and Gary Wingens 

Thomas Wisniewski 

NJPAC is deeply grateful to the institutions and individuals whose aggregate contributions 

(gifts, grants, sponsorships and events) for the year total $50,000 or more. December 13, 2021 



Mimi and Edwin Feliciano 


Gibbons P.C. 


Investors Bank/Investors 







PNC Bank, N.A/The PNC Foundation 

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 

Rutgers, The State University 

of New Jersey 

Santander Bank, N.A. 

Steinway and Sons 

Turrell Fund 




+ deceased 

njpac muse society 

NJPAC’s Muse Society recognizes those visionary friends who include the Arts Center in their financial 

planning through bequests, charitable gift annuities, insurance and other deferred gifts. We are deeply 

grateful to the following friends who have included the Arts Center in their estate plans and made known 

their future gift. For more information or to notify NJPAC of your intent to include it in your estate planning, 

contact Amy Fitzpatrick, Vice President of Development, at 973.297.5822. As of December 13, 2021 


Lawrence E. Bathgate, II 

Judith Bernhaut 

Andrew T. Berry, Esq.+ 



Family Fund 

Candice R. Bolte 

Edmond H.+ and 

Joan K. Borneman 


Raymond G. Chambers 


Fred Corrado 

Ann Cummis 

Mr. and Mrs. James Curtis 

Harold R. Denton 

Richard DiNardo 

Charles H. Gillen+ 

Bertha Goldman+ 


Renee and David Golush 


Phyllis and Steven E. Gross 

njpac members 

Sustainer 

$3,000 & above 

Sinead and Christopher Bennett 


Eleonore Kessler Cohen and 

Max Insel Cohen+ 

Margaret J. Cunningham 

Herbert and Karin Fastert 

Lauren and Steven Friedman 

Geremia Helou 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Kuchner 

Ellen and Donald Legow 

Tim Lizura 

Edwin S. and Catherine Olsen 

Robin and Leigh Walters 

The Honorable Alvin Weiss 

Patron 

$1,250 & above 

Anonymous (2) 

Bryan Adams 

Ronald K. Andrews 

Brian Archer 

Marsha I. Atkind 

Wendee Bailey 

Mr. and Mrs. Warren Grover 

Opera Link/Jerome Hines+ 



Jackie and Larry Horn 

The Meg and Howard Jacobs 

Family Foundation 

Rose Jacobs+ 

Gertrude Brooks Josephson+ and 

William Josephson in Memory of 

Rebecca and Samuel Brooks 

Kaminsky Family Foundation 

Adrian and Erica Karp 

Gail and Max Kleinman 

Joseph Laraja, Sr.+ 

Leonard Lieberman+ 

Ruth C. Lipper 

Amy C. Liss + 

Dena F. and Ralph Lowenbach 


Joseph and Bernice O’Reilly+ 

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Ostergaard 

Maria Parise+ 

Dr. Victor Parsonnet and 

Jane Parsonnet+ 

Donald A. Robinson, Esq. 

Marian and David Rocker 

Estate of Eric F. Ross+ 

Bernice Rotberg+ 

The Steven and Beverly Rubenstein 



Ethel Smith+ 

Leonard R. Stern+ 

Paul Stillman Trust 

John Strangfeld and Mary Kay 

Strangfeld Foundation 


Carolyn M. VanDusen 

Diana and P. Roy Vagelos 

Artemis Vardakis+ 


Judy+ and Josh Weston 

+ deceased 

New Jersey Performing Arts Center gives special thanks to the following Members who help meet 

the Arts Center’s annual financial needs with gifts of $650 to $4,999. For information on becoming a 

Member, please call 973.297.5809. As of December 13, 2021 

Joseph and Jacqueline Basralian 

George and Jane Bean 

Barbara and Ed Becker 

Jeri Burt and Michael Merlie 

Patricia and Anthony R. Calandra 

Regina Carter 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Chapin, III 

Nancy Clarke 

Kevin and Linda Conlin 

Vaughn E. Crowe 

Trayton M. Davis 

D’Maris and Joseph Dempsey 

Linda H. Dunham 

Drs. Brenda and Robert Fischbein 

Thomas P. Giblin 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Gilfillan 

Carolyn Gould 

Thomas L. Green 

Susan and Mark Halliday 

Kitty and Dave Hartman 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Henry 

