June 30, 2021

Princeton University Concerts Shares Spring Series Plans

CONCERT SERIES: Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason will appear with her brother, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, as part Princeton University Concerts’ spring season. (Photo by Robin Clewley)

Princeton University Concerts (PUC) is planning to transition the series’ concert offerings to a live, in-person format. Although the kinds of gatherings possible on-campus in the coming year is not yet known, PUC is actively working with Princeton University officials to lay the groundwork for a spring 2022 season. At the core of this season, as it has been for 129 years, is a “Concert Classics” series, featuring many artists whose concerts were canceled during the past two seasons due to the pandemic:

Participants include the Takács String Quartet and Julien Labro, Bandoneón; tenor Mark Padmore and pianist Mitsuko Uchida, Uchida with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra; the Ebene String Quartet, the Dover String Quartet, the Tetzlaff String Quartet; and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason with pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason. more

Pennsylvania Ballet Troupe Gets New Name

NEW NAME: The Pennsylvania Ballet is now The Philadelphia Ballet. The rebranding reflects a renewed focus and marks a return to live performances.

Pennsylvania Ballet has changed its name to Philadelphia Ballet. Rooted in a nearly 60-year artistic legacy in the community of Philadelphia, the new name is a reflection of the company’s dedication to its home city, and a testament to the spirit of experimentation and evolution that lives at the heart of its artistic mission.

The company is planning a return to the stage with a new season of in-person performances, including world premieres, contemporary works, and classics from October through May.

The decision to become Philadelphia Ballet resulted from a period of reflection on the past, present, and potential future of the company’s goals and values. “Our company’s evolution into Philadelphia Ballet is not just a cosmetic change. After a year of deep hardship, it is more important than ever that our name reflect the communities we serve and embody the true spirit of our company,” said Executive Director Shelly Power. “Philadelphia is at the core of all that we do. It is not only our home but also our inspiration, a city that both embraces its rich history and thrives on experimentation. Furthermore, our late founder, Barbara Weisberger, originally intended to name her company Philadelphia Ballet. Taking this step to evolve our identity not only honors her intentions, but also celebrates our real and intrinsic connection to the communities of Philadelphia.” more

Photo Exhibit at MCCC’s Kerney Campus Gallery

“MOMENTS & MEMORIES”: Images such as this by artist Tim Dill are included in “The Mark and the Memory” exhibition, on view through September 17 at the James Kerney Campus Gallery at Mercer County Community College’s campus in Trenton.

Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC’s) James Kerney Campus Gallery (JKCG) now features “The Mark and the Memory,” an exhibit that explores the role of photography in documenting and processing trauma.

Curated by Ryann Casey, an MCCC adjunct professor and independent curator, the exhibition runs through September 17. A closing reception will take place September 14.

The exhibition examines how the photographic medium uses history, intervention, and self-documentation to address and respond to traumatic experiences. It includes artist interviews, a catalog, and a virtual tour.  more

“Spring Rain”

Cross Pollination Gallery, featuring the work of abstract impressionist SiriOm Singh and fiber artist Ayala Shimelman, is hosting a reopening reception on Saturday, July 3 from 5 to 8 p.m. at its new location at 3 North Union Street in Lambertville. Refreshments and live music will be part of the festivities. For more information, visit crosspollinationgallery.com.

“In-Between” Dual Art Exhibit at Artists’ Gallery

“IN-BETWEEN”: “Monhegan Clearing” by Michael Schweigart, above, and “Stillness” by Joe Kazimierczyk, below, are featured in a dual exhibition of their landscape paintings, on view July 8 through August 1 at Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville. An opening reception is on Saturday, July 10, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Artists’ Gallery will present “In-Between,” an exhibit of landscape paintings by Joe Kazimierczyk and Michael Schweigart, July 8 through August 1. All are invited to view the exhibit at Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville, and attend the opening reception on Saturday, July 10, from 5 to 8 p.m.  more

June 23, 2021

Thoughts On Ralph Ellison, “Juneteenth,” and “Invisible Man”

By Stuart Mitchner

There’s been a heap of Juneteenths before this one and I tell you there’ll be a heap more before we’re truly free!

