About The Band
THE GARDEN STATE
SYMPHONIC BAND is a fully professional musical ensemble modeled
after the very successful Sousa Band of the early 20th Century. Its primary
goal is to maintain the American tradition of the professional concert band as
a viable, artistic medium aimed at presenting aesthetically uplifting
performances, which at the same time are entertaining to the general public.
The Garden State Symphonic Band can trace its history back to 1907 when it
first emerged as the Goodwill Fife & Drum Corps, which, after a few short
years, in 1910, became the Goodwill Fife, Drum & Bugle Corps. In 1920 it
became the Goodwill Band, which , in 1958 changed its name to the Bay City
Band. In 1967 the name was again changed, this time to The Garden State
Symphonic Band, the name that the band operates under to this day.
In recognition of over 100 years of music-making the Band has been the
recipient of special congratulatory citations, resolutions and/or proclamations
- in the House of Representatives by the Hon. Frank Pallone, Jr.; in the New
Jersey State Legislature by Senator Buona and Assemblymen Barnes & Diegnan,
The Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders by David B. Crabiel, Director
and Board Members, and in the Woodbridge Township Council Chambers by Mayor
John E. McCormac and the Town Council.
Over the years, the band has performed in a number of different venues;
including, the Garden State Arts Center, the State Theater in New Brunswick,
the Clinton Museum, the Woodbridge Center Mall, the Twin Towers in the
Highlands, in public schools in Perth Amboy & Edison, in Monmouth &
Middlesex County parks, as well as in municipal parks in Perth Amboy,
Sayreville, Carteret, Woodbridge, Matawan, South Plainfield, Edison, Keyport,
and Madison Township. The band has been performing an annual series of free
outdoor concerts in Perth Amboy, NJ, for well over 70 years.
Band members are graduates of some of our most prestigious music schools
(i.e. Juilliard, The Manhattan School of Music, The New England Conservatory,
The Curtis Institute, Oberlin, The Eastman School of Music, etc., as well as
major universities). Past and current members have performed with major
orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera
Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, and the New Jersey Symphony, among others. Some
have performed on Broadway for many of the most successful musicals of the past
half century. Several players have also worked in the back-up bands of many of
our most famous entertainers: e.g., Frank Sinatra, Liza Minelli, Tom Jones,
Sarah Vaughn and others.
Chris Pedersen Jr., Conductor
Emeritus, was the Band’s Conductor and Music Director for over half a
century. He is a graduate of the
Manhattan School of Music where he majored in the clarinet and studied
conducting. Beginning his involvement with music at age 13, performing with a
local Latin band, Mr. Pedersen has had an extremely varied career, playing for
operas, ballets, symphony orchestras, concert bands, show bands, ethnic bands,
stage bands, and jazz and Dixieland bands. He performed regularly as a woodwind
specialist at the Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel for over 25 years, as
well as at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark an in New York City
at Carnegie Recital Hall, the Hubbard Auditorium at the Manhattan School of
Music, Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, Town Hall and at the Empire Room in
the Waldorf Astoria and several Broadway shows.
Virginia
Johnston, current Music Director & Conductor of the Garden State Symphonic Band,
received degrees from Syracuse University and Boston University in clarinet
performance and composition. She has been a professional free-lance musician in
the greater New Jersey area for over 30 years. Ginny was a
clarinetist with the Garden State Symphonic Band starting in 1993, was
appointed Assistant Conductor in January 2023, and then appointed Music
Director & Conductor in September 2024. Other conducting
positions include Associate Conductor of the Maplewood Community Band in
Maplewood NJ and Director of the Triad Vocal Ensemble community choir based in
New Providence NJ. She is currently the Finance Director of The Discovery
Orchestra, a nonprofit music education organization, with whom she has held
several positions, including Executive Director, for over 30 years. The
Orchestra focuses on digital programs, with six award-winning public television
shows, radio and podcast programs, and other video and educator resources to
its credit. Ginny is also an accomplished singer-songwriter,
vocalist, drummer and actress. Please visit https://ginjohnmusic.com to learn
more.
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