Princeton University's Music Department is all set to mesmerize music lovers with an extraordinary lineup of concerts and events that promise to captivate every soul. From the enchanting Isidore String Quartet and the Grammy-winning Chanticleer Vocal Ensemble to the debut of violin legend Janine Jansen, this season boasts a spectacular array of performances. The events, ranging from speed dating to live music meditation, offer a unique blend of classic and contemporary, promising an unforgettable experience on the historic campus.

A Harmonious Journey: Princeton University's Musical Extravaganza

The Princeton University Music Department is set to host a series of captivating concerts and events that promise to bring diverse musical experiences to life. From speed dating to classical performances, this season's lineup includes unique events such as the 'Do-Re-Meet' speed dating concerts, the debut of renowned artists like Christian Gerhaher and Raphaël Feuillâtre, and cultural explorations through the music of Iran. Each event, held on the historic Princeton campus, offers a chance to experience music in new and unexpected ways.

The Vibrant Symphony of Princeton University Concerts: A Showcase of Global Talent

Princeton University is set to become a hub of musical brilliance with a series of captivating events that blend melody, heritage, and storytelling. From speed dating for music lovers to performances by world-renowned artists, these events promise to offer something for everyone. Whether you're exploring the delicate lieder of Schumann, the vibrant guitar soundscapes of Raphaël Feuillâtre, or the poignant kamancheh tales of Kayhan Kalhor, each event seeks to celebrate the diverse expressions of musical artistry.

Harmony, Heritage, and Heartbeats: Princeton University Concerts

This March, Princeton University Music Department hosts a series of captivating events that promise to enthrall music enthusiasts. From the rhythmic explorations of Inspector Pulse to intimate speed dates for singles and mesmerizing performances by world-renowned musicians like Thomas Dunford and Mitsuko Uchida, the lineup is diverse and extraordinary. Whether it's a guided music meditation or an exhilarating chamber orchestra performance, this array of events is set to offer a rich tapestry of musical experiences that are as educational as they are entertaining.

A Symphony of Events: Princeton’s Musical March 2025 Extravaganza

This spring, Princeton University Music Department is set to captivate audiences with an eclectic mix of musical events. From the rhythmic investigations of Inspector Pulse to the charismatic performances of world-renowned artists like Thomas Dunford, Mitsuko Uchida, and Jess Gillam, there's something for every music enthusiast. Whether you're exploring the heartbeat of music with Inspector Pulse or experiencing the transformative power of a live music meditation, these events promise unforgettable experiences on the picturesque Princeton campus.

A Symphony of Events: Princeton University Music Department's Line-Up

With her natural energy, infectious personality and talent to spare, 26-year-old saxophone wonder Jess Gillam was the first saxophonist to reach the finals of BBC Young Musician and the youngest-ever soloist to perform at the Last Night of the Proms. She was also the first solo saxophonist to appear on PUC’s season when she made her jaw-dropping debut on the Performances Up Close series in 2022. She will now be the first-ever saxophonist to appear on the PUC’s mainstage Concert Classics series as she continues to redefine the capabilities of her extraordinary instrument.

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Princeton University Concerts presents Jess Gillam, Saxophone, with Thomas Weaver, Piano

Princeton University

Clarinetist Martin Fröst, celebrated for his infectious energy and uncanny ability to completely transform his instrument, returns after a stunning 2018 debut to join forces with ECHO Klassik Award-winning violist Antoine Tamestit, alongside the exceptional pianist Shai Wosner, whose “sensitivity and technical brilliance captivate audiences worldwide” (BBC Music Magazine). And when world-renowned, visionary virtuosos who have each earned a place among the elite of their instruments come together in a rare joint appearance, the result is sure to be nothing short of musical alchemy. The three trailblazing titans bring a program featuring their own transcriptions of music rooted in folklore and dance, showcasing a collective artistry that will be sure to enchant and leave you dancing in your seat.

Princeton University Concerts presents Martin Fröst, Clarinet, Antoine Tamestit, Viola, and Shai Wosner, Piano

After an instantly sold-out performance in March 2022, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and pianist Mitsuko Uchida return for two more breathtaking concerti by W.A. Mozart conducted from the piano, paired with Leoš Janáček’s woodwind sextet, Mládí (Youth). The orchestra last brought their visionary spirit to our 2023-24 season with an unforgettable Virtual Reality installation. Their long-term partnership with legendary pianist, one of the greatest living interpreters of Mozart’s keyboard music, is another “totally absorbing,” (The Guardian) unmissable experience. Get your tickets quickly!

