princeton university concerts announces new … · princetonuniversityconcerts.org friday, august...

princetonuniversityconcerts.org

Friday, August 19, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INFO: 609-258-2800

TICKETS: 609-258-9220

CONTACT: Dasha Koltunyuk, [email protected], 609-258-6024

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY CONCERTS ANNOUNCES

NEW EVENTS FOR THE 2016-2017 SEASON

Never before in its 123-year history has Princeton University Concerts (PUC) had so much in store in a single

season. In addition to twenty-three concerts across three series, PUC also announces a Performers as Teachers

series, a Mindfulness with Music series, and the expansion of the groundbreaking PUC125: Performances Up

Close series.

PERFORMERS AS TEACHERS

In addition to their performances, several of the season’s artists will offer the community the incredible

opportunity of going behind-the-scenes when they coach talented Princeton students in classes free and open to

the public. These are chances to delve into the core of the professionals’ understanding of music and witness the

process of a musician’s preparation and development. The classes promise to offer everyone, regardless of any

proficiency with the instrument, a unique, deep engagement with music from the other side of the curtain.

• October 7, 2016: Class with mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton

• October 28, 2016: Class on piano ensemble music with pianists Sergei Babayan and Daniil Trifonov

• March 2, 2017: Clais with Rainer Schmidt, violinist of the Hagen String Quartet

• April 3, 2017: Lecture and class on physical therapy and musicians with violinist Pamela Frank

and her husband Howard Nelson, a New York City based physical therapist who specializes in analyzing

how movements and alignments while playing an instrument can cause pain.

Please visit princetonuniversityconcerts.org for confirmed times and locations.

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MINDFULNESS WITH MUSIC

After its popular launch last season, Mindfulness with Music returns, in collaboration with Princeton University

Office of Religious Life. Twice in the season—in the fall with the Takács String Quartet and in the spring with

violinist Pekka Kuusisto—the community is invited to a free Live Music Meditation and Lunch. Guided by Matt

Weiner, Associate Dean of the Office of Religious Life, listeners will experience world-class music more

viscerally than ever before during a half-hour meditation. Taken outside of the constraints of concert hall

etiquette, one’s relationship with the music is simplified to its most personal and sincere.

• November 16, 2016 12PM: Live Music Meditation with the Takács String Quartet

• May 1, 2017 12PM: Live Music Meditation with violinist Pekka Kuusisto

Stay tuned for further details at princetonuniversityconcerts.org

PUC125: PERFORMANCES UP CLOSE

At the heart of PUC125’s mission is to push the concert format to the epitome of music without bounds. Beyond

bringing the audience onstage in hour-long interactive programs at diverse times, the series looks to make every

aspect of the concert as unrepeatable as the music itself. To this end, this season PUC125 will expand its scope. At

each of the four concerts, the Richardson stage will be transformed, tailored to each individual program in

collaboration with the musicians and visiting artists from other fields. These include New York City based

lighting designer Kate Ashton, and Adobe Creative Resident and Projection Artist Craig Winslow. The

curated multimedia environment promises to heighten and extend the listener’s experience of the music in this

fusion of art forms. Single tickets for these concerts will be available two months before each concert. At this time,

tickets to hear violinist Augustin Hadelich and guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas’ “Histoire du Tango” program on

September 29, 2016 are now on sale online, and will go on sale everywhere else on September 6, 2016.

• September 29, 2016 6PM & 9PM: Augustin Hadelich, violin & Pablo Sáinz Villegas, guitar present

“Histoire du Tango” – works by Astor Piazzolla, Manuel De Falla, Eugène Ysaÿe

• February 14, 2017 6PM & 9PM: Colin Currie, percussion presents “Percussion Alive” – solo percussion

music by Per Norgaard, Toshio Hosokawa, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Iannis Xenakis

• March 30, 2017 6PM: Benjamin Bagby, voice & Anglo-Saxon harp presents

“Beowulf” – the epic book in performance

• April 30, 2017 5PM & 7:30PM: Pekka Kuusisto, violin & Nico Muhly, piano present

“Breaking Ground” – music by J.S. Bach, Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt, Nico Muhly, with Finnish folksongs

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These special offerings are a part of a season already full of more concerts than ever before. Anchored by the

complete cycle of Beethoven’s sixteen string quartets, performed by the Takács String Quartet in a series of six

concerts, the season is poised to celebrate the bright spectrum of classical music. In the Concert Classics Series,

25-year-old piano star Daniil Trifonov’s Princeton debut alongside his teacher Sergei Babayan in October will

give way in the spring to the return of legendary pianist Murray Perahia. Metropolitan Opera favorite mezzo-

soprano Jamie Barton, “opera’s nose-studded rock star” (The New York Times) will offer an intimate debut recital

in Richardson Auditorium before the 25-voice Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir fills the Princeton

University Chapel a few months later. A return of last season’s favorites includes violinist Christian Tetzlaff,

joining his long-time friend Pamela Frank in a rare recital of violin duos, family concerts for youngsters 3-6

(“Baby Got Bach”) and kids 6-12 (“Meet the Music”), as well as the cutting-edge PUC125: Performances Up

Close Series with audience seated onstage around the performers in casual, hour-long concerts.