—from Juneteenth

Unable to find a copy of Ralph Ellison’s Juneteenth (Modern Library 1999) on short notice, I’ve been reading an excerpt reprinted in Living with Music: Ralph Ellison’s Jazz Writings (Modern Library 2001), edited by Robert O’Meally. According to O’Meally’s note, the piece in question (“Keep to the Rhythm”) was first published in 1969 as “Juneteenth,” a section from “Ellison’s forthcoming novel.” Given the fact that the novel didn’t actually “come forth” until 1999, five years after the author’s death and 47 years after the publication of Invisible Man, one of the great 20th century American novels, this has to be among the most famously delayed follow-ups in American literature, along with the still-unpublished Glass family saga J.D. Salinger was working on for the last 40 years of his life.

Promised and Delayed

Last week Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday, a long-time-coming recognition of the occasion already celebrated as Jubilee Day or Black Independence Day two and a half years before the Texas liberation of June 19, 1865. As poet Kevin Young points out in a guest essay (“Our Freedom Is America’s Freedom”) in Sunday’s New York Times, Juneteenth and other emancipation holidays commemorate “both the promise of freedom and its delay.” In Young’s words, “The lesson of Juneteenth is both of celebration and expectation, of freedom deferred but still sought and of the freedoms to come.”

Young’s piece begins by citing the music of Frankie Beverly and Maze as “one of the things Black people have enjoyed that white folks don’t know about.” Follow the Times’ YouTube link and you find that the group’s song “Before I Let Go” has had 36,926,680 views, compared to 44,104 views of 52-year-old Ralph Ellison (1913-1994) in a 1966 documentary reading the Juneteenth sermon from his work in progress. more

Princeton Festival Closes 2021 Season with Evening of Opera

By Nancy Plum

Princeton Festival closed its 2021 season this past Sunday night with an “Opera by Twilight” live concert at Morven Museum and Garden. For this final concert, also livestreamed to listeners at home, the Festival presented a quartet of singers performing selections from opera, operetta and musical theater. Soprano Alexandra Batsios, mezzo-soprano Krysty Swann, tenor Michael Kuhn, and baritone Stephen Gaertner, accompanied by pianist Julia Pen Ying Hanna, brought vast collective experience to a stage outside Morven’s Stockton Education Center and entertained the “podded” audience with arias and duets from both well-known and rarely-heard works.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s operas are among the repertory’s most accessible, with melodic arias and appealing characters. Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio dates from the height of the composer’s operatic career, with the Act II defiance aria “Matern aller Arten” being a challenge for the soprano voice. Mozart seemed to like to torture sopranos in particular with large melodic skips and vocal lines racing up and down scales, but soprano Batsios, who opened the Festival concert with this bear of an aria, had no trouble with its technical difficulties. She had a second chance later in the concert to further demonstrate her command of coloratura singing in an aria from Mozart’s 1791 Singspiel The Magic Flute. “O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn” is the first aria performed by the Queen of the Night as she announces her power. Batsios well conveyed the grief of the opening recitative section, then expertly launched into running passages reaching up to “F” above high “C.” Batsios was joined in the third Mozart selection, a duet from the comedic Così fan tutte between the wealthy Fiordiligi and Ferrando (engaged to Fiordiligi’s sister) by tenor Michael Kuhn. “Fra gli amplessi” conveys the two characters proclaiming their mistaken love for each other, and Batsios and Kuhn blended their voices together well with clean intervals and the tenderness inherent in the music. Both singers demonstrated solid high registers, and Batsios in particular showed her ability to camp out on high notes for extended periods of time.  more

Princeton Symphony Orchestra Merges With the Annual Princeton Festival

JOINING FORCES: Princeton Symphony Orchestra Board Chair Yvonne Marcuse and The Princeton Festival Board Chair Benedikt von Schröder (seated, foreground) sign off on legal documents formalizing the agreement to merge their two arts organizations. Standing are merger committee members PSO Board Vice Chair Stephanie Wedeking, PSO Executive Director Marc Uys, and former Festival Board Chair Costa Papastephanou.

