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YOCJ Gives Back

Music brings joy, discipline, focus, and so much more to all of us here at the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey. YOCJ is so grateful for all the opportunities that we enjoy. In turn, YOCJ would like to give back to our community, both locally and beyond. Check out some of our past initiatives. Please reach out to us if you have ideas for our next community engagement! Email [email protected]

Spring 2026 – Village Grande Benefit Concert

YOCJ was pleased to return to the Village Grande! Kyson Zhou (violin) and Alex Fiszer (cello) brought several fellow YOCJ musicians to perform a 2026 benefit concert at the Village Grande Ballroom: Aloka Bagchi (violin), Arsh Mehan (viola), Lucas Horowitz (cello), Riley Leung (cello), and Adam Powichrowski (cello). This performance raised $700 that was given locally to the Children Hospital of Philadelphia. All net proceeds from the concert were donated. Both this year’s performance and last year’s was organized by board member Bing Bing Chang.

Spring 2025 – Village Grande Benefit Concert

The Village Grande was excited to host YOCJ principal players, Kyson Zhou (violin) and Alex Fiszer (cello) to perform a benefit concert at the Village Grande Ballroom. This performance raised $800 that was given to Change Reaction, a Los Angeles based organization that was instrumental in providing immediate financial relief to lower income victims of the southern California wildfires. All net proceeds from the concert were donated.

Fall 2021 – Thanksgiving Baskets

This fall YOCJ partnered with our generous host, Prince of Peace (POP) Lutheran Church, to create and donate Thanksgiving baskets that were distributed to families in Trenton. YOCJ collected over 20 completed baskets on Monday, November 15 and Tuesday, November 16 during rehearsals.

POP’s sister church in Trenton, Saint Bartholomew, distributes these food containers every year, to make Thanksgiving possible for families in the Southward of Trenton!

Fall 2018 – Food Drive

In the Fall of 2018, the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey ran a 3 week food drive to benefit the Plainsboro Food Pantry.

Fall 2017 – Hurricane Harvey Fundraiser

The country witnessed horrible devastation as several hurricanes ravaged the south during the summer and fall of 2017. Early during the hurricane season, the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey was able to connect with the Houston Youth Symphony, thanks to local acquaintances of then Board President Annette Briffa. YOCJ held a Practice-a-thon, as well as a Hurricane Harvey Fundraiser concert on Saturday November 4th. We were able to raise $2000 to replace Houston-area student instruments that were lost or damaged by Hurricane Harvey. YOCJ was thrilled to receive pictures of the grateful students of the King Middle School Orchestra, who directly benefited from our donation.