September 25, 2024
MAN WITH A HORN: Chris Botti, Grammy-winning trumpeter, comes to State Theatre New Jersey on October 12 at 8 p.m.
On Saturday, October 12 at 8 p.m., trumpeter Chris Botti will appear at the State Theatre New Jersey, 15 Livingston Avenue. Botti performs with a group of renowned fellow musicians including violinist Joshua Bell and Israeli guitarist Gilad Hekselman. Tickets range from $29-$69.
During the past three decades, Botti has collaborated with Sting, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Steven Tyler, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma, and others. He has topped the jazz charts with numerous albums, earned multiple Gold and Platinum records, and performed with symphony orchestras and on stages from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl to the Sydney Opera House. more
AN ALL-NEW SERIES: The Signum Quartet are among the ensembles taking part in the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s four-concert chamber series this season at Trinity Church. (Photo by Irene Zandel)
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) has announced the opening of its all-new, four-concert chamber music series at Trinity Church. The first event is on Thursday October 10 at 7 p.m., featuring music composed for piano trio. Players are violinist Emma Richman, cellist Wangshu Xiang, and pianist Yoon Lee.
Additional concerts showcase a rare instrument of the viol family, a string trio, and string quartet, successively. General admission tickets are $45 per person, per concert with a 50 percent discount for children 5-17. more
RAPT AUDIENCE: Young listeners and their families are the focus of “CMS Kids: Tuneful Travels,” a special program taking place in the Lee Rehearsal Room of the Lewis Arts Complex on Saturday, October 19 at 1 and 3 p.m.
Princeton University Concerts welcomes back the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) for the first family program of the season on Saturday, October 19 at 1 and 3 p.m.
Rami Vamos hosts these events in the Lee Rehearsal Room of the Lewis Arts Complex. “CMS Kids: Tuneful Travels” is curated for kids ages 3-6 and their families. Vamos and the professional musicians of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will guide audiences through a magical journey where music for piano, violin, and bassoon becomes an expression of joy and movement.
The concert is adapted for neurodiverse audiences, including children with autism and other special needs. The performance is less formal than traditional concerts and more supportive of sensory, communication, movement, and learning needs. more
On October 4-6 and 25-27, Roxey Ballet presents “The C Word,” a celebration in dance, music, and spoken word of the strength and resilience of breast cancer survivors. The performances, which are in person and virtual, take place at Mill Ballet, 46 North Sugan Road, New Hope, Pa.
Choreographed by Mark Roxey, the multimedia production tells the personal stories of women who have overcome breast cancer. Funded by a grant from New Music USA, it is a tribute to the human spirit. Roxey has collaborated with composers Robert Maggio and Matthew Hardy to bring these stories to life. more
FALL EXHIBITIONS: Solo exhibitions by Angela Pilgrim, whose work is shown at left, and Barbara Wallace, right. will be on view at The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster September 27 through December 8. An opening reception is on September 27 from 6 to 8 p.m.
The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster has announced two fall solo exhibitions on view September 27 through December 8. The opening reception will be held on Friday, September 27 from 6 to 8 p.m., and is free and open to the public.
“Angela Pilgrim: New Growth” presents the work of Angela Pilgrim, whose studio is in Newark. She said, “My work explores the Black female gaze through figurative imagery of the body. Utilizing portraiture, printmaking, pattern making and mixed media, I investigate themes of beauty, spirituality and reflection. By creating visual stories that invoke critical thinking processes regarding interiority, my work aims to reverse and rebuild how Black women see themselves, both within their communities and expanded to a much larger world view.” more
“LAVENDER HORIZON”: This work by Elizabeth Grimaldi is featured in “Reciprocal Inspiration and a Cranbury School Legacy: Elizabeth Grimaldi and Elaina Phillips,” on view October 2 through October 30 at the Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury
The Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury will present “Reciprocal Inspiration and a Cranbury School Legacy: Elizabeth Grimaldi and Elaina Phillips” October 2 through October 30.