By Anne Levin

A merger has been announced by two of Princeton’s best-known music organizations. The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and the Princeton Festival have joined forces under the legal entity Princeton Symphony Orchestra Inc. The Princeton Festival will retain its name as an artistic program of the PSO.

“The merger capitalizes on the strong positions and proven resiliency of both organizations coming out of the pandemic,” PSO Executive Director Marc Uys said in a press release. “With strong artistic leadership, we will pave the way to a new era of creativity, making high-quality performing arts more available to our community and beyond.”

During an interview, Uys said the PSO’s Artistic Director Rossen Milanov will continue as director of the combined organizations. Gregory Geehern, who has been the Princeton Festival’s acting artistic director since founder Richard Tang Yuk left last fall, will be the Festival’s director, operating under Milanov’s guidance.

While patrons of both organizations will not notice dramatic changes in programming, the merger does allow for some new approaches. “People who identify with certain aspects of the Festival are not going to see a dramatic change,” Uys said. “But we want to introduce new things as we go along. This is both a defensive action in terms of what we’re building ourselves to be, which is more resilient. But it is also an almost aggressive action to be proactive.” more

Live Music on Menu at Small World Coffee       

COFFEE AND MUSIC: Cellist Dan Kassel performs at Small World Coffee’s Witherspoon Street location on Saturday, June 26 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

After more than a year’s hiatus, Small World Coffee has resumed hosting local musical talent. Cellist Dan Kassel will play at the 14 Witherspoon Street location on Saturday, June 26 from 6-7:30 p.m.

Using an acoustic cello, a Boss RC-50 looping station, and minimal effects, Kassel bridges the gaps between Klezmer and Irish folk, Indian classical and down-tempo electronic music, levity and suspense.

Once Small World Coffee is able to expand their hours again, the shows will start later. For more information, visit smallworldcoffee.com.

Bill Jersey Exhibit at Stover Mill Gallery

“SOMETHING ABOUT TIME”: This painting by Bill Jersey is part of “Explorations,” on view June 26 through July 25 at Stover Mill Gallery in Erwinna, Pa. The exhibit features 30 landscapes by the award-winning Lambertville artist.

Beginning June 26, Stover Mill Gallery will feature more than 30 landscapes by artist Bill Jersey in “Explorations.” The exhibit runs through July 25.

When the award-winning filmmaker moved to Lambertville 12 years ago he embraced his first love — oil painting. His first submission to the Phillips Mill curated show earned him an award and a sale to Gratz Gallery.

The rich landscapes of Bucks and Hunterdon counties, Jersey says, “are all I need to move me to pick up brushes and paints,” but he slips in a few earlier works from Vermont and California to round out his presentation. more

ACP Partners with Shopping Center on New Series of Murals

SUMMER MURALS: Arts Council of Princeton artists are shown at work on a recent mural. The ACP will partner with Princeton Shopping Center to bring a series of new murals to its outdoor courtyard this summer.

The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) and Princeton Shopping Center have announced a new series of murals as part of a new public art initiative for the outdoor courtyard located at 301 North Harrison Street.

The first in the series of three murals designed by a team of ACP artists will come to life at the end of June on the interior courtyard wall between Princeton Mattress and Smith’s ACE Hardware. The mural theme will reflect Princeton Shopping Center’s resolution to “bring on the joy” at a time when communities are craving reconnection and opportunities to interact. This artwork will be on display through this fall, when a new design inspired by the changing seasons will be installed.

The mural series is scheduled to run through spring 2022, with each delivering a burst of renewed energy and opportunity to reflect on significant messages. more

“Ellarslie Open” Juried Exhibit Returns to Trenton City Museum

“I GOT MY EYES ON YOU”: This painting by Morris Docktor is part of the “Ellarslie Open” annual juried exhibition, on view June 26 through October 1 at the Trenton City Museum in Cadwalader Park. The show features 137 works of art in varying styles.

