PRINCETON, NJ Restaurant Dining Guide Announcement

Princeton University Concerts Cancelations & 20-21 Season Announcement

March 27, 2020

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Princeton University Concerts has canceled the remainder of its 2019–2020 season and is focusing on remote initiatives that connect the community to musicians on the current and upcoming season.

 

The 2020–2021 season will continue Princeton University Concerts’ response to this unique moment in time, including a special event performance the day after the 2020 Presidential Election, a new First Monday of the Month Listening Party series, a Performances Up Close series that focuses on a new generation of women at the helm of classical music, and more.

 

PRINCETON, NJ – It is a bittersweet moment for Princeton University Concerts (“PUC”). The remaining events in the chamber music series’ 2019–2020 season have been canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These include: pianist Mitsuko Uchida with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra; violinist Benjamin Beilman with pianist Andrew Tyson; pianist Conrad Tao with tap dancer Caleb Teicher; the Dover String Quartet’s Live Music Meditation and concert; and the season finale with baritone Matthias Goerne and pianist Jan Lisiecki. In spite of this, PUC has stepped up as a leader within the classical music industry through a response that focuses on supporting the freelance musicians whose livelihoods are being threatened by the pandemic; supporting the community by developing remote initiatives that connect audiences with the music and musicians of the current and upcoming season; and focusing its 2020–2021 season on better reflecting this unique moment in time.

 

PUC has pledged financial support to artists affected by canceled work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an initiative supported by a large majority of ticketholders who have chosen to donate their ticket refunds to this cause. PUC has also rallied other University presenting series across the country to join in this effort. As part of this initiative, musicians have continued to remotely engage with our audiences. PUC launched a Collaborative Listening Project, inviting the community to listen to free playlists on Spotify curated both by the PUC team and by musicians who are part of the PUC family, who share their thoughts on their selections. Other remote initiatives are also being developed.

 

PUC’s upcoming 2020–2021 season, planned to begin in October 2020, extends over a charged year: the beginning of a new decade and a moment of intense national and global reflection. As always, PUC walks the delicate line between existing both as a refuge from the outside world and an engaged citizen within it. As such, the season will both provide the comfort of welcoming back beloved old friends and look forward to expanding PUC’s family of musicians and musical experiences to better reflect this unique point in time.

 

At the forefront of this reflection is a new series of Listening Parties on the first Monday of (almost) every month, hosted by radio station WQXR’s Matt Abramovitz. These communal, informal events will invite everyone to come together to listen to music and to each other, sharing personal musical anecdotes and other passions over light snacks and drinks. The goal of this new series is to provide a regular opportunity for the community to come together and take a moment to more closely listen to the world around us. This intention will also be apparent in the continuation of PUC’s popular Live Music Meditations, which allow for easily-accessible, focused listening to world-class music performed by the series’ artists through guided meditation with instruction by Matthew Weiner, Associate Dean in the Princeton University Office of Religious Life.

 

PUC’s beloved Performances Up Close series—featuring hour-long concerts at 6PM & 9PM with the audience seated onstage—will focus on “Leading Ladies” in the 2020–2021 season. Four women who are redefining both their instruments and the classical music genre will offer programs that encompass a diverse lineup of music, from world music to David Bowie; from familiar classical composers to contemporary icons. Accordionist Ksenija Sidorova, opera star Kate Lindsey, harpist Bridget Kibbey, and 21-year-old saxophone phenomenon Jess Gillam will all perform in the spring of 2021 as part of this series.

 

A special event on November 4, 2020—the day after the Presidential Election—will help commemorate this political moment in time. The Norwegian baroque ensemble Barokksolistene, who had the audience singing during their last visit to Princeton in 2017, will be back by popular demand to transform the concert hall into a 17^th-century tavern. They will take audiences back in time through the popular drinking songs, sea shanties, and folk tunes that formed everyday life during the first formation of our national identity. This special event will toast to our history with drinks and snacks.