Princeton University Concerts presents the Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Mitsuko Uchida, Piano

Breathe in sound and silence through guided meditation as you listen to music more viscerally than ever before, meditating to the playing of lutist Thomas Dunford, guided by Matthew Weiner, Associate Dean in the Princeton University Office of Religious Life. This is a FREE, unticketed opportunity to indulge in attentive, focused, and mindful listening.

Live Music Meditation: Thomas Dunford, Lute

May you find someone cute before experiencing the lute, together! Meet other music-loving singles* in your age group by participating in 8-minute speed dates while enjoying catered appetizers on the historic Princeton University campus! Everyone will then head over to the concert hall for an unforgettable concert with lutist Thomas Dunford, who has been hailed as “the Eric Clapton of the lute.”

Do-Re-Meet

Following his unforgettable appearance with the Jupiter Ensemble as part of our 2022-23 season, Thomas Dunford now treats us to a program of works for solo lute that are sure to be a testimony to his reputation as a “rockstar of historical performance.”

Princeton University Concerts presents Thomas Dunford, Lute

The world’s greatest and only private ear, Inspector Pulse, inspects his own pulse and discovers the rhythm of life—the heartbeat! This leads him to explore stethoscopes and metronomes as well as a marimba, and concepts like tempo, beat, and polyrhythm!

Meet the Music: Inspector Pulse Takes His Pulse!

Our resident ensemble of Princeton University performance faculty presents, guest artists, and talented students a Sunday-afternoon program of mixed chamber works.

Princeton University Concerts presents the Richardson Chamber Players Spring Concert

A long-anticipated return by the beloved Takács Quartet also serves as the debut of legendary pianist and composer Sir Stephen Hough. These revered musicians combine forces in a work often referred to as the pinnacle of Brahms’ chamber music: his fiery Piano Quintet, Op. 34. In addition to a string quartet by Beethoven, allegedly inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the program also includes a new string quartet written by Hough for the Takács Quartet.

Princeton University Concerts presents Takács String Quartet with Sir Stephen Hough, Piano

Breathe in sound and silence through guided meditation as you listen to music more viscerally than ever before, meditating to the playing of kamancheh (Iranian spiked fiddle) player Kayhan Kalhor, guided by Matthew Weiner, Associate Dean in the Princeton University Office of Religious Life. This is a FREE, unticketed opportunity to indulge in attentive, focused, and mindful listening.

Live Music Meditation: Kayhan Kalhor, Kamancheh

Three-time Grammy nominee Kayhan Kalhor, the world’s premier Grammy-nominated pipa virtuoso Wu Man, and Guggenheim Fellow and Grammy Award-winning tabla player Sandeep Das are established soloists in their individual traditions. These artists, who forged a relationship through their work as part of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, will join forces to create a new trio that highlights the ancient traditions of Persia, China and India in a 21st century program.

Princeton University Concerts presents the DoosTrio

In the wake of the Iranian revolution, teenage Kayhan Kalhor left his homeland and family with nothing but a backpack and his beloved kamancheh (an Iranian bowed string instrument) in tow. Since that time, he has built an international reputation as one of the most famous performers and composers from Iran — touring with the New York Philharmonic; collaborating with John Adams as part of Carnegie Hall’s Perspectives Series; being nominated for five GRAMMY Awards; and winning a 2017 GRAMMY Award with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, of which he is an original member. And yet, the constantly shifting political situations in Iran and the U.S. have continued to complicate both his personal and his professional life. Get to know this extraordinary individual, who has continuously put his dedication to music and his culture above profound loss, anti-Muslim sentiment, and political unrest, in a conversation permeated by live performance, moderated by award-winning international correspondent for National Public Radio, Deborah Amos.

Princeton University Concerts presents “Finding Home in the Music of Iran”

The Djibouti-French 28-year-old phenom makes his Princeton University Concerts debut amid his meteoric rise as the new voice of classical guitar. In an hour-long program — grounded in translating works originally written for baroque instruments into the vibrant soundscape of the guitar — he will showcase some of the music included in his debut album for the Deutsche Grammophon as one of the only guitarists to have ever been signed by this storied label.

