Joshua Bell leads the New Jersey Symphony. Photo by Grace Liu Anderson.
In Friday’s (10/11) Strad (U.K.), an unbylined article states, “The New Jersey Symphony has announced that Joshua Bell will serve as the symphony’s inaugural principal guest conductor from the 2025–26 season, through the 2028–29 season. Bell has had a long relationship with the orchestra over the last three decades and appeared as soloist in the Bruch Violin Concerto no.1 in the 2022–23 season. Bell led the New Jersey Symphony as soloist and conductor for the first time in the autumn of 2023, in works of Beethoven and Mendelssohn. The new appointment adds to Bell’s current engagements as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, conductor and as the music director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. ‘I first played with New Jersey Symphony more than three decades ago, and they have held a special place in my heart ever since,’ Bell commented…. Bell will appear on one program weekend each season. In addition, Bell and the orchestra are also exploring potential additional collaborations as part of the principal guest conductor role, which will be announced at a later date.” Xian Zhang is the New Jersey Symphony’s music director.