The 2016-2017 PUC season will consist of a total of 23 concerts, including a special event with banjo legend

Béla Fleck with his wife and fellow banjoist Abigail Washburn, four PUC125 programs, six concerts

comprising the Beethoven String Quartet cycle, and the Richardson Chamber Players series. The Beethoven

String Quartet cycle will be hosted with pre- and post-concert lectures by Princeton Emeritus Professor

Scott Burnham; supplemented by a course in partnership with the Princeton Adult School co-taught by

Professor Burnham and Edward Dusinberre, first violinist of the Takács Quartet; and the annual Late Night

Chamber Jam will allow the amateur string players to jam alongside the Takács members on the Richardson

stage. Each concert on the Concert Classics Series will feature a preview event at 7PM—whether a talk by a

distinguished music scholar or a performance by talented students. For a complete listing of these events,

please see the Season Overview below.

Events are selling out quickly. Concertgoers are urged to buy their tickets early to ensure availability.

Committed to a long-standing dedication to making the world’s best chamber music accessible to all, PUC

offers tickets as low as $10 to its concerts. In the words of one loyal patron—“the lowest ticket prices in town

for the greatest talent in the world.” Most performances are presented in Richardson Auditorium in

Alexander Hall, renowned for its exceptional acoustics and considered one of the best venues for classical

music in the country. With so much in store, the upcoming series promises to be unparalleled. For a complete

listing of events visit princetonuniversityconcerts.org.

Single tickets to all concerts in the 2016-17 Princeton University Concerts (“PUC”) Concert Classics Series,

Beethoven String Quartet Cycle, All-in-the-Family Series, and Richardson Chamber Players are now on sale,

online only, at princetonuniversityconcerts.org. Patrons are now also able to buy single tickets to the Béla

Fleck/Abigail Washburn Special Event, as well as the first of the PUC125: Performances Up Close concerts.

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These tickets will be available by phone at 609-258-9220 and in person at the Frist Campus Center Box Office as of

Tuesday, September 6, 2016.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE 2016-17 SEASON (organized chronologically) All concerts take place in Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall, unless otherwise noted.

* indicates Princeton University Concerts debut.

Thursday, September 29, 2016 6PM & 9PM (PUC125: audience seated onstage)

AUGUSTIN HADELICH,* VIOLIN • PABLO SÁINZ VILLEGAS,* GUITAR

“Histoire du Tango” –Works by Manuel de Falla, a world premiere by Lorenzo Palomo, Eugène Ysaÿe, Roland

Dyens, Astor Piazzolla and Django Reinhardt – The Grammy-winning violin phenomenon and award-winning

Spanish guitarist bring highlights from their popular album, Histoire du Tango, conjuring a dark and sultry night

of fiery, hot-blooded dancing. New York City-based lighting designer Kate Ashton will create an atmosphere that

reinforces the character and emotional message of each work.

Thursday, October 6, 2016 8PM

Pre-concert talk at 7PM by Professor Lindsay Christiansen from Westmintser Choir College, free to ticketholders

Class with Barton and Princeton students on the morning of Friday, October 7. Further details TBA.

JAMIE BARTON,* MEZZO-SOPRANO • JAMES BAILLIEU,* PIANO

Works by Joaquin Turina, Johannes Brahms, Antonin Dvořák, Jean Sibelius and Charles Ives – “Hopefully,

there won’t be a season she won’t sing at the Met” said Metropolitan Opera’s Peter Gelb. The season opens with a

chance to hear the recent Richard Tucker Award-winner in the intimacy of Richardson as she takes the world’s

greatest opera houses by storm.


Musical Preview at 7PM by alums of the Royal College of Music/Princeton University Exchange program, free to

ticketholders

BELCEA STRING QUARTET*

Works by Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms – On a rare tour of the United States, one of the reigning

European String Quartets finally makes its long awaited Princeton University Concerts debut.