Joan Hollander 

Alan and Carrie Holtz 

William W. Huisking 

Adrian and Erica Karp 

Irvin and Marjorie Kricheff 

Amy and Steven P. Kruvant 

Dr. Marlene E. Lengner 

Mark and Gayle Lerch 

Susan Lippa 

Dena and Ralph Lowenbach 

Kevin and Trisha Luing 

Lana Masor 

Massey Insurance Agency 

Edward Moran 

Gabriella E. Morris 

Jack and Ellen Moskowitz 

Bruce Murphy and MJ Lauzon 

Judith Musicant and Hugh A. Clark 

Helene and Martin Myers 

Joseph and Sheila Nadler 

Jeffrey S. Norman 

Dr. Christy Oliver 

Wayne C. Paglieri and Jessalyn Chang 

Dr. Kalmon D. Post and 

Linda Farber Post 

Samantha Pozner and 

Andrew Hickman 

Caroline and Harry Pozycki 

Chali Prasper 


39

njpac members 

Patron continued... 

Cecile and Trevor Prince 

Jonathan and Bethany Rabinowitz 

Lawrence A. Raia 

Brent N. Rudnick 

Jeremy and Tony Saccente 

Barbara Sager 

Mr. and Mrs. Newton B. Schott 

Rita and Leonard Selesner 

Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Shapiro 

Diana and Laurence Smith 

Elaine Staley 

Kate S. Tomlinson and Roger Labrie 

Mr. and Mrs. R. Charles Tschampion 

Mr. and Mrs. David S. Untracht 

Kathryn Vermilye 

Richard and Arlene Vezza 

Drs. Radha and Rao V. Vinnakota 

Lisa Webber 

Dr. Joy Weinsteun and 

Dr. Bruce Forman 

Lloyd Williams 

Mr. and Mrs. Pat Wood 

Gary and Wendy Young 

Richard Zaborowski 

Supporter 

$650 & above 

Lara Abrash and Gary Guth 

Cheryl Adams 

Rana and Andrew Barclay 

Lisa and Scott Braunstein 

Nadine Brechner 

James and Sharon Briggs 

Eloyd O. Britt 

Dr. Kimberly Brown and 

Parkway Eye Care Center 

Marcia Wilson Brown 

Calvin Carver 

Eileen Clifford 

Arthur Connolly 

Andrea Cummis and Renard Fiscus 

Martha Cybyk 

Maryanne and David R. Dacey 

Aliah Davis-McHenry and 

Brian McHenry 

Elizabeth DelTufo 

Suzanne Deluca-Warner 

Walter Douglas 

Eleanor and John Dunn 

Carylmead Eggleston 

Sybil Eng and Tad Roselund 

Michael Etkin 

Edward W. Fagan 

Sanford and Zella Falzenberg 

Laura Fuhro 

Dr. Ronald Gandelman and 

Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell 

Claudia and Kenneth Louis Gentner 

Maureen and Subhendu Ghosh 

David H. Gibbons , Jr. 

Clifford and Karen Goldman 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Goodfellow 

Donna Grant 

Mary and Bradford Graves 

Wayne and Catherine Greenfeder 

Lonnie and Better Hanauer 

Ryan P. Haygood, Esq. 

