PRINCETON, NJ Restaurant Dining Guide Announcement

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra Announces its 2010-2011 Season

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra

Announces its 2010-2011 Season

World-class guest artists to include Leila Josefowicz, Dísella Làrusdóttir, Svet Stoyanov, Jennifer Koh and Di Wu

New Jersey Premieres of Works by Pierre Jalbert, Derek Bermel and Steven Mackey

Princeton, NJ, March 22, 2010 … The Princeton Symphony Orchestra today unveiled its 31^st season, which will be celebrated with an array of internationally acclaimed guest soloists and a compelling mix of orchestral classic and modern repertoire. It is also the first season programmed by Rossen Milanov, who was appointed the PSO’s Music Director in 2009.

In addition to attracting renowned artists for the five-concert Classical Series, Mr. Milanov has fostered collaborations with Princeton-based composers Steven Mackey and Derek Bermel, both of whom will be represented by works this season. The partnerships strengthen the PSO’s dedication to joint projects with institutions such as the Princeton University Art Museum and the Institute for Advanced Study.

Steven Mackey, Derek Bermel and Pierre Jalbert will be in residence with the PSO for panel discussions and other special programs during the weekend of their New Jersey premieres with the PSO.  

The PSO is Central New Jersey’s premier professional orchestra, regarded as a cultural centerpiece of the Princeton community and one of the state’s finest musical organizations. It is a multiple recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ Citation of Excellence and last year was designated a Major Arts Organization by the arts council.

The PSO’s new season begins on Oct. 3, 2010 and concludes on May 15, 2011. All Classical Series performances take place at 4 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall, off Nassau Street on the Princeton University campus.

Power, Passion and Grace

Violinist Leila Josefowicz, a much-recorded talent with a busy international schedule, is guest artist in the first concert, “Power, Passion and Grace,” on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. Known as a champion of new music, she will perform in the New Jersey premiere of Steven Mackey’s “Beautiful Passing,” a work that was tailored for her by the composer and whose themes were evoked by the death of his mother. Mr. Mackey writes of Leila Josefowicz: “The most difficult music that Leila plays is the music that conveys lightness and evanescence rather than the more familiar bravura displays. Leila, as it turns out, is not only a great fiddle player, she is a consummate artist with great interpretive insight and imagination.” Mr. Mackey is Professor of Music at Princeton University, where he teaches composition, theory, 20th century music, improvisation and special topics. As co-director of the Composers Ensemble at Princeton, he coaches and conducts new work by student composers as well as 20^th century classics. Also on the program is Mozart’s Overture to “The Magic Flute” and Tchaikovsky’s dramatic Symphony No. 5 in E minor. Mr. Milanov conducts.

The Eternal Feminine

The PSO collaborates with the Princeton University Art Museum and Westminster Choir College for its second concert, on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010, titled “The Eternal Feminine.” The performance will be coupled with a private tour of the museum’s collection, with an emphasis on artworks that represent the feminine ideal through the ages. Soprano Dísella Làrusd?ttir is guest artist in Richard Strauss’ “Morgen” (Op. 27, No. 4) and “Amor” (Op. 68, No. 5) and Jean Sibelius’ “Luonnotar.” The New York Times wrote of the soprano: “(The year 2007) offered memorable moments … the promising Icelandic soprano Dísella Làrusdóttir sang meltingly in the semifinals of the Met Grand Council auditions in March.” The Women of the Westminster Williamson Voices is also featured on the program, which includes Richard Wagner’s Overture and Venusberg Music from “Tannhäuser” and Claude Debussy’s “Nocturnes.” This concert, conducted by Mr. Milanov, offers a wide range of composers’ perspectives on the mysteries of womanhood, among them: Sibelius’ incarnation of the Finnish goddess Luonnotar, Spirit of Nature, in a tone poem about creation; Wagner’s musical comparison of carnal and pure love; and Debussy’s impressionistic “Nocturnes,” ending with the eerie and seductive cry of the Sirens.