 

As always, PUC’s cornerstone “Concert Classics” series, featuring the world’s most respected classical musicians, will include a mix of familiar faces and long-anticipated debuts. Returning fan favorites include the Takács String Quartet with pianist Jeremy Denk, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, pianist Paul Lewis, clarinetist Martin Fröst with violist Antoine Tamestit and pianist Shai Wosner, siblings violinist Christian and cellist Tanja Tetzlaff alongside friends in the Tetzlaff Quartet, as well as pianist Benjamin Grosvenor bringing with him the Doric String Quartet for their Princeton debut.

 

Two violinists are breaking PUC’s 127-year-old tradition of presenting Concert Classics events on Thursday nights. The dazzling young Alina Ibragimova and superstar Janine Jansen will each present their PUC debut recitals on Wednesday evenings instead, the former with pianist Cédric Tiberghien and the latter with pianist Denis Kozhukhin. Their immense talent and contribution to the world of contemporary classical music defies tradition.

 

 

THE 2020–2021 SEASON

(Organized by series, then chronologically)

*Denotes Princeton University Concerts debut

 

CONCERT CLASSICS—8 CONCERTS

Hear the world’s most vibrant and celebrated classical musicians—many of whom are returning as fan favorites—within the intimacy of Richardson Auditorium on our mainstage series. These concerts will take place at 8PM with a 7PM Warm-Up. 

 

Thursday, October 15, 2020

TAKÁCS STRING QUARTET

JEREMY DENK, Piano

With a new violist in tow—Emmy Award winner, two-time Grammy nominee, and Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient Richard O’Neill—the Takács Quartet returns for their 21^st appearance on the PUC stage, joined by MacArthur "Genius" pianist Jeremy Denk for a program including one of the most effervescent chamber works in the repertoire: Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet.

 

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

ALINA IBRAGIMOVA,* Violin

CÉDRIC TIBERGHIEN,* Piano

Power duo Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien make their Princeton University Concerts debut in a program that rediscovers the shimmering beauty of late 19^th–early 20^th century France through works by Stravinsky, Poulenc, Debussy, and Franck.

 

Thursday, December 3, 2020

TETZLAFF QUARTET*

Violinist Christian Tetzlaff has mesmerized us time and time again since first making his PUC debut in 2013. He returns with his sister, cellist Tanja Tetzlaff, with longtime counterparts violinist Elisabeth Kufferath and violist Hanna Weinmeister in a program of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

 

Thursday, January 28, 2021

DORIC STRING QUARTET*

BENJAMIN GROSVENOR, Piano

It is wonderful to welcome back the superb young pianist Benjamin Grosvenor for an evening featuring the finest young British talent and celebrating an astonishing new generation of classical musicians.

 

Thursday, February 11, 2021

MARTIN FRÖST, Clarinet

ANTOINE TAMESTIT, Viola

SHAI WOSNER, Piano

When Martin Fröst breathes sound into his clarinet, it is not uncommon to see audiences shake their heads in disbelief of the magic of his sound—that was certainly the case at his PUC debut in 2018. He is joined by equally riveting partners for works seldom heard on the PUC series.

 

Thursday, February 18, 2021

PAUL LEWIS, Piano

The sincerity, directness, intelligence, and charm with which Paul Lewis approaches his instrument is unmatched among living pianists. It is an honor to welcome back one of the world’s great interpreters of the classical repertoire in a program of Mendelssohn, Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert.

 

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

JANINE JANSEN,* Violin

DENIS KOZHUKHIN,* Piano

Ask any young violinist which professional artist they most revere, and they will most likely respond: Janine Jansen. This superstar Dutch violinist is in high demand by the world’s most prestigious venues, and at last she makes her Princeton University Concerts debut with Queen Elisabeth Competition laureate Denis Kozhukhin.

 

Thursday, April 15, 2021

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Richard Tognetti, Music Director

This spirited ensemble of 17 musicians, beloved by PUC audiences, will undoubtedly bring the 2020–2021 season to a riveting finale. Directed by violinist Richard Tognetti, the orchestra brings its fiery energy, intrepid programming, and irresistible charisma wherever they go.

