GLOBAL COMIC: Vir Das is on stage at State Theatre New Jersey on April 12.

State Theatre New Jersey presents Vir Das: Mind Fool Tour on Saturday, April 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $49-$199.

Comedian and Actor Vir Das’ fourth and most recent Netflix comedy special earned Das a 2023 International Emmy nomination for “Best Comedy,” his second overall. His previous Netflix special Vir Das: For India was nominated for a 2021 International Emmy for “Best Comedy” as well.

Landing, which Das also directed, is a story about freedom, foolishness, the West, the East, the notion of home, and what it means to be a citizen of one nation in a global world. The special offers food for thought for both current citizens of India, Indian-American children of immigrants, and even those with no ties to India. Das has performed the show more than 180 times in countries across the globe including a successful run at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. more

The Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra (GPYO) celebrates the 100th birthday of its founder, Maestro Matteo Giammario. A visionary in music education and performance, Giammario’s legacy continues to inspire generations of young musicians.

Born in Trenton to Italian immigrant parents from the Puglia region, Giammario developed a deep love for music early on, influenced by the Neapolitan melodies of his Little Italy neighborhood. While he initially aspired to play the guitar in local ensembles, his mother encouraged him to take up the violin — a decision that sparked a lifelong passion for music education and orchestral performance.

Giammario served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, training in Newport, R.I., before being stationed aboard the USS Chester (CA 27) in the Pacific Theater. His service broadened his worldview and deepened his commitment to his fellow veterans, particularly those who were injured or emotionally affected by wartime experiences. more

PAST AND PRESENT: Cast members of “Now and Then,” a romantic “dramedy” by Sean Grennan, on stage through March 30 the Heritage Center in Morrisville, Pa.

ActorsNET presents Now and Then, Sean Grennan’s time-bending romantic “dramedy,” through March 30 at The Heritage Center in Morrisville, Pa.

Inspired by the word “énouement,” the play explores the bittersweet realization of how past choices have shaped the present, and invites audiences to reflect on the inevitability of time’s passage, reminding us that every moment — no matter how fleeting — holds the power to shape our journey.  more

County Executive Dan Benson has announced that the Mercer County Park Commission’s Summer Concert Series will kick off its 2025 season on July 11 with Formerly of Chicago — The Players. Performances continue through August 22.

The Friday evening concerts are $5 per ticket. A new, limited-time season pass option offers access to all seven concerts for $25. The lineup includes Yellow Brick Road and All About Joel on July 18; Best of the Eagles on July 25; Yacht Rock Gold Experience and Elliot Lurie on August 1; Big Hix and Tennessee Whiskey on August 8; FEARLESS the Taylor Swift Experience on August 15; and the Earth, Wind, and Fire tribute band on August 22.

As the sun sets, families can bring out blankets and chairs to the expansive Mercer County Park festival grounds. The introduction of free parking last year made the concerts more accessible than ever, leading to record attendance. With the new season pass, patrons can get preferred parking, fast-pass entry, and exclusive perks throughout the season. more

CHAMBER CONCERT: Musicians at Princeton United Methodist Church offer a free chamber music concert on Saturday, April 5 at 5 p.m. From left are Paul Manulik, viola; Lindsay Diehl, reader; Jenni Collins, soprano; Scott Collins, clarinet; and Julia Hanna, piano. 

Chamber music will be presented in an intimate setting on Saturday, April 5 at 5 p.m., at Princeton United Methodist Church, on the corner of Nassau Street and Vandeventer Avenue.

The concert features the works of Mozart, Debussy, and Bernstein, presented by Paul Maniluk, viola; Scott Collins, clarinet; Jenni Collins, soprano, Lindsay Diehl, reader; and Julia Hanna, piano.

This benefit concert is free and open to the public. A reception with light refreshments will follow. Tickets are not required.  All donations will help support the ministries of Princeton United Methodist Church.

Clipper Erickson

The Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey presents a concert titled “Drama & Irony” at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton on Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. Sandro Naglia conducts.
The program includes works by Rossini, Mozart, and Beethoven. Pianist Clipper Erickson is the soloist in the Mozart Piano Concerto in D minor K 466.

A pre-concert lecture by Joel Phillips takes place at 6:15 p.m. in the lower lobby. At 6:45 p.m., Trenton Music Makers presents a “curtain raiser.”

Tickets are available at capitalphilharmonic.org.