Princeton University Concerts presents Raphaël Feuillâtre, Guitar

In 1988, philosophy student Christian Gerhaher asked his friend Gerold Huber to read through some of Robert Schumann’s vocal works. Fast forward three decades, and the duo — firmly established as “the greatest partnership in singing” (The New York Times) — released an award-winning 11-disc box set of nearly 300 of the composer’s songs on the Sony label. Having brought their expertise to the world’s most venerated concert hall, they now make their Princeton University Concerts debut sharing some of these gems in a program that places Schumann’s lesser-known lieder alongside his beloved Liederkreis, Op. 39, deemed one of the greatest song cycles of the 19th century. This is an unmissable opportunity to immerse in the composer’s vocal writing performed by the one of the most fascinating lieder duos of our time.

Princeton University Concerts presents Christian Gerhaher, Baritone and Gerold Huber, Piano

Get to know pianist Sir Stephen Hough before he makes his Princeton University Concerts debut (Thursday, February 20, 2025 with the Takács String Quartet) by reading his Financial Times Book of the Year collection of essays on music and life, as part of this hybrid in-person and virtual book group presented in partnership with the Princeton Public Library. The book group will culminate in a keynote event with Sir Stephen Hough on Friday, January 10, 2025 at 12:30PM (EST) on Zoom. Participants of this book club will be automatically registered for the keynote and will have the opportunity to pre-submit their questions to Sir Stephen Hough.

"Rough Ideas" by Stephen Hough

Ask any young violinist which professional artist they most revere, and they will most likely respond: Janine Jansen. Ask any violin aficionado, in fact, and they will say the same. 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 Kozukhin performing some of the most beloved works for violin and piano duo in the repertory.

Princeton University Concerts presents Janine Jansen, Violin, and Denis Kozhukhin, Piano

The much-celebrated, Grammy-winning vocal ensemble makes its return for a classic holiday program of a cappella choral music, ranging from Renaissance masterworks to roof-raising spirituals within the magical setting of the Princeton University Chapel.

Princeton University Concerts presents Chanticleer Vocal Ensemble

Princeton University Chapel

Our resident ensemble of Princeton University performance faculty and talented students presents a Sunday-afternoon program of songs with and without words written by female composers on both sides of the Atlantic.  Songs for mezzo-soprano and piano by prolific lieder composer Josephine Lang and for mezzo-soprano and mixed chamber ensemble by Dame Ethel Smyth bookend the program, with works for string quartet, solo piano, and flute, viola, and harp, that reference American, Jamaican, and European song and poetry in between.

Princeton University Concerts presents the Richardson Chamber Players Fall Concert

Find your perfect harmony among music-loving singles* in your age group by participating in 8-minute speed dates while enjoying catered appetizers on the historic Princeton University campus! Everyone will then head over to the concert hall to experience the trailblazing Isidore String Quartet. May you enjoy Isidore with a fellow music-lover you adore!

Breathe in sound and silence through guided meditation as you listen to music more viscerally than ever before, meditating to the playing of the Isidore String Quartet, guided by Matthew Weiner, Associate Dean in the Princeton University Office of Religious Life. This is a FREE, unticketed opportunity to indulge in attentive, focused, and mindful listening.

Live Music Meditation: Isidore String Quartet

Two of today’s finest string quartets become even more than the sum of their parts in octets by Felix Mendelssohn and George Enescu as they return to Princeton University Concerts the evening prior to heading to Carnegie Hall. These monumental works—each, incredibly, written by the prodigious composers in their teens—are quintessential representations of the form, showcasing the sonic power and rich, multilayered possibilities of an octet configuration.

Princeton University Concerts presents Ébène and Belcea String Quartets

The Donna Weng Friedman ’80 Masterclass Series presents a masterclass with celebrated oboist Elaine Douvas on Sunday, November 10th, at 2PM. The Series provides students from across campus the unique opportunity to connect one-on-one with renowned performers in a workshop format that is open to the public.