In the exhibition, Elizabeth Grimaldi, a retired Cranbury School teacher and administrator, will exhibit her original paintings. Additionally, works by Elaina Philips, her former student, will be on display. more
OPEN STUDIO: Sculptor Don Campbell is among the local artists who will open their studio doors to the public for the 17th Annual Hopewell Tour des Arts on September 28 and 29.
During the 17th Annual Hopewell Tour des Arts on September 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and September 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., more than 60 local artists will open their studio doors to the public. Among stops on this year’s tour is the studio of sculptor Don Campbell.
Nestled in the heart of Hopewell, Campbell’s barn studio offers a unique opportunity to explore the world of narrative sculpture. Campbell, a master storyteller in clay, is known for his ability to capture emotion, form, and narrative in his absract, portrait, and figurative works. His pieces, deeply inspired by the realms of consciousness and nature, invite viewers to engage with the unfolding stories embedded within each sculpture. more
The 2024 New Jersey Senior Citizen Art Show opens on Saturday, October 5 at Meadow Lakes Senior Living, 300 Meadow Lakes, East Windsor, and will remain on display and open to the public through Wednesday, October 30. This is the 58th annual State Senior Citizen Art Show, and features more than 250 works of art by artists over the age of 60, representing 20 of the state’s 21 counties.
The work — by both professional and non-professional artists in 11 categories (acrylic, craft, digital arts, mixed media, oil, pastels, photography, print, sculpture, watercolor, and works on paper) — will be reviewed by a three-person panel of professional artists. After careful review, the judges will select first, second, and third place winners and honorable mentions in each category. more
September 18, 2024
By Stuart Mitchner
So the lawyers suggested going around the globe and get someone completely opposite from J.D. Salinger. Not a novelist but a journalist, not a white guy but a Black guy, and that’s how I lucked out and got the role.
—James Earl Jones (1931-2024)
The feature attraction at this weekend’s Friends and Foundation Princeton Public Library Book Sale is a collection of rare African American literature donated by Rutgers Professor Donald Gibson, who died at 90 on January 3. During his four decades as a teacher, Gibson helped establish the study of Black literature as a legitimate university course. Among his numerous books, essays, and lectures is the introduction to The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois, which is available among the titles in the library’s non-fiction book group.
The Common Factor
Gibson presents Du Bois’s book as “a very personal document” in which the soul is “a common factor, exclusive of considerations of race, class, or religious affiliation, education or social status.” Gibson suggests that the “I am a person and you are a person” principle underlying The Souls of Black Folk shares the “whatever belongs to me as well belongs to you” spirit of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.
Whitman’s famous mantra also expresses the foundational spirit behind secondhand books and the sales that keep them moving from reader to reader. That said, book sale patrons will still have to pay the stated cost for each volume, as well as the admission charges at Friday’s 9 a.m.-noon Preview Sale. As a longtime Princeton resident, Gibson no doubt attended his share of these sales, presumably finding treasures like those that will be on view in the Community Room from Friday, September 20 through half-price day on Sunday, September 22. more
By Nancy Plum
Princeton Symphony Orchestra opened its 2024-25 classical series this past weekend with two performances at Richardson Auditorium. Led by Orchestra Music Director Rossen Milanov, the ensemble presented music of two 19th-century compositional giants, as well as a contemporary piece with a Princeton connection.
Saturday night’s performance (the concert was repeated Sunday afternoon) opened with an unusual work by New Zealand composer Gemma Peacocke, currently a Ph.D. fellow in composition at Princeton University. Peacocke has been commissioned by ensembles worldwide, including New Zealand’s Orchestra Wellington and Arohanui Strings. These two organizations commissioned Peacocke in 2023 to create the one-movement Manta, a musical description of the oceanic manta rays which migrate to the seas around Peacocke’s native Aotearoa region. Perceived as solitary creatures, manta rays are in reality quite active, demonstrating acrobatic movements which would translate well to musical composition. more
“EMPIRE RECORDS: THE MUSICAL”: Performances are underway for “Empire Records: The Musical.” Presented by McCarter Theatre Center, by special arrangement with Bill Weiner, and directed by Trip Cullman, the musical runs through October 6 at McCarter’s Berlind Theatre. Above: Temporarily unaware of the record store’s financial problems, the employees relish the relaxed atmosphere that their workplace offers. (Photo by Daniel Rader)
By Donald H. Sanborn III
McCarter Theatre is presenting the world premiere of Empire Records: The Musical. Directed by Trip Cullman, the exuberant production begins with a high energy level that it steadily maintains, even as it breathes to allow for character development that is by turns comic and poignant.