MOZART AND MORE: David A. McConnell conducts Voices Chorale NJ and the Berks Sinfonietta in the Mozart “Requiem” and the “Requiem” by Brazilian composer Jose Mauricio Nunes Garcia on May 3.

On Saturday, May 3 at 4 p.m., two settings of the Requiem Mass will be presented by Voices Chorale NJ. David A. McConnell, artistic director of Voices, conducts.

Mozart’s Requiem was incomplete when he died in 1791. Garcia completed his Requiem in 1816 after being inspired by Mozart’s masterpiece. Both works will be accompanied at the May program by the 21-piece Berks Sinfonietta Orchestra. more

The Princeton Garden Theatre has announced the inaugural First Takes Shorts Series — a program of short films produced by high school, college, and young independent artists from the community. After the screenings on April 3, the audience will have the opportunity to engage these talented local filmmakers in a live Q&A discussion.

The Garden’s programmers sifted through 215 submissions to select nine titles across three categories: Student Filmmaker, for high school students; Emerging Filmmaker, for college students; and Indie Filmmaker, for those older than high school or college age.

The program exhibits an eclectic range of style, tone, and genre. Consider Sons of Adam, a sci-fi picture about a religious cult shot in stark black and white. Or Albion Rose, a darkly comedic fantasy that digs into the tense relationship between two sisters. Then there’s A Squonk’s Day, a stop-motion tale that brings to life a whimsical creature who tends to weep spontaneously. Each short will demonstrate the creative vitality of the local community that the Garden seeks to celebrate and promote.

The First Takes Shorts Series is supported by a grant courtesy of the Vesta Fund.

Tickets for the program are available at the box office or online at princetongardentheatre.org/films/first-take-garden.

“GALAXY GATEWAY” This work by by Marina Ahun of Princeton is part of “Cultural Connections: Eastern European Artists from the Greater Trenton Area,” on view April 5 through June 8 at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie in Cadwalader Park.

“Cultural Connections: Eastern European Artists from the Greater Trenton Area,” on view at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie April 5 through June 8, highlights the work of regional artists with Eastern European backgrounds. An opening reception is on April 5 from 2 to 4 p.m., and an artists’ talk is scheduled for Saturday, April 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. Also related to the show is a Pysanky Ukrainian Easter Egg Workshop on Thursday, April 19, 6 to 9 p.m., by artist Basia Andrusko of Yardley, Pa.

The artists of Cultural Connections:

Marina Ahun is a Princeton-based artist known in part for her watercolors that explore the architecture of Princeton, Trenton, and New York City. She was born in Soviet Russia, studied at the Imperial Academy of fine Arts in St. Petersburg, and is the licensed and commissioned artist for Princeton University. more

“SISTERS”: This photograph by Myhanh Bosse has been accepted for the 32nd annual “Phillips’ Mill Photographic Exhibition,” on view March 30 through April 18 at the Phillips’ Mill Community Association in New Hope, Pa.

With its enduring theme of “Photography as Art,” the 32nd annual celebration of photography and photographers at Phillips’ Mill will open to the public on March 30. The Phillips’ Mill Community Association will hold not only a three-week juried exhibition, but also a week-long Mill Photo Committee members’ show.

This year, a panel of three jurors undertook the task of selecting 150 photos from the 1,037 submitted by photographers from across the country. The jurors were Jennifer King, an internationally acclaimed landscape and fine-art photographer; Kristen King, a Bucks County high school teacher of photography for over 35 years; and Nora Odendahl, a frequent exhibitor in past “Phillips’ Mill Photographic Exhibitions” and co-chair of the Mill Photo Committee. more

“BOYS”: Children’s Book Illustrator Mary Lundquist, whose work is shown here, will be the featured presenter for the “Inside the Artist’s Studio” series at Princeton Makes in the Princeton Shopping Center on Saturday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m.

On Saturday, March 29, at 6:30 p.m., painter and illustrator Mary Lundquist will be the featured presenter for the “Inside the Artist’s Studio” series at Princeton Makes in the Princeton Shopping Center. Lundquist, the illustrator of nine picture books, including as author of Cat & Bunny and The Little Forest Keepers, will discuss her life as an artist and her journey to becoming a published children’s book creator.

Lundquist has worked with publishers such as HarperCollins, Random House, and Bloomsbury. During her talk, Lundquist will show her illustrations, fine art, comics, and ongoing projects while weaving in personal stories. more