A Masterclass with Elaine Douvas, oboist

Since making his Princeton University Concerts (PUC) debut seven years ago when he was just 24-years-old, British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor has firmly established himself as one of the most important pianists to emerge in several decades. The program that he brings for his long-awaited return is a testament to the jaw-dropping range of his virtuosity — the profound intimacy of Brahms’ Intermezzi Op. 117 and the passion of Robert Schumann’s great Fantasy in C Major Op. 17 (“perhaps the most impassioned music I have ever written,” in the composer’s own words) will culminate with Mussorgsky’s fiendishly difficult and imaginative Pictures at an Exhibition. As the bells of the Great Gate of Kiev sound in the work’s grand finale, you will hear for yourself why this poet of the piano was named one of the top 50 pianists ever on record by Gramophone in 2023.

Princeton University Concerts presents Benjamin Grosvenor, Piano

At a time when very few artists take a clear political stand, piano legend Igor Levit speaks out on social and political issues often – on his social media channels, as a frequent guest on prominent European talk shows, playing at the national convention in Germany, performing at demonstrations on behalf of social inclusion, protesting climate change at his concerts, dedicating his albums to social causes, playing living room concerts on Twitter, and more. His commitment to using his platform and artistry for the betterment of the world has earned him the International Beethoven Prize for Human Rights, Statue B of the International Auschwitz Committee, and Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. This has also come at a cost — Levit has played under police protection after receiving antisemitic death threats. This artist is the epitome of a musician-activist, and this event will be a fascinating way to get to know him as an individual in a conversation permeated by live performance, moderated by award-winning international correspondent for National Public Radio, Deborah Amos.

Princeton University Concerts presents “Pianist and Advocate for Change”

The Donna Weng Friedman ’80 Masterclass Series presents a masterclass with acclaimed pianist Min Kwon on Sunday, November 3rd, at 2PM. The Series provides students from across campus the unique opportunity to connect one-on-one with renowned performers in a workshop format that is open to the public.

A Masterclass with Min Kwon, pianist

Please join us for a performance by Princeton University’s top jazz small group opening for a return performance of the Princeton University faculty jazz sextet featuring Rudresh Mahanthappa (alto saxophone), Ted Chubb (trumpet), Michelle Lordi (voice), Matthew Parrish (bass), Jerome Jennings (drums) and special guest Charles Dutta ’27 (piano).

Jazz Small Group I and PU Faculty Jazz Sextet

A fly-on-the-wall documentary following pianist Igor Levit (who will appear at Princeton University Concerts on October 30 and November 3) from the final recordings of his Beethoven piano sonata cycle and into the beginning of Covid lockdown, when public music-making stopped and Levit gave a series of concerts from his apartment in Berlin. The film offers a fascinating look at the day-to-day life of a world-class artist: going from concert to studio to sleep, all the while feeding the social media beast, which will eventually turn into an important medium for Levit during Covid lockdown.

The Music of Strangers (Film)

Princeton Garden Theatre

James Moore presents a set of compositions for his acoustic ensemble The Hands Free. The set will feature a new song cycle on texts by Irish language poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill with English translations by Paul Muldoon.

James Moore: Music for The Hands Free

Igor Levit has become one of the “one of the essential artists of his generation” (The New York Times). Nine years after his Princeton University Concerts debut, he returns at long last with a program that combines his trademark interpretations of J.S. Bach and Johannes Brahms’ music with Liszt’s colossal transcription of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony — “Forget four-hands piano: Levit seemed to be playing with six or eight. He generated the breadth, force and baffling volume of a full orchestra,” wrote The New York Times following his performance of another Beethoven symphony at Carnegie Hall last season. Now we have the glorious opportunity of witnessing this transformation of the instrument by one of the most awe-inspiring pianists of our time.

Princeton University Concerts presents Igor Levit, Piano

Princeton University faculty member Juri Seo’s ‘Birds, Bees, Electric Fish’ is a 30-minute work that imagines the perceptual worlds experienced by non-human organisms. Scored for 2 flutists and 2 percussionists, it will be performed by flute and percussion duo Caballito Negro with guest performers. The program also features new works for the performers by faculty member Jason Treuting, and graduate student composers Hope Littwin and Isaac Santos.

Princeton Sound Kitchen presents Juri Seo: ‘Birds, Bees, Electric Fish,’ Caballito Negro and guests

Princeton University Sinfonia presents their first concert of the 2024-25 season.

Princeton University Sinfonia in Concert

The Princeton University Glee Club joins the Ndlovu Youth Choir in concert.