The “Ellarslie Open” will return to the Trenton City Museum June 26 with its largest exhibition to date. Sidelined in 2020 by the pandemic, the Museum’s annual juried show will fill five galleries with 137 artworks of varying styles in categories from paintings and sculpture to digital and fiber arts.  more

Artsbridge “Members’ Online Art Exhibition” Award Winners

“SNOWY DAWN”: This award-winning oil painting by Francisco Silva is featured in the Artsbridge Annual Members’ Art Exhibition, on view through June 30 at artsbridgeonline.com.

The Artsbridge Annual Members’ Art Exhibition continues online through the end of June showcasing a wide variety of work that celebrates the energy and inspiration of the Delaware River Valley.

From realistic to abstract, impressionist to contemporary, visitors to the online gallery and collectors will find 3-D works, including sculpture, ceramics, and fiber art; watercolor, pastels, prints, and drawings; photography and digital art; and acrylic and oil paintings.

Carol Cruickshanks, artist and executive director of New Hope Arts, juried the show, awarding works in five mediums: 3-D — Shuttering by Bonnie MacAllister; watercolor/pastel/drawing — Benjamin Franklin Bridge by Christine Seo; photography and digital art — Solitude by Susan Hollenbeck; acrylic painting — Four Years and an Hour by Robert Hansen; and oil painting — Snowy Dawn by Francisco Silva. In addition, The Ty Hodanish Award for Oil Landscape was awarded to Ilene Rubin for her painting Moonlight Sonata.

Visitors to the online exhibition had the opportunity to choose their favorite work until May 1. The People’s Choice Award, sponsored by Jerry’s Artarama, went to Robert McBride for Golden Hour, Anker Park, a pastel on paper.

Go to artsbridgeonline.com to view the online exhibition.

June 16, 2021

Sister Cities — Celebrating Bloomsday in Princeton 

By Stuart Mitchner

Begin the day at a simple gravestone in the Princeton cemetery, SYLVIA BEACH 1887-1962. From there it’s only a stone’s throw to Sylvia Beach Way, the lane that runs behind the Sands library building, one of Princeton’s most popular dropping-off, picking-up spots. Across town is Library Place, where Sylvia and her family lived before she moved to Paris and opened Shakespeare and Company in 1920; in her eponymous memoir, she wonders if the name of the street influenced her choice of a career in the book business. Her father Sylvester Beach (Princeton Class of 1876) was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, where, according to Sylvia’s friend Annis Stockton, the horses of Washington’s staff had once munched their oats in the pews, a tidbit the author of Ulysses would have appreciated.

A Funny Little Publisher

When James Joyce despaired of ever finding a place for Ulysses, which had been preemptively banned in the English-speaking countries, Sylvia Beach asked him if he would let Shakespeare and Company “have the honor” of bringing his book out. He accepted the offer “immediately and joyfully.” Describing the moment, Beach admits thinking it “rash of him to entrust his great Ulysses to such a funny little publisher.” As Joyce’s wish was to have the first copy off the press on his 40th birthday, February 2, 1922, she promised to make that happen. When the printer, who was located 300-plus kilometers from Paris, said that it couldn’t be done, she insisted otherwise. Came the day, she received a telegram telling her to meet the 7 a.m. express from Dijon, which she did, her heart “going like the locomotive” as the train “came slowly to a standstill and I saw the conductor getting off, holding a parcel and looking around for someone – me.” Soon she was ringing the doorbell at the Joyces’ and handing the author “Copy No. 1 of Ulysses.” more

Princeton Festival Continues Season With Double-Header of Baroque Music

By Nancy Plum

Princeton Festival moved its season outdoors and in-person this past week with two concerts by the Princeton Festival Baroque Orchestra. The first concert, last Tuesday night, was not as live as the audience might have liked — with thunderstorms throughout the area, the five members of the Festival Baroque Orchestra relocated themselves to the Stockton Education Center at the Morven Museum and Garden, while the audience listened via livestream. The second concert on Thursday night was held outdoors (with a livestream option), with the players inside the Education Center and an audience in pods on the lawn. The two concerts, subtitled “Sacred and Profane,” created a comprehensive survey of European music and forms of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Tuesday night’s performance featured eight pieces divided into two groups — “sacred music in content” and “sacred music in context.” Violinists Chiara Fasani Stauffer and Manami Mizumoto (who also doubled on viola), cellist Morgan Little, and harpsichordist Caitlyn Koester were joined by Joshua Stauffer playing “plucked instruments,” which both nights featured the 17th-century theorbo. The four “sacred music in content” pieces were mostly from early 17th-century Italy. Three chamber works were played with quick and energetic spirit by the Festival Orchestra, with both violinists effectively conveying melodic material. A rarely-heard Trio Sonata in F Major by the under-rated but nonetheless influential German composer Johann Casper Kerll flowed well, as Stauffer and Mizumoto maintained a graceful violin conversation against steady continuo playing of the other three instruments.  more