Danielle Johnson 

Richard and Cindy Johnson 

Mary and David Jones 

Leah and Rich Kabrt 

Marwa Kamel and Dr. Shereef Einahal 

Dr. and Mrs. John W. Kennedy 

Andrea and Jason Kimmel 

Courtney Koch and Patrick DeWald 

Joan M. Kram 

Vani Krishnamurthy 

Nancy Laird 

Mark and Sheryl Larner 

Deborah Lashley and Harrison Snell 

Dorothy Litwin-Brief 

Janet Lonney 

Edward Mafoud 

Santa and Michael R. Mallon 

Howard and Peggy Menaker 

Ray Merchant 

Hector Mislavsky and Judy Martinez 

Drs. Douglas and Susan Morrison 

William and Patricia O’Connor 

Monica Padovano Casiello 

Mark Pentelovitch 

Doren Pettiford 

Charles M. Piscitelli 

Jay R. Post, Jr. CFP 

Douglas and Susan Present 

Amy and Reginald Pretto 

Gusta A. Pritchett 

Oliver B. Quinn 

Charity Quinn and Mark Yecies 

Bidisa Rai 

Frank Rand 

Nogah Revesz 

Diane Ridley-White 

William A. Robinson 

Ina and Mark Roffman 


Joel Rosen 

Jeffrey and Regina Roth 

John and Alice Rubinstein 

Suzanne and Richard Scheller 

The Schiffenhaus Foundation 

Drs. Rosanne S. Scriffignano 

and Anthony Scriffignano 

Karen and Roger Shults 

Latoya Singleton 

Richard Sodon 

Marilyn and Leon Sokol 

Theodore N. Stephens II 

Linda and Brian Sterling 

Beverly and Ed Stern 

Stanley and Sharon Streicher 

Linda Tancs 

Jill Tarnow 

Lola Tate-McGhee 

Marilyn Termyna 

Marva Tidwell 

Louise and David J. Travis 

Jon Ulanet 

Paul and Sharlene Vichness 

Dr. Deborah and Peter Vietze 

Susan D. Wasserman 

Jacqueline Williams 

Diane C. Youg, M.D., P.A. 

+ deceased 

standing in 

solidarity 

monthly events promoting racial equality 

Visit njpac.org/stand for more information 


Platinum Channel 

Surfer Dinner 

Committee 

Gibbons, P.C. 

SP+ 

Structure Tone 

Tata Consultancy Services 


Marcia Wilson Brown, Esq. 

Sherri-Ann Butterfeild 

Edmund Hajim 

Obi Imegwu 

Gold Live Streamer 

Dinner Committee 

ADP 

Platinum Advocates 

Charles C. Anderson 

Sandy Bernhardt 

Tammye and David Jones 

Judith M. Lieberman 

Ferlanda Fox Nixon and 

Milford Nixon 


Evelyn and Stephen Colbert 

Christine Pearson 

women@ 





Arnold and Sandy Peinado 


NJPAC and Women@NJPAC are profoundly thankful for these 

supporters of the 2021 Spotlight Gala @ Home. 

lead sponsor 

List as of January 1, 2022 

Chubb Corporation 

Shelley and Steven Einhorn 

Mario Gabelli and 

Regina Pitaro 



Silver Remote 

Controller 

Bloomberg Philanthropies 

BNY Mellon 

Boston Consulting Group 


Faith and Gary Taylor 

TD Bank 

Valley Bank 

Gold Advocates 

Deborah and 

Joseph Belfatto 

Bleema and William Bershad 

Mary Kay Strangfeld 

Mark and Jane Wilf 

Family Foundation 

Schenck, Prince, 

Smith & King, LLP 

Wally Stern 

Full-page Ad 

Sponsors 

Audible 

Meg and Howard Jacobs 

A. Michael and 

Ruth C. Lipper 


Panasonic Corporation of 

North America 

underwriters 

Toby and Leon G. 

Cooperman 

Alma DeMetropolis 

The Fidelco Group/ 


Greenberg Traurig LLP 


Silver Advocates 




Rutgers University - Newark 

Half-page Ad 

Sponsors 

Genova Burns 

The MCJ Amelior 

Foundation 

hometown heroes (aka vice chairs) 

Mindy Cohen and 

David Bershad 

Arthur F. Ryan 

Nina Mitchell Wells, Esq. and 

Theodore V. Wells, Jr. 

The Honorable 

Thomas H. Kean 


McCarter & English, LLP 

PNC Bank, N.A. 

Seyfarth & Shaw 

The Smart Family 

Foundation/ 

David S. Stone, Esq., 

Stone & Magnanini 

Zenola Harper, Esq. 