Juxtapositions

In his debut with the PSO, on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011, guest conductor Alasdair Neale leads “Juxtapositions,” a concert that includes Pierre Jalbert’s Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra – performed for New Jersey audiences for the first time – with young Bulgarian musician Svet Stoyanov on marimba. Singled out for his “unmistakable virtuosity” (The New York Times) on the marimba and a wide variety of percussion instruments, Mr. Stoyanov has been acclaimed for his dynamic concerto performances and the elegance of his chamber music collaborations. “Percussive Counterpoint,” his 2008 debut recording on the CAG label, features music by Steve Reich, Paul Lansky and others. Mr. Jalbert, praised by critics for his chamber pieces as well as his orchestral works, is the composer of “big sky” (2005), “Symphonia Sacra” (2001) and “Fire and Ice” (2006). He was awarded the BBC Masterprize in 2001 for his orchestral work, “In Aeternam.” Mr. Neale, an accomplished and experienced conductor based on the West Coast, is Music Director of the Marin Symphony and the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the New World Symphony and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Completing the PSO program are one of Beethoven’s masterworks – Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major (“Eroica”) – and Jean Philippe Rameau’s Overture to “Zaïs.”

Ethnic Explorations

The PSO presents its annual Edward T. Cone Series concert, “Ethnic Explorations,” on Sunday, March 20, 2011. The occasion is marked by the New Jersey premiere of Princeton composer Derek Bermel’s “Thracian Echoes.” The afternoon’s guest soloist, violinist Jennifer Koh, who has been heard with leading orchestras and conductors worldwide, performs Antonín Dvorák’s richly colored Violin Concerto in A minor (Op. 53). Béla Bart?k’s iconic Concerto for Orchestra completes the program, which will be conducted by Mr. Milanov. Derek Bermel’s works draw from a rich variety of musical genres, including classical, jazz, pop, rock, blues, folk and gospel; “Thracian Echoes” was inspired by a trip to Bulgaria in 2002 to study local folk music. Mr. Bermel is Artist-in-Residence at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, Composer-in-Residence with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Creative Adviser to the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

Russian Night

An exploration of the different facets of Russian music, “Russian Night,” the final program of the season on May 15, 2011, concludes on a lyrical and reflective note, as guest pianist Di Wu performs Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor. Praised in The Wall Street Journal as “a most mature and sensitive pianist,” Di Wu began her career at the age of 14 in a debut with the Beijing Philharmonic, and has become known as an elegant and exciting musician who has toured widely in Asia, Europe and the U.S. During the 2009-10 season, her 50 engagements took her around the globe and before such orchestras as the National Symphony, the New York Pops and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Rounding out the Princeton concert, conducted by Mr. Milanov, are Modest Mussorgsky’s “Dawn on the Moskva River” and Alexander Scriabin’s rarely heard Symphony No. 2 in C minor.

Preludes and Postludes

The PSO will continue to present its popular pre-curtain talks with the artists, including guest conductors, composers and Mr. Milanov, as well as post-performance events, at each of the five Classical Series concerts. The lectures are free to all ticket holders and take place in the concert hall at 3 p.m. on the day of the performance. Reservations are not required. Composers Jalbert, Bermel and Mackey will be in residence with the PSO for panel discussions and special programs on the weekends that their works are performed.

PSO POPS! The Holiday Concert

The PSO’s annual Holiday Concert will take place Dec. 18, 2010 at 4 p.m. in Richardson Auditorium. An extremely popular event with families, the afternoon features seasonal favorites, symphonic classics, the Princeton High School Choir and a festive sing-along. 

PSO POPS! The Broadway Concert

Stellar performances by top talents of the Great White Way have made the PSO’s annual Broadway Concert a major attraction for fans of show tunes and timeless standards. In previous seasons, Barbara Cook, Teri Dale Hansen, William Michals and Norm Lewis have delighted audiences with their renditions of works by such composers as George Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein and Cole Porter. This year’s artists, to be announced, will perform Feb. 12, 2011 at 8 p.m. in Richardson Auditorium.

About Rossen Milanov, Music Director

Rossen Milanov’s place as “one of the most promising figures in the upcoming generation of conductors” (The Seattle Times, February 2009) has recently been recognized with his appointment as Music Director of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. This season, he makes a series of international debuts, including performances conducting the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington), the Rochester Philharmonic, the Hyogo Symphony (Japan), the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, and the China Philharmonic. He continues to serve as Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts and is Associate Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

A committed supporter of youth and music, Mr. Milanov is Music Director of the New Symphony Orchestra (Bulgaria) and Symphony in C, one of the USA’s leading professional training orchestras. He conducts one opera production per season at the Curtis Institute of Music, and this season he returns to Carnegie Hall for LinkUP!, a program supported and promoted by the Weill Music Institute. He has led a tour with the Australian Youth Orchestra, concerts with the Aspen Chamber Symphony, and was Music Director of the Chicago Youth Symphony from 1997 to 2001.