State Theatre to Reopen Its Season of Broadway Shows

BACK ON STAGE: New Brunswick’s State Theatre NJ will reopen for its Broadway season in November. “Hairspray” is among the shows planned. (Photo by Chris Bennion and Jeremy Daniel)

State Theatre New Jersey has announced its 2021-22 Reopening Broadway Season, featuring 10 shows in a fully renovated theater including brand-new theater seats. The 2021-22 Season will feature Tony Award-winning hits, Broadway fan favorites, and some State Theatre debuts.

The season begins with Summer: The Donna Summer Musical on November 26-28. The other four shows include the new musical based on the film Anastasia on December 3-5; the Gershwin musical An American in Paris on February 25-27; Waitress April 14-16; and Hairspray, April 29-May 1.

Other shows included in State Theatre’s 2021-22 Broadway season include the Jimmy Buffet musical Escape to Margaritaville October 8-10; the musical Million Dollar Quartet November 2; Cats March 18-20; and the new musical Charlie and The Chocolate Factory May 13-15. Also this season, Tony Award-winning Hamilton star Leslie Odom, Jr., makes his State Theatre debut with his Christmas concert on December 10.  more

Evening of Dueling Pianos At State Theatre Event

Victoria Lace

State Theatre New Jersey presents “An Evening of Dueling Pianos,” featuring Nate Hopkins and Debbie Tjong, on Thursday, June 17, at 7 p.m. This virtual Pride Month event will be hosted on Zoom by drag queen performer Victoria Lace.

A minimum donation of $15 allows patrons to participate in the event. Proceeds raised support State Theatre’s Community Engagement programs. To sign up, visit STNJ.org/Event/Dueling-Pianos. 

The event is presented by State Theatre New Jersey’s LGBTQ Community Engagement Committee. Launched in 2016,  it is comprised of community leaders with a wide range of backgrounds that champion diversity, increase engagement, and build relationships with members of New Jersey’s diverse community. 

The STNJ Pride event will feature an interactive dueling pianos performance which will allow audience members to request songs. The event will also include giveaways and special guest appearances. Those who sign up for the event will automatically be entered to win a variety of prizes, including gift certificates to Fiddleheads Restaurant in Jamesburg or Robert’s Florals in Highland Park; a Pride 2021 Everyone is Awesome LEGO set; a $50 Visa gift card, courtesy of Argentino Fiore Law & Advocacy, LLC; State Theatre swag; or State Theatre show tickets.  more

Garden State Watercolor Society “Small but Mighty” Exhibition

“SUMMERTIME”: This watercolor by Rita Feeney is featured in the Garden State Watercolor Society’s “Small but Mighty” small works art exhibition. For the virtual show, 76 Garden State Watercolor Society artists submitted 131 small works measuring 10” or less on any side.

The Garden State Watercolor Society’s “Small but Mighty,” its 3rd annual small works art exhibition, is now on view online through July 16.

For the exhibit, 76 Garden State Watercolor Society artists submitted 131 small works. Paintings consist of original water media (watercolor, acrylic, gouache, casein, or egg tempera) on either paper, Claybord, or Yupo. Unframed works measure 10” or less on any side. Paintings in the exhibit will be juried for $500 in prizes by Ken C. Hamilton, a signature member of the National Watercolor Society.

The exhibit can be viewed on YouTube, with links on Instagram, Facebook, and websites at gswcs.org and farmsteadartscenter.org.