Princeton University Glee Club with the Ndlovu Youth Choir

PSK’s second Mixtape concert for the academic year, in which various artists and ensembles—including star accordionist Iwo Jedynecki—perform new works by Princeton University graduate student composers Ellie Cherry, Gladstone Deluxe, Liam Elliot, Jeff Snyder, Max Vinetz, and Justin Wright.

Princeton Sound Kitchen presents Mixtape 2

A relaxed performance curated for kids ages 3-6 and their families. Featuring host Rami Vamos and artists from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (“CMS”), this inclusive concert experience is adapted for neurodiverse audiences, including children with autism or other special needs. The performance is presented in a judgment-free environment, and is less formal and more supportive of sensory, communication, movement, and learning needs.

CMS Kids

Lewis Arts Complex

Join us at the Princeton Public Library to dive into national bestseller The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer, a novel set in the aftermath of the Iranian revolution, in context of Princeton University Concerts’ upcoming event with renowned Iranian musician Kayhan Kalhor on Wednesday, February 12, 2025 at 7:30PM as part of the Healing with Music series. This hybrid in-person and virtual book group will culminate in a keynote event on Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 7PM (EST) on Zoom with award-winning international correspondent for National Public Radio Deborah Amos, whose reporting on the Middle East and refugees in the U.S. is regularly featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, and All Things Considered, and Iranian-born, American author Dalia Sofer. Participants of this book club will be automatically registered for the keynote and will have the opportunity to pre-submit their questions to Deborah Amos and Dalia Sofer.

"The Septembers of Shiraz" by Dalia Sofer

Princeton Public Library

Imagination is often conceptualized as an entirely unbounded creative capacity that eludes empirical explanation. But methods have emerged that allow a more systematic investigation of complex, multimodal imaginings. Despite historical reliance on terminology that implies a complete disconnection between the imagination and the perceptual environment (“stimulus-independent thought”, “task-unrelated thought”), research has increasingly shown that aspects of the current environment can systematically influence the content and trajectory of mind-wandering and spontaneous thought.

Music-Evoked Imaginings Workshop

Legendary jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant returns with an ensemble of renowned improvisers from genres spanning early music, jazz, folk, and electronic music to create a new type of folk song inspired by timeless and universal stories. This original fusion of Baroque music, vaudeville, Sappho, and folkloric material of Europe and the Americas will be expressed through the voice of one of the most gifted vocalists and prolific storytellers of our time.

Princeton University Concerts presents Cécile McLorin Salvant, Vocals, and Friends

Inspired by the groundbreaking research carried out by the renowned ethnomusicologist and composer Béla Bartók during his time in Turkey in the 1930s, this concert juxtaposes compositions for string quartet, piano and traditional instrumental improvisations. Join Princeton faculty violinist, Anna Lim along with colleagues from Klasik Keyifler and the Hoppa Project, to explore the influence of Bartók at the intersection of traditional folk music and contemporary musical practices. We will perform works of his contemporaries including Akses, and Saygun who traveled with Bartók in Anatolia. Turkish composers Erberk Eryılmaz and Mahir Cetiz will offer new chamber works and co-moderate the program. In celebration of the many cultures of the region we will perform music of composers Komitas and Gurdjieff from the late Ottoman period. Oud virtuoso Ara Dinkjian and clarinet virtuoso İsmail Lumanovski will interweave improvised ’interludes” and traditional music from Anatolia. The US premiere of Cetiz’s new work “Laments and Dreams; a Meditation based on the works of Yaşar Kemal” will be presented.

In the Footsteps of Bartók: Collaborations and Improvisations

The Princeton University Orchestra presents its first program of the 2024-25 season, conducted by Michael Pratt. Kasey Shao ’25, winner of the 2023-24 Concerto Competition, will perform George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

Princeton University Orchestra

Unruly Sounds, now in its eighth year, returns to Hinds Plaza for an afternoon of music. Mika Godbole of Mantra Percussion curates this annual celebration of original music from Princeton University’s graduate music program and other area-based musicians. The all-day event features a wide variety of post classical / contemporary grooves. As in past years, the festival promises to keep to its tradition of highlighting fresh sounds and new compositions. Festival-goers are encouraged to walk around, sit, and eat, and experience the music in a relaxed atmosphere—dancing is encouraged! The festival’s primary objective is to pair new compositions and original music with a casual ambience to encourage accessibility and dialogue between composers and the community. In case of rain, the festival will move inside to the Community Room. This event is sponsored by jaZams, Orvana, Princeton Public Library, Princeton Record Exchange, Princeton Sound Kitchen, and Small World Coffee.