KPMG 

Margarethe and 

Mark Laurenzi 

Nicole Wescoe 

Advocates 

Susan and David Bloom 


In-kind Donations 

Advanced Parking Concepts 

BD 

Marcus Samuelsson 

Official 

Media Sponsor 

FOR A FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, VISIT NJPAC.ORG OR CALL 1.888.MY.NJPAC

season funders 

njpac staff & administration As of December 1, 2021 

New Jersey Performing Arts Center is grateful to the following partners for their 

commitment and investment in NJPAC’s mission. As of December 13, 2021 

Official Sponsors: 

Major support provided by: 

The Chambers Family and The MCJ Amelior Foundation, Stewart and Judy Colton, Toby & Leon Cooperman, 

Betty Wold Johnson+, John Strangfeld and Mary Kay Strangfeld Foundation, The Weston Family 

Additional support provided by: 

Audible, Inc., Joan and Allen Bildner Family Fund, Edison Properties Newark Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, 

The Griffinger Family, JPMorgan Chase, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, William J. & Paula Marino 

McCrane Foundation, Inc., care of Margrit McCrane, PNC, The Ryan Family, 

The Smart Family Foundation/David S. Stone, Esq., Stone and Magnanini, Steinway & Sons, Michael & Jill Tanenbaum 

Turrell Fund, John & Suzanne Willian/Goldman Sachs Gives, New Jersey Cultural Trust 

+deceased 

women@ 

for your information 

NJPAC values the safety of our audiences, artists,and 

staff. It regularly updates its COVID protocols and 

procedures based on CDC, federal, state, city, and 

other scientific data. NJPAC reserves the right to alter 

safety protocols at any time and at its sole discretion 

including but not limited to social distancing, vaccines/ 

testing, masks, food service limitations, venue capacity, 

and entrance requirements as it deems appropriate. 

For more information, visit njpac.org/health 

As part of our Enhanced Safety Program, the following 

items are prohibited upon entry into Prudential Hall, the 

Victoria Theater, and all public spaces of NJPAC: 

backpacks, large pocketbooks, shopping bags, suitcases, 

briefcases, weapons, animals (except service animals). 

Late Seating Policy: Latecomers and persons 

leaving the theater midshow will be seated/ 

re-seated at the discretion of the management. 

Camera and Recording Equipment is Prohibited: 

The use of recording equipment and the taking of 

photographs of any performance or the possession 

of any device for such use without the written 

permission of the management is strictly prohibited. 

Parking Facilities: Easy parking is available in the 1,100-car 

garage under Military Park, directly across from NJPAC. 

Safe and secure surface parking is also available. 

Smoking and/or vaping is prohibited 

throughout all indoor spaces of NJPAC. 

Official Airline of NJPAC Official Imaging Supplier of NJPAC Official Soft Drink of NJPAC Media Sponsor 

Lost and Found: Any found items should be returned 

to NJPAC Security or Guest Services staff. If you 

believe you have lost an item, call 973.297.5868. 

Found clothing items will be held for 30 days after 

which they will be donated to a local shelter. 

Mobile Device Courtesy Reminder: Please 

respect performers and fellow audience members 

by ensuring that all cellular phones and mobile 

devices are turned off during performances. 

Newark Light Rail: NJTRANSIT’s Newark Light Rail offers 

frequent service in Downtown Newark that includes a 

station stop at NJPAC, offering a convenient alternative 

to driving to a performance or event. This service is an 

extension of the Newark City Subway and connects all rail 

lines served by Newark Penn and Broad Street Stations. 

Other popular destinations served by the extension 

are The Newark Museum of Art and Broad Street area 

businesses. For more information, visit njtransit.com/nlr. 

Disabilities: All Tiers of Prudential Hall and Victoria 

Theater are wheelchair accessible. Open captioning is 

provided at select performances. Sennheisser Infraport 

infra red audio receivers are available free-of-charge 

from an NJPAC Guest Service staff member. 

NJPAC welcomes children of all ages to its 

family events, but adult performances are not 

recommended for children 5 years old 

and younger. 