There will be an awards ceremony via Zoom on June 6, from 2 to 4 p.m. along with a watercolor demonstration by artist Dorrie Rifkin (dorrierifkin.com/galleries).

All works are available for purchase through Farmstead Arts Center, 450 King George Road, Basking Ridge. For information, contact the Farmstead at (908) 636-7576 or by email at admin@farmsteadarts.org.

“Art Making — Watercolors” Free Weekly Online Classes

“DOG”: Arts Council of Princeton is partnering with the Princeton University Art Museum to provide free, online art-making experiences. “Art Making — Watercolors” features weekly classes taught by Arts Council artist-instructor Barbara DiLorenzo, whose work is shown here. All classes are held on Thursday nights from June 17 through July 22, and begin at 8 p.m.

The Arts Council of Princeton is partnering with the Princeton University Art Museum to provide free, online art-making experiences. “Art Making — Watercolors” features weekly classes taught by Arts Council artist-instructor Barbara DiLorenzo over Zoom, so participants can join live from home. Each week’s lesson features works from the Museum’s collections and is introduced by an art museum student tour guide. All classes, which include closed captions in both English and Spanish, are held on Thursday nights from June 17 through July 22, and begin at 8 p.m.

“Through my years of teaching at the Arts Council of Princeton, I’ve seen how important creativity is to humans of all ages and abilities,” said DiLorenzo. “During the isolation of the pandemic, people from different parts of the world wrote to us to share that the Thursday evening free art classes were something of a lifeline in these challenging times. People spoke of their return to drawing after 30, 40, and even 50 years away. There were also many just starting out, but feeling more comfortable after hearing me talk about erasing and making mistakes constantly.”  more

Lawrenceville Main Street Hosts “Windows of Hope”

“SISTERS AT HEART”: This painting by Irene Granderson is part of “Windows of Hope,” on view through July 10 in the windows of various businesses on Main Street and Gordon Avenue in Lawrenceville. The exhibit features more than 50 artists and 70 2-D and 3-D artwork contributions from all sectors of the community, including HomeFront’s ArtSpace.

“Windows of Hope 2021,” on view through July 10, is a creative art exhibit featured in the historic district windows of Lawrenceville Main Street and Gordon Avenue. This event combines the elements of a traditional exhibit, public art installation, and “phantom galleries.” It features 52 artists and 70 2-D and 3-D artwork contributions from all sectors of the community, including HomeFront’s ArtSpace, whose artists will display work at The Purple Cow Ice Cream Parlor with artists from the Lawrence Township Senior Center.  more

ACP Artist Talks to Feature Photographer Robin Resch

“TAKING PAUSE”: Arts Council of Princeton Artist-in-Residence Robin Resch will give two free artist talks in Dohm Alley this summer on “Taking Pause,” a collaborative portrait project that asks people to reflect on what in their lives feels most essential. The talks will be held on June 24 from 12-1 p.m. and July 8 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) artist-in-residence, Princeton-based photographer Robin Resch, will give two free artist talks in Dohm Alley this summer on Taking Pause, a collaborative portrait project that asks people to reflect on what in their lives feels most essential. Resch will delve into the making of her project and how she was able to retrieve these thought-provoking photos and insights in the midst of a global pandemic.

On the afternoon of Thursday, June 24 from 12-1 p.m., attendees are invited to bring a bag lunch and join Resch in the alley for the first artist talk. On Thursday, July 8, she will speak from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

“Our lives are so diverse and we’ve all been impacted in similar and yet differing ways,” said Resch. “To some degree, it has been equalizing. In other ways it’s been polarizing. How has it impacted us? Have our values changed? Would we answer the question ‘what is irreplaceable to you?’ differently today than a year ago?” more

June 9, 2021

Prospect Avenue Visions of F. Scott Fitzgerald

By Stuart Mitchner

…. and they rode up smiling Prospect Avenue, through the gay crowd, to have tea at Cottage.

