THE CAPITAL PHILHARMONIC of NEW JERSEY
CPNJ Staff
Oct 1, 2026
Four intimate Sunday afternoon concerts, programmed by CPNJ's own musicians, take the orchestra into historic sites and houses of worship across the city
Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey Brings Chamber Music Into Trenton's Neighborhoods with 2026–2027 Musicians' Choice Series
Four intimate Sunday afternoon concerts, programmed by CPNJ's own musicians, take the orchestra into historic sites and houses of worship across the city
TRENTON, N.J. — October, 1, 2026 — The Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey (CPNJ) returns with its Musicians' Choice Chamber Music Series for the 2026–2027 season, a four-concert program that brings the orchestra's players out of the concert hall and into the landmarks and community spaces that make up Trenton.
In Musicians' Choice, CPNJ's musicians pick the music themselves. Performing in small ensembles, they share the stories behind their selections, offer musical insights from the stage, and explain why each piece matters to them. The result is chamber music experienced up close, in rooms where audiences can see the bows move and hear the breath before a phrase.
Taking the Music to the Community
Rather than asking audiences to come to the orchestra, the series brings the orchestra to them. Musicians' Choice has filled some of Trenton's most recognizable spaces with music, from the Historic Trenton Masonic Temple and Ellarslie (Trenton City Museum) to Mill Hill Playhouse, Trinity Cathedral, and the New Jersey State House. The series has also performed at 1867 Sanctuary in Ewing, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, and St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church. Each venue brings its own character to the music, and brings that music to neighbors who might never make it to Patriots Theater at the War Memorial.
2026–2027 Season Lineup
All performances are Sundays at 3:00 PM.
Flamenco Fire: Music & Dance of Spain
Sunday, November 8, 2026 Historic Trenton Masonic Temple, 100 Barrack Street, Trenton
Guitarist David Galvez, a CPNJ featured soloist in 2023, is joined by flamenco dancer Liliana Ruiz and CPNJ musicians Dennis Krasnokutsky, Nina Vieru, Nelly Fedorova, and Elina Lang. The program moves from Rodrigo's beloved Concierto de Aranjuez to the fire of Malagueña, Fandango, and live flamenco improvisation.
String Quartets in Tribute: Mozart, Dubossarsky & Shostakovich
Sunday, January 31, 2027 St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church, 1746 South Clinton Avenue, Trenton
A program about dedication and remembrance, tracing a line from Mozart's tribute to Haydn, to the rarely heard Moldovan composer Boris Dubossarsky, to one of Shostakovich's most personal chamber works.
Beyond Brahms: Romantic Chamber Music for Winds, Strings & Piano
Sunday, February 21, 2027
Ellarslie (Trenton City Museum), 299 Parkside Avenue, Trenton
Brahms's lyrical Clarinet Trio anchors a program that also features Charles Koechlin's Four Little Pieces and Ralph Vaughan Williams's Quintet in D major, performed by five CPNJ musicians.
Mentor/Mentee: A Musical Family Tree
Sunday, April 25, 2027
St. Michael's Episcopal Church, 140 North Warren Street, Trenton
Flutist Katherine McClure, oboist and English horn player Melissa Bohl, and pianist Clipper Erickson trace a web of teachers and students across the Atlantic, with music by Jean-Michel Damase, Nadia Boulanger, Katherine Hoover, R. Nathaniel Dett, Rebecca Clarke, and CPNJ composer Joel Phillips.