Sunday, October 16, 2016 3PM

RICHARDSON CHAMBER PLAYERS

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“Melting Pot” – An eclectic program of chamber works by Charles Ives, William Bolcom, and Paquito

D’Rivera., alongside select American folk songs and modern ballads for brass quintet


Pre-concert talk at 7PM by Ruth Ochs, free to ticketholders.

Class with Trifonov, Babayan and Princeton students on the morning of Friday, October 28. Further details TBA.

DANIIL TRIFONOV,* PIANO • SERGEI BABAYAN,* PIANO

Works by Robert Schumann, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms and Sergei Rachmaninoff – Witness the

cherished passing of music from one generation to the next as 25-year-old piano superstar Daniil Trifonov joins

his teacher to offer the first two-piano program on the series since 1982.

Saturday, November 5, 2016 1PM

ALL IN THE FAMILY: “BABY GOT BACH” A FAMILY CONCERT FOR KIDS AGES 3-6

A Concert for Kids Ages 3-6 – Back by popular demand, pianist Orli Shaham will introduce pre-school-aged

kids to the joy of live classical music played by renowned musicians.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016 8PM • “Beethoven Up Close” seating • Post-concert Talk Back hosted by Professor

Emeritus Scott Burnham

Thursday, November 17, 2016 8PM • Pre-concert talk at 7PM by Professor Emeritus Scott Burnham

TAKÁCS STRING QUARTET

Beethoven String Quartets: Concerts 1 & 2 – It is a privilege to host the Takács as they present, for the last time,

the complete Beethoven string quartet cycle over six appearances, in three pairs. The first concert (Op. 18. No. 2;

Op. 95 & Op. 130) will feature the Quartet seated directly in the center of the hall and audience surrounding them

on all sides, (“Beethoven Up Close” seating). The second concert (Op. 18, No. 1; Op. 74; and Op. 131) culminates

with the tremendous, seven-movement Op. 131.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016 12PM

LIVE MUSIC MEDITATION WITH THE TAKÁCS STRING QUARTET

As part of the Mindfulness with Music series, join Associate Dean of Religious Life, Matt Weiner, in a free guided

meditation to live music performed by the Takács String Quartet. Further details TBA.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017 8PM • “Beethoven Up Close” seating • Post-concert Talk Back hosted by Professor


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Thursday, January 19, 2017 8PM • Pre-concert talk by Professor Emeritus Scott Burnham, free to ticketholders


Beethoven String Quartets: Concerts 3 & 4 – Over the course of two consecutive days, the Takács present six

quartets spanning Beethoven’s early, middle, and late periods. The first concert features Op. 18, No. 5; Op. 18, No.

4; and Op 132. The second features Op. 18, No. 3; Op. 59, No. 2; and Op. 127. Following the concert on January

19, amateur string players will be invited to the stage to jam with the Quartet members in the annual Late Night

Chamber Jam.

Thursday, February 9, 2017 8PM

ESTONIAN PHILHARMONIC CHAMBER CHOIR* • KASPARS PUTNINS, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY CHAPEL

“Northern Land & Spirit,” Choral works by Arvo Pärt, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Veljo Tormis and Jean

Sibelius – In their first visit to the Northeast since selling out Carnegie Hall in 2014, the 25-voice Grammy-

nominated ensemble will fill the resounding University Chapel with favorites from Northern Europe.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017 6PM & 9PM (PUC125: audience seated onstage)

Colin Currie*, percussion: “Percussion Alive!” – One of the most internationally sought-after solo percussionists

of our time will show music at its most primal, liberating and unexpected as he performs feats of percussion

acrobatics. His collaborator for this multimedia event will be projection artist Craig Winslow. Winslow is

currently an Adobe Creative Resident – a program that gives talented, emerging creative professionals the

opportunity to spend a full year working on their dream projects. In this collaboration live projections will bring

Currie’s instruments to life in unimaginable ways.

Sunday, February 19, 2017 3PM


“England’s Green” – A salute to British composers including Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Gerald

Finzi, John McCabe, Benjamin Britten and Edward Elgar.

Thursday, March 2, 2017 8PM

Musical Preview at 7PM by Princeton University juniors Sarah and Solene LeVan, free to ticketholders

Class with a member of the Hagen Quartet coaching Princeton students on the morning of March 2. Further Details

TBA.

HAGEN STRING QUARTET

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Works by Franz Schubert, Dmitri Shostakovich and Antonin Dvořák – Heralded by Vienna’s Die Presse as “the

highest art of existence” and incontestably ruling the European chamber music scene for three decades, the

Hagen’s return to Princeton has been eagerly anticipated for the past five years.