—from This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)

I’m walking up Prospect Avenue. On my right is the apartment building at 120 where Dream Songs poet John Berryman was fixated on Don Giovanni in the summer of 1947. Up the street on the other side is the Cottage Club, the site of the spring 1920 honeymoon revels of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, during which Zelda “turned cartwheels down Prospect,” according to Fitzgerald’s biographer Andrew Turnbull. Thinking of all the characters, poets and players, outsiders and insiders who have walked and dreamed and cartwheeled up and down that illustrious thoroughfare, including T.S. Eliot, I’m having “such a vision of the street as the street hardly understands.”

“Paradise” and the Garden

I went to Prospect Avenue last week for a first-hand look at the three Victorian houses slated for demolition as part of the University’s vision of the street that the petitioners of Save Prospect Now (SPN) are hard put to understand. As  much as I sympathize with SPN’s resistance to the plan, I’m taking advantage of the occasion to write a belated centenary celebration of Scott Fitzgerald’s prose poem to Princeton, This Side of Paradise, and Princeton’s Garden Theatre, both of which made their debut in 1920, the novel in May, the theatre in September. The first film I saw at the Garden some 50 years later was a revival of MGM’s Grand Hotel (1932). It’s been even longer since I read This Side of Paradise. I have to handle my copy with care; the pages of the 35-cent Dell paperback are yellowed and flaking, and no wonder; it’s copyrighted 1948, in the name of Zelda Fitzgerald, who died that year in a fire at Highland hospital in Asheville, N.C. more

Princeton Festival Opens 2021 Performance Season with Concordia Chamber Players

By Nancy Plum

The Princeton Festival opened its 2021 season this past week with a series of events including a virtual performance by the Concordia Chamber Players — an ensemble which has traditionally kicked off the Festival each year with a live performance. This season, the Concordia musicians presented a video stream last Friday night of performances recorded in early May in various locations around Sand City, California. The four members of Concordia Chamber Players — violinists Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu and Alexi Kenney, violist Jonathan Moerschel, and cellist (and artistic director) Michelle Djokic — performed works from the late 19th through the 21st centuries, introducing the concert with quotes from singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone on the artist’s role in social responsibility.

Jessie Montgomery, currently a graduate fellow in music composition at Princeton University, is rapidly becoming one of this country’s most performed composers. Montgomery’s 2013 Source Code for string quartet fuses transcriptions of various sources from African American artists prominent during the civil rights era, with Montgomery re-interpreting the musical material in a contemporary way. Montgomery is known for capturing the sounds of our times in her music, and Source Code was no exception as played by the Concordia Chamber Players. Beginning with a concentrated unison from the four musicians, the one-movement work showed shades of 20th-century jazz, with particularly effective melodic playing from Kenney and Djokic. Montgomery’s piece was intensely continuous, with drone-like lines often heard from the lower strings and Djokic providing a percussive rhythm from the cello.

Although born in Switzerland, Arthur Honegger was considered one of the legendary “Les Six” French composers of the early 20thcentury. His 1932 Sonatine for Violin and Cello, possibly inspired by the birth of the composer’s child, was rooted in the 18th-century musical style of J.S. Bach. The three-movement work was premiered by Honegger himself on the violin and fellow “Les Six” composer Darius Milhaud playing cello. more

Opera Favorites

The Princeton Festival’s June 13 and 20 concerts, presented live and via livestream from Morven’s Stockton Education Center, will include arias, duets, and trios from popular operas by Mozart, Richard Strauss, Verdi, and more. The in-person tickets are sold out, but livestream tickets are available at princetonfestival.org.

Redivivus Opera Concert to Benefit Princeton Mutual Aid

Redivivus Opera, a newly formed platform for artists to perform in a safe and nurturing space, will present a concert in partnership with Princeton Mutual Aid on Saturday, June 12 at 7 p.m. at Pettoranello Gardens amphitheater at Community Park North.

The inaugural concert will feature mezzo soprano Kathryn Elliott, and sopranos Rachel E. Sigman and Laura Isabella, in operatic and musical theater selections. The event will be livestreamed.

Proceeds will fund a week of summer camp for children of single parents, emergency medical bill assistance for neighbors in need, and bi-weekly grocery deliveries for local immigrant workers and senior neighbors.

Tickets are pay-what-you-wish, with a suggested donation of $25. Visit tinyurl.com/PMAConcert.