A well-known figure in North America, Mr. Milanov returns to the San Antonio Symphony as well as the Milwaukee Symphony this season. His ongoing relationship with the Philadelphia Orchestra has included performances at the Mann Center, at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, and at the Kimmel Center, where highlights have included performances with Leila Josefowicz and Yo-Yo Ma. Other appearances during the 2009-10 season include concerts with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra of Royal Swedish Opera. Mr. Milanov has also worked with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, the Orchestra of Komische Oper (Berlin), the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

His recording of works by the Russian composer Alla Pavlova with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra is available on the Naxos label, and a live performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No.15 is available through Philadelphia Online.

Mr. Milanov studied conducting at the Juilliard School, where he received the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship; the Curtis Institute of Music; Duquesne University, and the Bulgarian National Academy of Music. He has received the Award for Extraordinary Contribution to Bulgarian Culture, awarded by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture. In 2005, he was chosen as Bulgaria’s Musician of the Year. 

Concert and Ticket Information

The PSO presents its five-concert classical subscription series and its holiday and Broadway pops concerts in the 850-seat Richardson Auditorium (Princeton University campus) during a September-May season. Programs are subject to change. Beginning June 15, new subscriptions are available by calling the PSO at (609) 497-0020. Single tickets will be sold on a date to be announced. Season information may be found on the PSO’s website (www.princetonsymphony.org). Tickets may also be purchased at the Richardson Auditorium box office, (609) 258-5000, and at www.princeton.edu/utickets. Richardson Auditorium is wheelchair accessible. Large-print programs are available.

PSO’s Sunday Afternoon Chamber Series

Now celebrating its 10^th anniversary, the PSO’s Chamber Series, featuring leading players of the PSO, allows musicians and audiences alike to experience adventurous music-making, free of charge and by advance registration. Programs that include works new and old, by living composers and revered masters, may be heard four times a year, at Wolfensohn Hall at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and at the Stonebridge at Montgomery and Princeton Windrows adult communities. For more information about the Chamber Series, please call (609) 497-0020.

PSO’s BRAVO! Education Programs

BRAVO!, now entering its 15th year, establishes PSO musicians in teaching partnerships at 30 public, private and special need schools throughout Central New Jersey. Funded entirely by the PSO, the program sends the orchestra into the community, where professional musicians engage with children, teachers and parents in concert workshops. In the past season, with the Institute for Advanced Study, BRAVO! hosted a Master Class with virtuoso violinist Midori, who instructed three gifted college and high school students from the Princeton area. This season, BRAVO! will present 90 small ensemble/instructional performances at schools, culminating with a full orchestral performance for schoolchildren in May. Listen Up!, a BRAVO! program aimed at middle schools, invites students to create original artwork inspired by what they hear at a PSO concert. The PSO’s commitment to engaging your audiences and broadening their exposure to classical music is made possible through the generosity of foundations and many supporters of the PSO. For more information about BRAVO!, call (609) 497-0020.

About the Princeton Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1980 by Portia Sonnenfeld, the PSO has been hailed by critics as New Jersey’s “virtuoso orchestra.” Over the course of its 30-year history, the orchestra’s leadership has invested in artistic excellence, and community and educational concerts and programs that contribute broadly to civic life and establish the PSO in partnerships with local educational, arts and social service organizations. Whether performing classical masterworks, introducing music by the most celebrated contemporary composers or delighting area schoolchildren with their first orchestra experience, the PSO is regarded as a cultural centerpiece of the Princeton community and one of the state’s finest musical organizations. For the 2008-2009 season, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts recognized the orchestra for its work commissioning and presenting a new composition, Paul Moravec’s Clarinet Concerto. The PSO performs at beautiful Richardson Auditorium, a historic landmark on the campus of Princeton University in downtown Princeton.

Please visit our website at www.princetonsymphony.org or call the PSO offices at (609) 497-0020.