Saturday, March 11, 2017 1PM

MEET THE MUSIC: A FAMILY CONCERT FOR KIDS AGES 6-12

“Albert & Wolfgang” – The musicians of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and host Bruce

Adolphe return on Pi Day Weekend with a program that honors Princeton’s own Albert Einstein.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017 8PM • “Beethoven Up Close” seating • Post-concert Talk Back hosted by Professor


Thursday, March 16, 2017 8PM • Pre-concert talk by Professor Emeritus Scott Burnham, free to ticketholders


Beethoven String Quartets: Concerts 5 & 6 – In the first concert (Op. 18, No. 6; Op. 135; Op. 59, No. 3) of this

final pair of the Cycle’s concerts, the Takács present the last quartet Beethoven wrote a mere five months before

his death. The Beethoven Series closes with three celebrated works from the master’s middle and late periods (Op.

59, No. 1; Op. 130; Op. 133). After this season, the Takács Quartet will no longer perform the Beethoven quartet

cycle in its entirety; this performance marks a final bow for the legendary interpreters.

Thursday, March 30, 2017 6PM (PUC125: audience seated onstage)

BENJAMIN BAGBY,* VOICE/ANGLO-SAXON HARP

“Beowulf: the epic book in performance” – Accompanied by a six-string lyre, the legendary adventures of

Beowulf will be recited, chanted, and sung in the original Old English in a production critically-acclaimed for

almost two decades. Projection artist Craig Winslow returns to Princeton to collaborate with Bagby on setting the

ambience for this monumental tale.

Sunday, April 9, 2017 3PM


“Looking Forward, Looking Back” – From the Renaissance to the Modern Day, works by American composer

Augusta Reade Thomas, Marco Uccellini, Antonio Vivaldi, Arvo Pärt and the premiere of a work by Princeton

Composer/Faculty Juri Seo

Thursday, April 13, 2017 7:30PM

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Béla Fleck,* banjo • Abigail Washburn,* banjo/voice

Music of Appalachia – Béla Fleck is one of the most innovative and influential banjo players of all time, having

been nominated for a Grammy in more musical categories than any other artist in history. The collaboration with

the soulful singing and claw-hammer style of his wife and fellow banjoist, Abigail Washburn, is one of the most

magical in his catalogue. In a season anchored by timeworn masterworks, Fleck and Washburn offer a chamber

taste of the newer roots of Appalachia’s great vernacular music in this special event.

Thursday, April 20, 2017 8PM

PAMELA FRANK,* VIOLIN • CHRISTIAN TETZLAFF, VIOLIN

Musical Preview at 7PM by Princeton Girlchoir, free to ticketholders

Lecture and workshop with Frank and her husband Howard Nelson on April 3. Further details TBA.

Violin duos by Jean-Marie Leclair, Sergei Prokofiev, Béla Bartók and Johann Sebastian Bach – Two of the

most revered violinists of our time come together for a special evening of rarely performed works for two violins.

Sunday, April 30, 2017 5PM & 7:30PM (PUC125: audience seated onstage)

PEKKA KUUSISTO,* VIOLIN • NICO MUHLY,* PIANO

“Breaking Ground” – In the last PUC125 program of the season, the Finnish virtuoso with “the most

personal sound of any classical violinist now alive” (The Telegraph) joins the youngest composer ever

commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera for a hallmark program combining the music of J.S. Bach with

contemporary fare.

Monday, May 1, 2017 12PM

LIVE MUSIC MEDITATION WITH PEKKA KUUSISTO, VIOLIN

As part of the Mindfulness with Music series, join Associate Dean of Religious Life, Matt Weiner, in a free, guided

meditation to live music performed on electric violin by Pekka Kuusisto. Further details TBA.

Thursday, May 11, 2017 8PM

Pre-concert reading at 7PM by winners of 2016-17 Creative Reactions Contest

MURRAY PERAHIA, PIANO PADEREWSKI MEMORIAL CONCERT

Having first graced PUC’s stage at the very start of his career, forty years later Perahia returns to Princeton as

one of the most influential pianists in history. It is an honor to have him close the season with one of his

trademark unrepeatable evenings.

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TICKET INFORMATION

SINGLE TICKET PRICES

Concert Classics Series Concerts – 9 Thursday Nights

Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano; Belcea String Quartet; Sergei Babayan, piano & Daniil Trifonov, piano; Takács

String Quartet (2 concerts); Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir; Hagen String Quartet; Pamela Frank, violin

& Christian Tetzlaff, violin; Murray Perahia, piano.