Adapted from the 1995 coming-of-age comedy film, the show follows the exploits of the titular record store’s idiosyncratic but fiercely loyal employees, who form a tightly knit community. The employees’ determination to preserve their community leads them to take extreme, at times comically ill-conceived and dangerous, steps to prevent the store from entering into a franchise agreement with a corporation. more
SAME DAY, DIFFERENT VERSE: The full cast of “Groundhog Day The Musical,” which comes to Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College from September 20-29.
It’s a case of “déjà vu all over again” — with a comedic, musical twist — when Playful Theatre Productions opens the 2024-25 Kelsey Theatre season with Groundhog Day The Musical, September 20-29, on Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC) West Windsor Campus.
Based on the 1993 movie starring Bill Murray, Groundhog Day follows a day in the life of arrogant big-city weatherman Phil Conners, who is dreading the annual trip to Punxsutawney, Pa., to report on the town’s Groundhog Day ceremony. But his frustration with the event can’t compare to what follows, when a storm keeps him in town and he finds himself reliving the same day over and over again. Stuck in an endless loop of arrogance and cynicism amongst the quirky townsfolk, Phil must learn to take advantage of his second, third, and fourth chances to break the cycle and transform his life. more
BACK AT RICHARDSON: Jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant premieres her latest project at a performance sponsored by Princeton University Concerts on Wednesday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m.
After her Princeton University Concerts (PUC) debut celebrating Toni Morrison in 2023, jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant returns on Wednesday, October 9, at 7:30 p.m. to Richardson Auditorium, to premiere Book of Ayres, her latest project combining Baroque music, vaudeville, Sappho, and folkloric material of Europe and the Americas.
She will be joined by her musical collaborator Sullivan Fortner on harpsichord, keyboards, and piano, along with flutist Emi Ferguson, theorborist/lutist Dusan Balarin, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and percussionist Keita Ogawa — all renowned improvisers from genres spanning early music, jazz, folk, and electronic music. more
This October, the Princeton Garden Theatre will present a series of films to mark the spookiest time of the year.
The Garden’s programmers have scheduled a new restoration of Tim Burton’s eerie Sleepy Hollow; the screwball comedy I Married a Witch, with Veronica Lake as an immortal sorceress; the musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors preceded by a carnivorous plant presentation; the David Bowie vampire flick The Hunger as part of the Garden’s Fashion in Film series; and a documentary on Norwegian painter Edvard Munch.
For young viewers, the October $5 Family Matinee title is the animated creature feature, Hotel Transylvania.
The Garden’s Retrograde series will offer two films this October: the teen-vampire phenomenon Twilight, and the parody comic book film, The People’s Joker. The end of the month will see the return of Not So Silent Cinema providing live accompaniment to F.W. Murnau’s iconic Nosferatu, and on Halloween night the theater will present Dario Argento’s Suspiria.
The Garden Theatre is at 160 Nassau Street. Tickets are available at the box office or online at princetongardentheatre.org/specials.
A “Mid-Autumn Moon Festival Concert” on Saturday, September 14 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Princeton was hosted by the Princeton Active Circle and Chinese Musicians Association as part of Princeton’s Welcoming Week activities. Works by Guggenheim Fellow composers and musicians from well-known orchestras, Broadway, and the Silk Road Ensemble took part.