Unruly Sounds Music Festival 2024

The Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk), in collaboration with the 3D Audio and Applied Acoustics Lab (3D3A) present a unique spatial audio experience. Audiences will be immersed in a 3D audio system designed by Yue Qiao as part of his doctoral dissertation at Princeton. This system will place sound throughout the Lewis Arts Complex Forum space as an installation that occurs Sept 26th, 27th, 29th, and 30th, from 11am to 4pm. Music for the installation has been created by Claire Hu, Devin Greenwood, Yue Qiao, Moad Musbahi, Liam Elliot, and Tanay Mannikar. Additionally, PLOrk will perform a piece written for the system on September 27th at 5:30pm. Visitors are invited to move around and explore the sound environment! Free and open to the public.

Stand In Waves: Installation & Performance

Home Within is an audio-visual project of Syrian composer and clarinetist, Kinan Azmeh, and Syrian-Armenian visual artist, Kevork Mourad. In this work, art and music develop in counterpoint to each other, creating an impressionistic reflection on the Syrian revolution and its aftermath. Created with the intention of raising awareness for Syrian refugees, this work features original music by the clarinetist with live illustration depicting specific moments in Syria’s recent history. In addition to performing Home Within, the two artists — both members of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble — will join award-winning international correspondent for National Public Radio, Deborah Amos, to discuss the impact of war on our sense of “home,” and how they use image and sound to establish a sense of sustained urgency and continued hope for both their homeland and communities around the world.

Princeton University Concerts presents “Syria: Art in a Time of Crisis”

Join Princeton University Concerts (PUC) at the Princeton Garden Theatre for a screening of Grammy-nominated documentary The Music of Strangers, which follows members of the Silk Road Ensemble as they gather in locations across the world, exploring the ways art can both preserve traditions and shape cultural evolution. Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville and producer Caitrin Rogers focus on the personal journeys of artists appearing this season at Princeton University Concerts: Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh (appearing with live illustrator Kevork Mourad on September 26), Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor (appearing on February 12 and 13), Chinese pipa star Wu Man (appearing on February 13), and Galician bagpipe sensation and beloved past PUC artist Cristina Pato — to chronicle passion, talent, and sacrifice. Through these moving individual stories, the filmmakers paint a vivid portrait of a bold musical experiment and a global search for the ties that bind.

Sō Percussion’s 2012 celebration of John Cage’s explosive legacy blew the roof off Carnegie’s Zankel Hall! More than a decade later, we have updated the program, which features both Cage’s work and that of our current collaborators, to include cutting-edge music along with Cage’s timeless provocations. Favorite works such as the ultra-virtuosic, genre-defining Third Construction mix with ethereal chance-based pieces to express the huge range of Cage’s ideas and influence. Other composers featured include Pauline Oliveros, Jason Treuting, Caroline Shaw, claire rousay, Pamela Z, and Dan Deacon. 

A John Cage Celebration with Sō Percussion

This portrait concert features three Decoda artists and celebrates Reza Vali’s unique accomplishments and artistic identity. Dedicated to championing the work of living composers, Decoda has a particular history working with Vali, and brings forth an especially committed and informed interpretation of his distinct musical voice. This performance also marks the premiere of a new version of Vali’s work ‘Mystery of the Rose’ for flute, cello and piano.

A Portrait Concert Celebrating Reza Vali

Chancellor Green Rotunda

When does movement spill over from something we recognize as dance as an artistic and social form to something else? Something potentially otherworldly, whether ecstatic or demonic? This workshop explores medieval dance practices that went outside conventional and socially accepted frameworks, playing with the many meanings of bodily movement (and sometimes also sound) in the premodern period. Lunch will be provided.

Medieval Dance, Madness, Ecstasy: A Workshop

Woolworth Center

Princeton University graduate student composers present their original compositions.

WAY + Mixtape

Join your fellow music-lovers to read and discuss The Pianist from Syria: A Memoir by Aeham Ahmad — an astonishing account of a pianist’s escape from war-torn Syria. This hybrid in-person and virtual book group, presented in partnership with the Princeton Public Library, preludes Princeton University Concerts’ “Healing with Music” event on September 26, 2024 with Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and live illustrator Kevork Mourad featuring Home Within, an audio-visual project created in response to the Syrian revolution and its aftermath.

