MOVING ON: Lou Chen, founder of Princeton University’s Trenton Arts Program (TAP), standing, will soon be relocating to Connecticut for a job as CEO with another community-oriented nonprofit.
By Anne Levin
Nine years ago, Princeton University sophomore Lou Chen started a youth orchestra pairing fellow University musicians with students from Trenton High School. The University hired Chen full time after he graduated, and it wasn’t long before he expanded the music program to include singing, theater and dance.
The Trenton Arts Program (TAP) has grown and flourished — so much so that Chen feels comfortable leaving to pursue the next chapter in his career. He has accepted an offer to be the CEO of INTEMPO, a nonprofit in Stamford, Conn., that engages immigrant families through classical and inter-cultural music education. His last day at TAP is November 15. more
By Stuart Mitchner
There is no present or future — only the past, happening over and over again — now…
—Eugene O’Neill
The October 16, 1847 publication of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre is listed among Wikipedia’s Notable Events,1691-1900, along with the execution of Marie Antoinette (1793) and John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry (1859). As the 19th century continued “happening, over and over again,” Oscar Fingal O’Fflahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin on October 16, 1854 and Eugene Gladstone O’Neill surfaced in a New York City hotel on October 16, 1888.
At this “now” moment, I’m doing my best to ignore the steady gaze of the colorized photograph on the cover of Oscar Wilde: A Life by Matthew Sturgis (Knopf 2021). I can imagine this supremely intense individual staring hard at the pedantic tabulator of “notable events” who failed to list the 1891 publication of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Taken in 1882 when Wilde was 28, the photograph evokes the moment in 1887 when Wilde viewed a portrait of himself and thought, “What a tragic thing it is. This portrait will never grow older and I shall. If it was only the other way.”
Since most closeup photographs of the author of Long Day’s Journey Into Night are pathologically grim, the pose on the cover of Louis Sheaffer’s O’Neill: Son and Playwright (Cooper Square Press 2002) appears perversely casual. A caption worthy of either man’s cover image would be this line from Wilde’s preface to Dorian Gray: “Those who go beneath the surface do so at their own peril.” more
By Nancy Plum
Princeton University Concerts combined the 16th century with the very contemporary world last week with a presentation by a jazz singer who draws inspiration from all periods of history and all forms of music. French singer, composer, and visual artist Cécile McLorin Salvant first appeared on the University Concerts series in 2023 with a program commissioned to create a work inspired by the writings of Princeton University Professor Toni Morrison. Salvant brought her diverse talents back to Richardson Auditorium last Wednesday night as part of this year’s series to demonstrate her unique fusion of vaudeville, blues, theater, jazz and the baroque era, with a particularly new take on a traditional vocal form.
English Renaissance composer and lutenist John Dowland initially published Book of Ayres in 1597. Clearly very popular, this collection of “lute songs” for solo voice was reprinted several times in his lifetime. In Wednesday night’s performance, Salvant brought the expected harpsichord, lute and theorbo to sing her version of “Book of Ayres,” but Dowland surely would never have expected his delicate madrigals and love songs to be complemented by a 20th century synthesizer and percussion. more
“ALMA”: Performances are underway for “Alma.” Written by Benjamin Benne; and directed by AZ Espinoza, the play runs through October 20 at Passage Theatre. Above, the confrontational relationship between Angel (Diana Maldonado), left, and her mother, undocumented immigrant Alma (Jessy Gruver), masks — and partially stems from — desperate motives held by both characters. (Photo by Habiyb Shu’Aib)
By Donald H. Sanborn III
Passage Theatre is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by opening its 40th anniversary season with Alma. Benjamin Benne’s powerful play is by turns poignant, angry, funny, and tender — but throughout it is poetic and compelling.
The story depicts the lives of Alma and Angel. Alma (portrayed with deliberate precision by Jessy Gruver) is a Mexican undocumented immigrant who works as a single mother to support her (deceptively) stereotypically rebellious teenage daughter, Angel (played by Diana Maldonado, in an apt foil to Gruver’s performance as the title character). more
LEVIT RETURNS: Nine years after he made his Princeton University Concerts debut, Igor Levit comes back to do a mini-residency October 30-November 3.
Nine years after his Princeton University Concerts (PUC) debut, pianist Igor Levit returns to PUC on Wednesday, October 30 through Sunday, November 3 for a mini-residency bookended by live performances, with a screening of the documentary Igor Levit: No Fear at the Princeton Garden Theatre in the intervening days.