“SERENADE OF THE WETLANDS”: Delaware River Harmony, an event featuring music, poetry, and visual art that showcases the talent of artists inspired by the Delaware River including TingTing Hsu, whose work is shown here, is on September 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center.
Join D&R Greenway and the Artful Deposit Gallery on Thursday, September 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, for Delaware River Harmony, an evening where nature and art converge with the vibrant spirit of the community. It will be blend of music, poetry, and visual art as they showcase the talent of artists inspired by the Delaware River. Tickets are $35 per person with proceeds benefiting the Discovery Center at Point Breeze. RSVP by calling (609) 924.4646 or at drgreenway.org.
Guests will experience a relaxing coffeehouse atmosphere while enjoying refreshments courtesy of Under the Moon Café. “Along the Delaware River & Crosswicks Creek” exhibiting artists Shawn Campbell, Kate Graves, Pat Proniewski, and Alan Fetterman will give presentations about how the Delaware River inspired their art. Inspirational readings from published poets Dan Aubrey, Alan Fetterman, Lois Harrod, Derrick Owens, and Maxine Sussman will reflect the beauty of the natural environment. more
“CELEBRATION”: Jessie Krause is among the artists at Princeton Makes, celebrating its third anniversary with an art making party on Saturday, September 21 from 6:30 to 11 p.m. in the Princeton Shop[ping Center.
Princeton Makes, a Princeton-based artist cooperative, will celebrate its third anniversary by hosting Art at Night, an evening art making party, on Saturday, September 21 from 6:30 to 11 p.m. The party will take place at its artist studios and art market in the Princeton Shopping Center.
Art at Night will be a fun evening of creativity and community. The event will feature live model drawing sessions (with supplies provided), a collaborative community art project, hands-on creative activities for all ages, live music by the Mark Carson Trio, a raffle of Princeton Makes Artists’ work, and more. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. more
“WHEN THEY WERE HERE”: An immersive exhibition featuring works by local artist Beverly Keese-Kelley is in the William Trent House Museum’s Visitor Center in Trenton September 21 through September 29.
The Trent House Association hosts an exhibition by local artist Beverly Keese-Kelley in the Museum’s Visitor Center, premiering on Art All Day, September 21, and continuing through September 29. The exhibit, “When They Were Here,” complements the mission of the William Trent House Museum to share authentic stories of U.S. history. The museum is located at 15 Market Street in Trenton, across from the Hughes Justice Complex. Free parking and the museum entrance are at the rear of the property off William Trent Place.
“When They Were Here” is an immersive exhibit presenting a snapshot of those whose stories may not have been told. Keese-Kelley preserves their forgotten tales through an installation of artifacts, providing a visual journey into the past. With flashes of historical moments of untold and abandoned stories about the African American experience during enslavement and beyond, these stories are preserved and the contributions of those who lived them are celebrated. more
HOBART ART SHOW: A sculpture by Steven Snyder is shown in the meadow at Steinbeiser Farm in Fenchtown. Works by contemporary artists from the Delaware River region will be on view in the event running September 28 and 29 and October 5 and 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
The Hobart Art Show will return for its seventh consecutive year on September 28 and 29 and October 5 and 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The event showcases works by more than 25 of the region’s leading contemporary artists from the Delaware River region.
It is held on Steinbeiser Farm, a 26-acre property owned by Paul Steinbeiser, a prominent landscape designer and stone mason who has worked in the Hunterdon and Bucks County, Pa., communities for decades. more
September 11, 2024
BETWEEN THE KEYS: Pianist Cristina Altamura, artistic director of Altamura Legacy Concerts, brings the Avalos-Solera Duo to Princeton on September 29 for a concert celebrating the Argentinian tango instrument, the bandoneon. The event is a collaboration with the Princeton Tango Club. (Photo by Maria Grazia Facciolá)
By Anne Levin
Should the audience at the September 29 “Bach en Bandoneon” concert at Princeton United Methodist Church (PUMC) be inspired to break into a spontaneous tango at its conclusion, nothing would please the planner of the concert more.