"The Pianist from Syria" by Aeham Ahmad

Princeton University ensemble-in-residence Sō Percussion perform two concerts—each with a different program—over two consecutive nights featuring new works by Princeton University graduate student composers. New works by Ellie Cherry, Francisco del Pino, Gladstone Deluxe, Kennedy Taylor Dixon, Liam Elliot, Aliayta Foon-Dancoes, Bobby Ge, Hannah Ishizaki, Travis Laplante, Lucy McKnight, Christian Quiñones, Isaac Santos, Nathan Schram, Max Vinetz, and Justin Wright.

Princeton Sound Kitchen presents Sō Percussion

Rafael Collado ’24 (Voice) performs a senior recital.

Certificate Recital: Rafael Collado, Voice

Certificate Recital: Lana Utley, Voice

Certificate Recital: Kimberly Shen, Piano

Final Concert for Music 106 – performance of the final projects from the class.

MUS 106 Final Concert

Certificate Recital: Tim Manley, Voice

Certificate Recital: Andrew Tao, Percussion

Join the Princeton Flute Studio for an evening of flute music featuring Yevgeny Morozov, piano, and the Sinfonia Flute Ensemble! The recital is free and open to the public. The students will be performing works by Bach, Prokofiev, Jolivet, Telemann, and more.

Princeton Flute Studio Recital

Join the members of the Princeton Vocal Consort for their Senior Recital performance, featuring motets, madrigals, jazz standards and more.

Vocal Consort Recital

Certificate Recital: Aster Zhang, Cello

MPP 219 presents two fully-staged performances of W.A Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”  Directed by David Kellett and conducted by Ruth Ochs.

MPP 219: Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”

Students in Jazz at Princeton’s Small Groups perform a spring concert. Small Group 1, directed by Miles Okazaki, and Small Group Z, directed by Ted Chubb will play selections that are a mixture of classic jazz repertoire and contemporary compositions. 

Jazz Small Groups 1 and Z

Certificate Recital: Haram Kim, Violin

Sinfonia concludes the season with a new work, The Broken Tree, by music major Toussaint Santicola Jones ’25, who has created his second symphonic work inspired by the art of Leonora Carrington. Two student musicians will take the stage as soloists with music exploring the beauty of two infrequently showcased instruments: the harp and the English horn. Dvořák’s final symphony also carries the title, “From the New World,” and is a tribute to the two years he spent living and teaching in the US. In his symphony, he blended European and American musical idioms into a  musical statement that is still widely popular.

Sinfonia Spring Concert

“The willingness of the Brentano String Quartet to step in on such short notice is truly remarkable, and we are deeply indebted to them for their flexibility and commitment to our audience — a commitment rooted in the ensemble’s residency in the Princeton University Department of Music (1999–2014). This truly feels like the ultimate realization of our motto, ‘the world’s most celebrated musicians among friends,’ — because these musicians have in many ways become some of our best friends.”

Brentano String Quartet

Opus, Princeton’s undergraduate-run chamber music collective, presents the final concert of its tenth anniversary season, featuring works by composers ranging from Schumann and Ravel to Yuri Lee ’27.

Opus presents: Birthday Bash

Students in Projects in Instrumental Performance: Chamber Music (MPP 213) perform a chamber music concert, featuring works by Mozart, Schubert, Dvorak, and Beethoven.

MPP 213 Final Chamber Music Concert

Jazz Small Groups A & X present a program of music encompassing both the historical and the modern expressions of this great American art form.

Jazz Small Groups A & X

Featuring music by Buxtehude, Biber, Hildegard von Bingen, and more.

Early Music Princeton Spring Concert

Free concert of masterworks arranged for large chamber ensemble, plus two world premieres by Princeton students

MPP 208 Players

Certificate Recital: Nina Shih, Violin

Join La Vie En Cello, Princeton’s all-cello ensemble, for our Spring 2024 Concert “On Repeat!”, featuring arrangements for cello ensemble of wide-ranging hits such as Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire”, Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin ‘Bout You”, Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine”, the Beatles’ “Hey Jude”, and other works from Radiohead and Queen. La Vie En Cello is a multi-genre collective of Princeton cellists, tackling works from classical to rock to jazz. We are sure that after listening to our our-long program, you’ll be wanting to keep those songs going, On Repeat!