 

PERFORMANCES UP CLOSE: LEADING LADIES—4 CONCERTS

A new generation of daredevils is at the helm of classical music! Experience these leading ladies’ transformative artistry in an hour-long format that’s everything you’ve ever wanted a classical performance to be: immersive, immediate, informal, and schedule-friendly. These hour-long concerts are at 6PM & 9PM.

 

Thursday, February 4, 2021, 6PM & 9PM

KSENIJA SIDOROVA,* Accordion

Celebrating Sofia Gubaidulina’s 90^th and Astor Piazzolla’s 100^th birthdays with music by Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and more

 

Thursday, March 4, 2021, 6PM & 9PM

KATE LINDSEY,* Mezzo-Soprano

BAPTISTE TROTIGNON,* Piano

“Thousands of Miles,” a program of songs by Kurt Weill, Alma Mahler, Alexander von Zemlinsky, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold

 

Wednesday, March 31, 2021, 6PM & 9PM

BRIDGET KIBBEY,* Harp

ALEXI KENNEY,* Violin (6PM)

Works by Bach, Saint-Saëns, Dowland, Sebastian Currier, and more

MAHSA VAHDAT,* Persian vocalist (9PM)

JOÃO LUIZ,* Guitar (9PM)

Works by Bach, Albéniz, and folk music from Persia and Brazil

 

Thursday, April 22, 2021, 6PM & 9PM

JESS GILLAM,* Saxophone

THOMAS WEAVER,* Piano

Selections from the 20-year-old phenomenon’s debut album, “Rise,” highlighting diverse influences from Marcello and Shostakovich to David Bowie and Laura Bush

 

SPECIAL EVENT

 

Wednesday, November 4, 2020, 6PM & 9PM

BAROKKSOLISTENE

“Alehouse Sessions”

 

What better way to mark the outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election than going back in time to the origins of our nation and having a drink or two with violinist Bjarte Eike and his “Alehouse Boys,” together singing 17^th-century sea shanties, drinking songs, and folk tunes? The Norwegian baroque ensemble, Barokksolistene, brought us to our feet in 2017 with their lively music-making, and we can’t wait to have them back.

 

 

*NEW* FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH LISTENING PARTY— 7 events

Now more than ever, taking a moment to collectively listen—to music, to one another, to the world around us—feels like an immensely precious and needed gift. We hope you will join us in doing exactly that as we kick off (almost) every month with a communal listening party, taking the sting out of Mondays through shared stories of transformative musical experiences and other life affirming passions. Encounter members across our community in a completely new way over drinks, snacks, and music in this informal setting that reminds us just how beautiful the world sounds when we take a moment to listen.

 

MATT ABRAMOVITZ, Host*

 

Monday, October 5, 2020, 6PM

Monday, December 7, 2020, 6PM

Monday, January 4, 2021, 6PM

Monday, February 1, 2021, 6PM

Monday, March 1, 2021, 6PM

Monday, April 5, 2021, 6PM

Monday, May 3, 2021, 6PM

 

 

ALL IN THE FAMILY—2 CONCERTS for kids and their families

PUC nurtures a life-long love of music by offering kids of all ages a chance to encounter chamber music in person at Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall through two special programs featuring world-class musicians. Youngsters, ages 3–8, will enjoy “Orli Shaham’s Bach Yard” hosted by the renowned pianist. PUC’s staple family concert “Meet the Music” for kids ages 6–12 will also return with musicians from The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

 

Saturday, October 24, 2020, 1PM

ORLI SHAHAM’S BACH YARD

ORLI SHAHAM, Piano/host with special guests

 

Back by popular demand, pianist Orli Shaham hosts an interactive concert for kids ages 3–8 featuring storytelling and costumed musicians for a fun introduction to live chamber music.