Cristina Altamura, artistic director of Altamura Legacy Concerts, wants the performance — as well as all events in the year-old music series — to be as much a house concert as a serious cultural event.
“I like to just set the stage,” Altamura said. “I want to encourage people to feel welcome, and comfortable to express themselves. It’s a very informal space. We’ll see what happens.” more
(Photo by Leslie Mitchner)
By Stuart Mitchner
If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite.
—William Blake
On Britannica’s website “This Day in History: September 11,” an image of the World Trade Center in flames sits beside a photograph of D.H. Lawrence, who was born on that date in 1885. Lawrence is not listed, however, among Wikipedia’s notable September 11 events between 1601 and 1900, such as the the theft of the Hope Diamond (1792), the Battle of Tampico (1829), the anti-Masonic Party convention (1830), or the capture of Gaki Sherocho, the last king of the Kaffa (1897).
You may wonder why the birth of a mere author rates a place on that list. In fact, Britannica has it right. The author of The Rainbow is an event unto himself. Diamonds, battles, conventions, and kings are trivia next to what he produced, not to mention what he was: the Lawrence experience. As his friend Cynthia Asquith once said, Lawrence could make washing dishes an adventure. Imagine standing side by side with Lorenzo, he doing the scrubbing with his sleeves rolled up, holding forth on the American soul while you do the drying. In the Lawrentian overflow, there’s a clarity to everything, the cups and saucers gleaming like porcelain hallucinations. more
“EMPIRE RECORDS: THE MUSICAL”: McCarter Theatre Center is presenting “Empire Records: The Musical.” Written by librettist Carol Heikkinen in collaboration with composer and lyricist Zoe Sarnak, and directed by Trip Cullman, the musical will run through October 6 at McCarter’s Berlind Theatre. Above: Liam Pearce and Lorna Courtney. (Photo by Daniel Rader)
By Donald H. Sanborn III
McCarter Theatre is presenting the world premiere of Empire Records: The Musical. Adapted from the 1995 coming-of-age comedy film, the show has a book by Carol Heikkinen, the film’s screenwriter; and a score by composer and lyricist Zoe Sarnak.
Performances run through October 6. more
FUNNY GUY: Comedian Brian Regan brings his standup show to State Theatre New Jersey on Sunday, October 6. (Photo by Leavitt Wells–Netflix)
State Theatre New Jersey and Live Nation present comedian Brian Regan on Sunday, October 6 at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $49-$223.50.
Critics, fans, and fellow comedians regard Regan as one of the most respected comedians in the country. Having built his 30-plus year career on the strength of his material alone, Regan’s non-stop theater tour continuously fills venues across North America. He is a regular guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and has released eight hourlong comedy specials.
Regan co-stars in three seasons of Peter Farrelly’s TV series, Loudermilk (Netflix), released in 2024. Farrelly personally cast Regan in the series alongside Ron Livingston, Anja Savcic, Will Sasso, and Mat Fraser. He portrays Mugsy, a recovering addict who is estranged from his family.
State Theatre New Jersey is at 15 Livingston Avenue. Visit Stnj.org for tickets.
Phillips’ Mill Community Association’s (PMCA) Third Annual Play with Words Student Playwriting Challenge invites students in grades 7 through 12 within a 25-mile radius of New Hope to submit 10-minute original plays for consideration. Winners’ works will be given staged readings at the Mill in March.
Submissions are open through January 12, 2025. As part of PMCA’s commitment to providing community service throughout the year, there is no fee to participate in this program. Look for competition rules and entry form at www.phillipsmill.org/drama/play-with-words.
Applicants to Play with Words doubled in its second year over its first. The program was presented to a sold-out house. Two 2024 winners — Finn Anderson of Upper Dublin and Matilda Bray of Solebury School (already a published author) — are off to college this fall, pursuing writing as they further their education. Winners Saskia Cooper of The Pennington School and Avigail Wus of Pennsbury High School are participating again this year. more