On Wednesday, October 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium, Levit will play a solo recital program encompassing J.S. Bach Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903, Johannes Brahms Ballades, Op. 10, and Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 arranged for piano solo by Franz Liszt. more
PICKING PROWESS: Guitarist Beppe Gambetta brings his combination of Italian folk music with Kentucky bluegrass to Princeton on October 18. (Photo by Giovanna Cavallo)
The Princeton Folk Music Society presents a fusion of American and Italian folk music traditions with Beppe Gambetta on Friday, October 18 at 8 p.m., at Christ Congregation Church, 50 Walnut Lane.
Gambetta is a guitar master (think Earl Scruggs meets Richard Thompson) who taught himself to flat-pick by listening to bluegrass albums. He combines the folk music of Italy and points east with the bluegrass style of Kentucky. He also is a talented vocalist. He sometimes likes to step away from the microphone so that the audience can experience the music without electronic enhancements. more
MCFARLANE AT MCCC: Works by Philadelphia-based artist Tim McFarlane are featured in “Black Drawings and Other Things You Didn’t Know About,” on view through December 18 at the Gallery at Mercer County College in West Windsor.
Mercer County Community College’s Gallery presents “Tim McFarlane – Black Drawings and Other Things You Didn’t Know About” through December 18. An opening reception is on October 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
The exhibition, featuring 17 pieces by Philadelphia-based artist Tim McFarlane, allows the viewer to imagine ongoing changes to human-made environments as emphasized through fluid, multi-layered systems, color, and process. Using mostly mixed media or acrylic on canvas, McFarlane captures his observations of human-driven changes in everyday life such as the remaking of public and personal spaces, the remnants of old buildings at construction sites, public spaces changed through continual use, and more. more
“CONTINUUM”: The Arts Council of Princeton invites the community to a send-off for the public mural by Ilia Barger at Paul Robeson Place and Witherspoon Street on October 16 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) invites the community to a send-off for the “Continuum” mural at Paul Robeson Place and Witherspoon Street on Wednesday, October 16 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
“Continuum” was the Arts Council’s first major mural project, completed in 2012 by artist Illia Barger. This piece commemorates three collaborative temporary public art installations located in empty lots on Paul Robeson Place between 2001 and 2006. Herban Garden (2001), Terra Momo’s produce garden, was created by landscape designer Peter Soderman. This corner oasis became the inspiration for two subsequent public sculpture gardens: Writers Block (2004) and Quark Park (2006), conceived of by Kevin Wilkes, AIA, Soderman, and Alan Goodheart, ASLA.
These mini parks were beloved by the community and when it became time for them to be dismantled, the ACP — together with Raoul and Carlo Momo — wanted to create an art installation that honored their memory. The Momos provided the downtown wall and the ACP provided the artist. Barger designed and painted Continuum and helped launch the ACP’s public art campaign, which still continues. more
“MAINE LIGHT”: Landscape photography by Robin Resch is featured in “Nature Eternal, on view through the end of November at Songbird Capital on Nassau Street.
Noted photographic artist Robin Resch presents her latest exhibition, “Nature Eternal,” at Songbird Capital this fall. The show, located at 14 Nassau Street, features a collection of landscape photography that draws viewers into the relationship between nature’s strength and our shared ephemerality. The exhibition will run through November, offering visitors an immersive visual experience.
At the heart of Resch’s work lies an exploration of the powerful forces of nature and the delicate balance between its fleeting moments and eternal cycles. Informed by a quote from Rainer Maria Rilke, “If we surrendered to earth’s intelligence, we could rise up rooted like trees,” Resch’s imagery seeks to evoke the emotional resonance of being fully present in nature. Her images, often abstract and contemplative, reflect the energy of a crashing stream, the quiet of rolling fog, or the fleeting sensation of wind. Through these images, Resch brings to life the idea of nature’s transience as a parallel to the human experience. more
By Stuart Mitchner
Never lead against a hitter unless you can outhit him. Crowd a boxer, and take everything he has, to get inside. Duck a swing. Block a hook. And counter a jab with everything you own.
—Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
The winner got to wear a three-ply rope fashioned after the style of Hemingway…
—John Lennon (1940-1980)
John Lennon’s reference to Hemingway’s style is from his posthumous collection, Skywriting By Word of Mouth (1986). Today would have been his 84th birthday.
Ernest Hemingway’s tips on boxing come from a May 6, 1950 New Yorker profile by Lillian Ross (“How Do You Like It Now, Gentlemen?”). Hemingway and his wife Mary had just checked into Manhattan’s Sherry-Netherland Hotel, where he was drinking champagne and playfully riffing about boxing and writing: “I started out very quiet and I beat Mr. Turgenev. Then I trained hard and I beat Mr. de Maupassant. I’ve fought two draws with Mr. Stendhal, and I think I had an edge in the last one. But nobody’s going to get me in any ring with Mr. Tolstoy unless I’m crazy or I keep getting better.” more
By Nancy Plum
The Princeton University Orchestra launched its 2024-25 season this past weekend with a unique combination of works from Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia, demonstrating that music knows no political boundaries. Led by conductor Michael Pratt, the more than 100-member Orchestra showed in the annual concerts honoring former faculty member Peter Westergaard what could be accomplished in the few short weeks since the University semester started.
