The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is pleased to be partnering with the Princeton Festival and Princeton Garden Theatre to present Voices of Light, an oratorio by Richard Einhorn with the 1928 silent film classic The Passion of Joan of Arc, on Thursday, June 9 at 8:30 p.m. at the Princeton University Chapel. It is a first collaboration of the orchestra with the festival, made possible through the generous support of long-term PSO patrons Enea and Dave Tierno.

PSO Executive Director Marc Uys elaborated on the benefits of the new partnership, “The PSO is always looking for opportunities to work with other arts organizations in the community. This partnership with the Princeton Festival is ideal as it provides patrons and new audiences the chance to experience the excellence of PSO musicians in a unique setting, accompanying beautiful vocals with the added element of a classic film.”

The Princeton Festival’s General and Artistic Director Richard Tang Yuk is equally pleased with the collaboration. He said, “We are thrilled to be collaborating with the PSO on this very engaging and moving multi-media project.”  more

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT: On May 10, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO) BRAVO! education program presented “The Sky is the Limit!,” a concert designed to get the imaginations of over 2,000 area school children soaring with works ranging from Ottorini Respighi’s “The Hen,” Nikolaï Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee,” Daniel Dorff’s “Blast Off!,” and Gustav Holst’s “Mars.” These works, plus an unofficial world record, a surprise narration from a school teacher, and an unexpected composer’s visit combined for a fun field trip for the orchestra.

On Tuesday, May 10, at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:15 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO) BRAVO! education program presented “The Sky is the Limit!”, a concert designed to get the imaginations of over 2,000 area school children soaring with works ranging from Ottorini Respighi’s The Hen, Nikolaï Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee, Daniel Dorff’s Blast Off! and Gustav Holst’s Mars. Music Director Rossen Milanov conducted as he guided the students through the upper stratosphere and beyond. more

Amos Lee will perform at McCarter Theatre with special guest Mutlu Onaral on Sunday, May 15 at 7 p.m. For more than a decade, Lee has been at the forefront of a new generation of singer-songwriters, drawing inspiration from James Taylor and John Prine. His hit single “Arms of a Woman,” put him on the map. His 2010 album “Mission Bell,” also reached the top of the charts. Ticket prices start at $25. To order, call (609) 258-2787 or visit www.mccarter.org. 

Westminster Conservatory will observe the 400^th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare by presenting three faculty recitals in April.

On Sunday, April 3 at 3 p.m. “Shakespeare Revisited” will offer new compositions based on texts and themes of Shakespeare by Westminster composers. On Sunday, April 17 at 3 p.m. “Shakespeare in Song” will feature members of the Westminster Conservatory voice faculty performing settings of Shakespearian texts from the 18th to 21st centuries. These two recitals are part of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Series and will take place in Gill Chapel on the Rider University campus in Lawrenceville. Admission is free. more

On March 28 at 6:30 p.m., more than 200 singers will gather on the Mayo Concert Hall stage at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) campus in Ewing. TCNJ students will perform alongside five high school choirs from Japan who all come from the region affected by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear disaster. The performance is part of Project Hand-in-hand, which aims to support the recovery of the Japan disaster by using music to support cultural exchange and communication. This will be the fourth time in five years that TCNJ has partnered with Project Hand-in-Hand.  more

Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) Executive Director Marc Uys returns to his musician roots when he performs live at the PSO’s Spring Chamber Concert Sunday, March 20 at 4:30 p.m. at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). Uys, harpist Bridget Kibbey, and soprano Mary Mackenzie will perform works by composer and former Princeton University professor Edward T. Cone, IAS’s Artist-in-Residence Sebastian Currier, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

Written nearly 50 years apart, Cone’s Duo for Violin and Harp and Currier’s Night Time are significant contributions to the repertoire, reflecting the influence of Béla Bartók’s compositional symmetry and rhythmic manipulation upon their individual styles. Also on the program is Saint-Saëns’ Violons dans le soir, based on the eponymous poem by Anna Elizabeth Mathieu.

Prior to joining the PSO, Uys was concertmaster of New York City-based Arcos Orchestra and assistant concertmaster of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra. He collaborated with harpist Jacqueline Kerrod in the duo Clockwise, touring South Africa performing premieres of newly commissioned works by 10 South African composers. In 2007 he led performances of Philip Miller’s Rewind – A Cantata for Voice, Tape and Testimony, including its world premiere in Cape Town and U.S. premiere in New York.  more