$50, $40, $25 general / $10 students with valid ID

PUC125 Series – 4 pairs of one-hour concerts presented in the round on the Richardson stage of Alexander Hall

Augustin Hadelich, violin & Pablo Sáinz Villegas guitar; Colin Currie, percussion; Benjamin Bagby, voice/Anglo-

Saxon harp; Pekka Kuusisto, violin & Nico Muhly, piano.

$25 general / $10 students with valid ID

Beethoven Up Close Series – performed by Takács Quartet, hosted by Princeton Professor Emeritus Scott

Burnham

While two of the concerts in the Beethoven Complete String Quartet Cycle are part of the Concert Classics Series,

the remaining four are presented in an intimate in-the-round setup.


Special Event

Béla Fleck, banjo & Abigail Washburn, banjo/voice


Family Concerts – 2 Concerts

$10 adults / $5 kids, buy both and save 10% off single ticket prices

Richardson Chamber Players – 3 Sunday afternoon concerts featuring Princeton’s resident ensemble of

performance faculty, distinguished guest artists and supremely talented students


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HOW TO BUY SINGLE TICKETS:

ONLINE

princetonuniversityconcerts.org

BY PHONE, as of Tuesday, September 6, 2016

609-258-9220

IN PERSON

Frist Campus Center Box Office (open Monday-Saturday, 11am-5pm), after September 6, 2016

SUBSCRIPTION PRICES (the best deal):

Concert Classics Series - 9 Thursday night concerts, save up to 30%

$310, $255, $140

Make Your Own Series

Choose 3 or more different concerts from all of our offerings, except PUC125, and save 10% off single ticket

prices.

Richardson Chamber Players – 3 Sunday Afternoon Concerts

All subscriptions just $39 or add these concerts to a Concert Classics series for just $24

HOW TO BUY SUBSCRIPTION TICKETS:

All subscriptions must be bought through the Concert Office. To subscribe, call 609-258-2800 [Monday-Friday,

10am-4pm] or visit princetonuniversityconcerts.org

For further information please contact Dasha Koltunyuk at 609-258-6024 or [email protected]

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2016-2017 SEASON CONCERTS-AT-A-GLANCE

Thursday, September 29, 2016 at 6PM & 9PM – one hour concerts with audience onstage

AUGUSTIN HADELICH, Violin

PABLO SÁINZ VILLEGAS, Guitar

Thursday, October 6, 2016 8PM*

JAMIE BARTON, Mezzo-soprano

JAMES BAILLIEU, Piano

Thursday, October 13, 2016 at 8PM*

BELCEA STRING QUARTET

Sunday, October 16, 2016 at 3PM

RICHARDSON CHAMBER PLAYERS: “Melting Pot”

Thursday, October 27, 2016 at 8PM*

SERGEI BABAYAN, Piano

DANIIL TRIFONOV, Piano

Saturday, November 5, 2016 at 1PM

BABY GOT BACH

Tuesday, November 15 & Thursday, November 17,* 2016 at 8PM


Wednesday, January 18 & Thursday, January, 19*, 2017 at 8PM*


Thursday, February 9, 2017 at 8PM in the Princeton University Chapel

ESTONIAN PHILHARMONIC CHAMBER CHOIR

Tuesday, February 14, 2017 at 6PM & 9PM – one hour concerts with audience onstage

COLIN CURRIE, percussion

Sunday, February 19, 2017 at 3PM

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RICHARDSON CHAMBER PLAYERS: “England’s Green”

Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 8PM*

HAGEN STRING QUARTET

Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 1PM

MEET THE MUSIC: “Albert & Wolfgang”

Wednesday, March 15 & Thursday, March 16*, 2017 at 8PM


Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 6PM – one hour concert with audience onstage

BENJAMIN BAGBY, Voice/Anglo-Saxon harp

Sunday, April 9, 2017 at 3PM

RICHARDSON CHAMBER PLAYERS: “Looking Forward, Looking Back”

Thursday, April 13, 2017 at 7:30PM

BÉLA FLECK, Banjo

ABIGAIL WASHBURN, Banjo/Voice

Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 8PM*

PAMELA FRANK, Violin

CHRISTIAN TETZLAFF, Violin

Sunday, April 30, 2017 at 5PM & 7:30PM – one hour concerts with audience onstage

PEKKA KUUSISTO, Violin

NICO MUHLY, Piano

Thursday, May 11, 2017 8PM*

MURRAY PERAHIA, Piano

*Pre-concert event one hour prior to the performance, free to all ticketholders

All concerts take place at Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall, unless otherwise noted.

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