Sunday afternoon’s performance in Richardson Auditorium (the concert was also presented Saturday night) began with the American premiere of a piece with a University connection. Princeton graduate Hobart Earle has achieved great success conducting Ukraine’s Odesa Philharmonic Orchestra, leading the ensemble through the sounds of artillery in the background and against incredible odds. In 2023, Earle and the Philharmonic commissioned noted Ukrainian composer Evgeni Orkin, and the resulting Elegy in the Memory of the Victims in Odessa captures the horrors of war both in mournful darkness and hopeful light. more
Members of the Thalea String Quartet, who are taking part in a three-day residency program at The Pennington School will perform a free concert on Friday, October 18 at 7 p.m. in the school’s Meckler Library. The school is at 112 West Delaware Avenue in Pennington. Visit pennington.org.
SHAMPOO AND SASS: “Steel Magnolias” is on stage at Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre through October 13.
The play Steel Magnolias explores the relationships between a tight-knit group of Louisiana southern ladies who gather in Truvy’s small-town beauty parlor, celebrating the milestones in each other’s lives. A production of the play is currently at Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College through October 13.
Truvy’s is where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done, including the town’s rich curmudgeon, an eccentric millionaire, and the local social leader. The play is filled with acerbic but humorous verbal collisions, exploring the unconditional strengths of sisterhood, resilience, and love. more
ActorsNET kicks off its 28th season with a production of Ira Levin’s classic Broadway hit Deathtrap, running from October 11 through 27 at the Heritage Center Theatre, 635 North Delmorr Avenue in Morrisville, Pa.
One of the longest-running plays in Broadway history, Deathtrap follows a once-successful playwright now grappling with a creative dry spell. When a former student sends him a promising new script, the struggling writer hatches a plan to collaborate with the young playwright — or perhaps something more sinister? What unfolds is a suspenseful and comic exploration of ambition, greed, and deception.
Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. There will be a special Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. on October 19 in addition to the regularly scheduled evening performance. Visit actorsnetbucks.org for more information.
State Theatre New Jersey (STNJ) celebrates the power of classical performance with the annual Classical Season Celebration on Thursday, October 17, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. This year’s event will take place in STNJ’s intimate Studio space and, as a first for State Theatre, will be a performance entirely by candlelight. Pianist Enriqueta Somarriba will perform a 45-minute program of classical favorites woven together with pieces by Spanish composers.
“We are very happy to present this important annual event in a new and exciting way this year,” said Sarah Chaplin, STNJ president and CEO. “This fundraiser is essential to us as a nonprofit presenting theater, as it helps us receive vital support from our community to sustain our classical performances and arts education initiatives throughout the year.”
The event opens with a cocktail reception. The fundraiser supports the continued success of the year-round classical and educational programming — including STNJ’s Symphony Scholars program with the New Brunswick Public School District, Edison High School, and SpeakMusic Conservatory. more
JOIN THE PARTY: Más Flow, Princeton University’s Latin dance company, will be on hand for the Arts Council of Princeton’s (ACP) all-ages Dance Party, held outdoors in the ACP parking lot on Friday, October 11 in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) will host an all-ages Outdoor Hispanic Heritage Month Dance Party on Friday, October 11 from 7-9 p.m. The ACP is at 102 Witherspoon Street.
Attendees are invited to show off their moves and learn a few new ones as volunteer dance instructors from Más Flow, Princeton University’s Latin dance company, lead tutorials in favorites like salsa, merengue, bachata, cumbia, and more. more
On Thursday, October 17 at 12:15 p.m., the 23rd season of Westminster Conservatory at Nassau will continue with a recital of music for oboe and piano in Niles Chapel at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street.
The performers, oboist Melissa Bohl and pianist Phyllis Alpert Lehrer, are members of the teaching faculty of Westminster Conservatory. The recital is open to the public free of charge.
The program will include Seven Bagatelles for Solo Oboe by Gordon Jacob, Fantasy in F minor, op. 49 by Frederic Chopin for solo piano, and the Sonatina for oboe and piano by Franz Reizenstein.