 

Saturday, March 13, 2021, 1PM

MEET THE MUSIC: “Musical Fairy Tale”

THE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER

BRUCE ADOLPHE, Host/composer

 

Can music tell a story? What can music say...and not say? With beloved tales from France, Germany, and the Czech Republic, children ages 6–12 can discover how music gets to the heart of a story through works by Schumann, Ravel, Janá?ek, and Adolphe.

 

RICHARDSON CHAMBER PLAYERS—3 CONCERTS

Formed in 1994–95 on the occasion of PUC’s 100^th anniversary, this mixed ensemble comprises Princeton’s performance faculty, distinguished guest artists, and supremely talented Princeton students. Richardson Chamber Players concerts take place on Sundays at 3PM in Richardson Auditorium.

 

Sunday, November 22, 2020, 3PM

Sunday, February 28, 2021, 3PM

Sunday, March 21, 2021, 3PM

 

LIVE MUSIC MEDITATION

 

TICKETS: in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, subscription and single ticket policies will be announced later in the spring. Princeton University Concerts maintains its commitment to ticket prices that are the lowest in the region.

 

2020–2021 SEASON CONCERTS AT-A-GLANCE

*Denotes Princeton University Concerts debut

 

Monday, October 5, 2020, 6PM

FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH: LISTENING PARTY

 

Thursday, October 15, 2020, 8PM

TAKÁCS STRING QUARTET

JEREMY DENK Piano

 

Saturday, October 24, 2020, 1PM

ORLI SHAHAM’S BACH YARD (AGES 3–8)

ORLI SHAHAM Piano/host

 

Wednesday, November 4, 2020, 6PM & 9PM

BAROKKSOLISTENE

 

Wednesday, November 11, 2020, 8PM

ALINA IBRAGIMOVA Violin*

CÉDRIC TIBERGHIEN Piano*

 

Sunday, November 22, 2020, 3PM

RICHARDSON CHAMBER PLAYERS

 

Thursday, December 3, 2020, 8PM

TETZLAFF QUARTET*

 

Monday, December 7, 2020, 6PM

FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH: LISTENING PARTY

 

Monday, January 4, 2021, 6PM

FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH: LISTENING PARTY

 

Thursday, January 28, 2021, 8PM

DORIC STRING QUARTET*

BENJAMIN GROSVENOR Piano

 

Monday, February 1, 2021, 6PM

FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH: LISTENING PARTY

 

Thursday, February 4, 2021, 6PM & 9PM

KSENIJA SIDOROVA Accordion*

 

Thursday, February 11, 2021, 8PM

MARTIN FRÖST Clarinet

ANTOINE TAMESTIT Viola

SHAI WOSNER Piano

 

Thursday, February 18, 2021, 8PM

PAUL LEWIS Piano

 

Sunday, February 28, 2021, 3PM

RICHARDSON CHAMBER PLAYERS

 

Monday, March 1, 2021, 6PM

FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH: LISTENING PARTY

 

Thursday, March 4, 2021, 6PM & 9PM

KATE LINDSEY Mezzo-Soprano*

BAPTISTE TROTIGNON Piano*

 

Saturday, March 13, 2021, 1PM

MEET THE MUSIC (AGES 6–12)

CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER

BRUCE ADOLPHE, Host

 

Sunday, March 21, 2021, 3PM

RICHARDSON CHAMBER PLAYERS

 

Wednesday, March 31, 2021, 6PM & 9PM

BRIDGET KIBBEY Harp*

ALEXI KENNEY Violin* (6PM)

MAHSA VAHDAT Persian vocalist* (9PM)

JOÃO LUIZ Guitar* (9PM)

 

Monday, April 5, 2021, 6PM

FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH: LISTENING PARTY

 

Wednesday, April 7, 2021, 8PM

JANINE JANSEN Violin*

DENIS KOZHUKHIN Piano*

 

Thursday, April 15, 2021, 8PM

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

 

Thursday, April 22, 2021, 6PM & 9PM

JESS GILLAM Saxophone*

THOMAS WEAVER Piano*

 

Monday, May 3, 2021, 6PM

FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH: LISTENING PARTY