New Jersey Performing Arts Center 

NJPAC, One Center Street, Newark, NJ, 07102 

Administrative: 973.642.8989 

Box Office: 1.888.466.5722 

njpac.org 

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT 

John Schreiber** 


Christopher Frascogna 

Executive Assistant to the 


Chelsea Keys 

Director, Special Projects 

David Rodriguez* 

Executive Vice President & 

Executive Producer 

Kira M. Ruth**** 

Senior Manager 

Programming Operations 

Warren Tranquada** 

Executive Vice President & COO 

Valerie Fullilove 

Senior Administrative Assistant 

Timothy Lizura 

Senior Vice President 

Real Estate & Capital Projects 

ARTS EDUCATION 

Jennifer Tsukayama* 

Vice President, Arts Education 

Meggan Gomez 

AVP Faculty & Creative Practice 

Mark Gross* 

Director, Jazz Instruction 

Rosa Hyde* 

Senior Director, Performances & 

Special Events Operations 

Jennie Wasserman 

Project Director, City Verses 

Victoria Revesz* 

Senior Director, 

Arts Education Operations 

Erica Bradshaw 

Director of Theater Arts 

Sheikia “Purple Haze” Norris* 

Director, Hip Hop Arts & Culture 

Roe Bell 

Senior Manager, School and 

Community Programs 

Ashley Mandaglio 

Assoc. Director 

Professional Learning & Programs 

Danielle Vauters 

Senior Manager, Programming 

and Performances 

Becca Grek 


CRM & Business Operation 

Kristine Mathieson 

Senior Manager, CRM & 

Business Operation 

Justin DePaul 

Arts Education Office & 

Facilities Manager 

Daniel Silverstein 

Manager, Onsite Programs 

Kimberly Washington 

Manager 

Marketing, Sales & Recruitment 

Randal Croudy 

Coordinator 

Arts Education Performances 

Steven Hayet 

Coordinator, Business Operations 

Antonella Sanchez 

Coordinator, Program Operations 

Joe Swift 

Project Coordinator, City Verses 

Natalie Dreyer 

Arts Integration Faculty Lead 

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 

Eyesha Marable* 

Assistant Vice President, 

Community Engagement 

Daniela Fonseca 

Associate Producer 

Meleika Amos 

Associate Producer 

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP 

MANAGEMENT 

Rolston Cyril Watts 


Development Operations 

Thomas Mellott 

Gift Processing & 

Database Associate 

DEVELOPMENT 

Amy Fitzpatrick 

Vice President, Development 

Sarah Rosen 

Managing Director 


Joshua Adler 

Director, Major Gifts 

Jenifer Braun 

Director, Editorial Content 

Roseann Evans 

Director 

Foundation & Government Funding 

Deborah Purdon 

Director 

Research & Prospect Management 

Christine Walia 

Director, Events 

Valerie Blau 

Corporate Giving Manager 

Harris Cabrera 


Foundation Relations 

Gabrielle DeGaetano 

Membership Manager 

Lauren Siegel 

Manager, Major Gifts 

Imani Frederickson 

Development Coordinator 

FINANCE 

Lennon Register* 

Vice President & CFO 

Yolanda Doganay 

Assistant Vice President 

& Controller 

Mary Jaffa**** 

Assistant Vice President, Finance 

Manuela Silva**** 

Senior Accountant, Payroll 

Monique Cook 

Senior Financial Analyst 

Wali East 

Staff Accountant 

Inger Parsons 

Staff Accountant, 

Accounts Payable 

PEOPLE & ORGANIZATION 

Beth Silver 

VP & Chief People Officer 

Ginny Bowers Coleman**** 

Director, Volunteer Services 

Taheerah Smiley 

Human Resources Generalist 

Ashanti Hargrove 

People & Organization Coordinator 

Donna Walker-Kuhne* 

Senior Advisor, Diversity, Equity 

and Inclusion 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES 

Ernie DiRocco*** 

AVP, Infrastructure & Operations 

Carl Sims**** 

Director, Cyber Security 

Rodney Johnson*** 

Network & Help Desk 

Support Analyst 

MARKETING & 

COMMUNICATIONS 

Katie Sword* 

Vice President, Marketing & 

Communications 

Fallon Currie* 

Administrative Assistant 

Jason Paddock 

Senior Director, Marketing 

Yesenia Jimenez**** 

Director, Loyalty Services 

Charlene A. Roberts* 

Director, Performance Marketing 

Patricia Ryan 

Creative Art Director 