Bohl is the principal oboist of the Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey, the Orchestra of St. Peter-by-the-Sea, the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra and the American Repertory Ballet Orchestra. She plays oboe and English horn with the Plainfield Symphony and performs regularly with many other area musical organizations, including the Garden State Symphonic Band and the Somerset Symphony Orchestra. At Westminster Conservatory, she teaches oboe and is head of the woodwind, brass, and percussion department. more
The Princeton Garden Theatre will present the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story starting Friday, October 11. Tickets are now available for the run.
Reeve was a 1970 graduate of Princeton Day School (PDS). The film tells the story of his journey as a classically trained actor who, following a horseback riding accident, became a powerful advocate for disability rights. After becoming internationally recognizable, he felt more comfortable in his hometown.
“I can fool a lot of people,” he said when receiving a PDS Alumni Achievement Award in 1990, “but it’s so great to come back to a place and just be me again.”
The Princeton Garden Theatre is at 160 Nassau Street.
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Mill Ballet School in Lambertville honors the legacy of its founder, Mark Roxey, whose Latino heritage has shaped his artistry and passion for dance, fostering an inclusive environment for students and audiences alike.
Roxey began his formal training at The Joffrey Ballet in New York City and has performed and choreographed internationally. His creative vision has touched countless lives through Roxey Ballet and Mill Ballet School.
To celebrate Roxey’s contributions and Hispanic culture, Mill Ballet School has launched Latin Ballroom classes for students of all ages and experience levels. more
“GREEN FIRE ESCAPE”: This watercolor on paper work by Mark Oliver is featured in “Available Light,” on view at the David Scott Gallery in the offices of Berkshire Hathaway, 253 Nassau Street, through December 31. An artist reception is on Saturday, October 19 from 2 to 5 p.m.
David Scott Gallery, 253 Nassau Street, now presents its latest exhibition, “Available Light,” a collection of paintings by New York architect and artist Mark Oliver. Recently named one of the top 100 watercolor artists in the U.S., Oliver’s paintings have appeared in TV shows such as Billions, Ray Donovan, and Gossip Girls. The exhibition runs through the end of the year. An artist reception is on Saturday, October 19 from 2 to 5 p.m.
As a student of architecture at Westminster University, London, Oliver learned something that would become an integral part of his design aesthetic. “We were taught that natural light is the most important element of architecture,” he said. “We had to use it to shape and define, to blur and shade.” more
An artist-led group exhibition is at historic Kings Oaks farm, 756 Worthington Mill Road, Newtown, Pa., through October 20. The exhibition features work by 27 artists from across the U.S., Argentina, Australia, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Russia, Scotland, Thailand, and Ukraine. Paintings, drawings, prints, collages, ceramics, sculptures, textiles, and installation art are on display in two historic farm buildings. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and by appointment. For more information, visit kingsoaksart.com or call (215) 603-6573.
“ROBERT DURAN”: A new exhibition on view October 19 through March 16 at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton offers visitors the opportunity to trace the arc of artist Robert Duran’s evolutions and experiments in painting, drawing, and watercolor from about 1967 to the late 1990s.
The New Jersey State Museum will present a new exhibition and accompanying publication featuring the work of an artist who spent the latter part of his life working in New Jersey. “Robert Duran,” opening October 19, offers visitors the opportunity to trace the arc of Duran’s evolutions and experiments in painting, drawing, and watercolor from roughly 1967 to the late 1990s. The exhibition will be on view in the first floor gallery through March 16, 2025. Major support for this exhibition and the accompanying publication has been provided by Karma Gallery. Additional support has been provided by the New Jersey State Museum Foundation through the Lucille M. Paris Fund and the Martha Vaughn Fund. more
“DUSK”: This oil on canvas work by Alla Podolsky is part of “Not to Be Forgotten,” her joint exhibition with Laura Rutherford Renner, on view October 10 through November 3 at Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville. An opening reception is on October 13 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville will present “Not to Be Forgotten,” a new exhibit of paintings by Laura Rutherford Renner and Alla Podolsky, October 10 through November 3. An opening reception is on Sunday, October 13 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Rutherford Renner, from Collingswood, enjoys painting figures engaged in the experience of their environments. She said, “Capturing contemporary life snapshots in two dimensions is an exercise in problem solving and creativity. I enjoy mixing pure colors, keeping my palette simple to create authentic observation. The quiet engagement of brush to palette and brush to board provides daily calm and purpose.” more
“SPROUTING MIND”: This mixed media work by Alia Bensliman is featured in “From North Africa to North America,” on view October 11 through December 13 at the Silva Gallery of Art at the Pennington School. A reception is on Thursday, October 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
The Silva Gallery of Art at the Pennington School will host “From North Africa to North America,” an exhibition of work by Alia Bensliman, from October 11 through December 13.
A reception, open to the public, will be held on Thursday, October 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with remarks at 7 p.m. more