Tina Boyer* 

Director, Creative Services 

Latoya Dawson* 

Manager, Marketing 

Katie Stein 


Digital Marketing & Content 

Doris Ann Pezzolla**** 

Senior Graphic Designer 

Allison Calabro 

Lead Graphic Designer 

Matthew Cherry 

Digital Marketing Manager 

Alexis Green 

Digital Marketing Coordinator 

Ashlee Nolan 

Coordinator, Creative Services 

April Jeffries 

Coordinator, Group Sales 

Nicola Alexander 

Assistant, Creative Services 

Daryle Charles** 

Priority Customer Representative 

Jerome H. Ennis 

Consultant 

Herbert George Associates 


45

Angela Thomas 

Consultant, Performance 

Public Relations 

OPERATIONS 

Chad Spies*** 

Vice President, Operations 

& Real Estate 

Anthony Rosta 

Director, Facilities 

Meredith Hull 

Operations & Event Manager 

Todd Tantillo**** 

Chief Engineer 

J. Dante Esposito**** 

Assistant Chief Engineer 

Brian Cady** 

Maintenance Engineer 

Sherman Gamble*** 


Mariusz Koniuszewski** 


James McMorrow 

Director, Security, Parking 

& Traffic Operations 

Thomas Dixon**** 

Safety & Security Manager 

Robin Jones*** 

Senior Director 

House Management 

Kathleen Dickson**** 

Senior Head Usher 

Lamont Akins**** 

Head Usher 

Jerry Battle** 

Head Usher 

Edward Fleming**** 

Head Usher 

Cynthia Hamlett-Robinson*** 

Head Usher 

Tracey Robinson 

Head Usher 

George Gardner Jr.**** 

House Painter 

PRODUCTION 

Chris Moses*** 

Senior Director, Production 

Christopher Staton* 

Senior Production Manager 

E. Kevin Jones 

Production Manager 

Crystal Cowling* 

Associate Production Manager 

Rachel Macleod* 

Production Coordinator 

William Worman**** 

Head Carpenter 

Mario Corrales**** 

Assistant Head Carpenter 

Bryan Danieli*** 

Assistant Head Carpenter 

Barbara Guerra 

Apprentice Carpenter 

Hugo Munoz-Campos* 

Apprentice Carpenter 

Jacob Allen*** 

Head Electrician 

John Enea* 

Assistant Head Electrician 

Adam Omeljaniuk**** 

Journeyman Electrician 

Marion Pinckney**** 

Journeyman Electrician 

Jan Clark 

Assistant Head Electrician 

Paul Allshouse*** 

Head Audio 

John DiCapua* 

Assistant Head Audio 

John Finney*** 

Assistant Head Audio 

Richard Edwards**** 

Specialist Carpenter 

George Honczarenko*** 

Specialist Carpenter 

Joseph Hunt*** 

Journeyman Carpenter 

Naheem Wright** 

Journeyman Carpenter 

Amere Jenkins** 

Specialist Audio 

Daniel Pagan* 

Specialist Video 

Allison Wyss**** 

Senior Artist Assistants 

Melvin Anderson** 

Artist Assistant 

Lowell Craig*** 


Rachel Dresner 


Loni Fiscus 


Daniel Ovalle* 


Sindy Sanchez Virto 


MJ Santry 


Suzanne Santry 


PROGRAMMING 

Evan White*** 

Assistant Vice President, 

Programming 

Simma Levine 

Producer, Special Projects 

Craig Pearce* 

Producer, Festivals & Performances 

Kitab Rollins*** 

Senior Director Performance & 

Broadcast Rentals 

William W. Lockwood, Jr.**** 

Programming Consultant 

SPECIAL EVENTS 

Austin Cleary*** 

Assistant Vice President 

Sales & Planning, NJPAC Events 

Hernan Soto**** 

Senior Supervisor 

Operations Support Staff 

Francisco Soto* 

Supervisor, 

Operations Support & Services 

Kemar Brown 

Assistant Supervisor 

Operations Support & Services 

Tyrone Boyd 

Delbert Green 


David Martina* 


TICKET SERVICES 

Erik Wiehardt*** 

Director, Ticket Services 

Stephanie Walker**** 

Associate Director, 

Ticketing System 

Nicole Craig**** 

Associate Director, Box Office 

Robin Polakoff* 

Ticketing System Specialist 

Veronica Dunn-Sloan** 

Box Office Manager 

Darren DeBose 

Box Office Manager 

Jana Thompson* 

Box Office Representative 

Belva Moody* 

Box Office Representative 

Service Recognition 

(as of 9/1/2021 ) 

* * * * 20+ years 

* * * 15+ years 

* * 10+ years 

* 5+ years 

FOR A FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, VISIT NJPAC.ORG OR CALL 1.888.MY.NJPAC

NJPAC - January/February/March 2022

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?