La Vie En Cello Presents: On Repeat!

Certificate Recital: Konstantin Howard, Saxophone

Explore traditional music, Afrobeat, soukous, desert blues and Tuareg rock music from West and Central Africa, led by Director, Olivier Tarpaga.

African Music Ensembles Concert

Certificate Recital: Rohit Oomman, Jazz Guitar

Princeton Arts Fellow Kamara Thomas presents the first developmental production of her new musical theater work Xulgaria, featuring students from her spring course, the Princeton Playhouse Orchestra and Choir and guest artists from across the country. In this dark but hopeful fairy tale, two friends find themselves in an underworld of eternal winter—Xulgaria. On their journey they must face the great Bird-women who are the land’s rulers as they search for Spring and retrieve the parts of themselves thought lost. A talkback will follow the performance.

Xulgaria, a musical fairytale and ritual for healing by Kamara Thomas

 JAZZ VOCAL COLLECTIVE (JVC) is a small jazz ensemble that features solo voice and a rhythm section (e.g. piano, guitar, bass, and drums) and horns to create a collaborative musical experience. Under the direction of Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin, join JVC for a beautiful evening of songs from the great American songbook and beyond.

Jazz Vocal Collective Concert: Spring in Song

Princeton University Steel Band with Tiger Chunes

Following his appearance on Princeton University Concerts’ Concert Classics series with Mitsuko Uchida, PUC-fan-favorite pianist Jonathan Biss comes to the Healing with Music series alongside Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Adam Haslett for an intimate concert-conversation centered on anxiety, depression, and music. In addition to conversation and Q&A, the event will include live performance of piano works by Schubert and Schumann as well as excerpts from the author’s latest novel, Imagine Me Gone.

Jonathan Biss, Piano Adam Haslett, Writer

Princeton Camerata’s spring concert, featuring Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet as well as student soloist Sara Shiff. Come see our talented musicians showcase their hard work!

Princeton Camerata Spring Concert

Certificate Recital: Adithya Sriram, Saxophone

Certificate Recital: Isaac Yi, Saxophone

The Walter L. Nollner Memorial Concert – Dream of Gerontius

Gabriel Chalick ’24 (Jazz Trumpet) performs a senior recital.

Certificate Recital: Gabriel Chalick, Jazz Trumpet

The Princeton University Orchestra and Glee Club perform Edward Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, featuring soloists Anthony Dean Griffey, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen ’15, and Andrew Foster Williams.

This lecture reconsiders Mahler’s evolving reception of Nietzsche, focusing on the long-term impact of the philosopher’s break with Wagner. The release in April 1878 of Menschliches, Allzumenschliches pulled the rug from under a teenage composer already firmly committed to Wagnerian musical metaphysics as theorized in Die Geburt der Tragödie (1872). Eighteen years later, still smarting, he used the immense Third Symphony to stage a confrontation between the old and new Nietzsches, without settling the question. The early 1900s saw a harsh and dismissive new tack (related colorfully by a skeptical Alma Mahler), but soon an affinity for Nietzschean optimism and the ewige Wiederkehr emerged, albeit intermittently, in the creative works of the final decade. Through all these phases, Mahler grappled with a private ambivalence notably reminiscent of the traumas described in “Der Genesende,” Part III/13 of Also sprach Zarathustra. His difficulty coming to terms with Nietzsche thus seems itself Nietzschean, suggesting a deeper indebtedness than we have imagined.

Musicology Colloquium: Charles Youmans

Princeton University second-year graduate student composers, in partial fulfillment of the General Examination, create new works in response to the work of other, established artists. Various artists and ensembles perform the new works. New works by Ellie Cherry, kennedy taylor dixon, Bobby Ge, Travis Laplante, and Nathan Schram.

Princeton Sound Kitchen presents Generals Concert

The wind band has a rich and storied history, particularly in the United States (where it is often a young wind player’s first introduction to collaborative music making), with composers as well-known as Julie Giroux, John Philip Sousa, and Gustav Holst writing countless works for the medium. During our inaugural concert on April 14th, the Princeton University Wind Ensemble, Princeton University’s only concert band, will present works from both the traditional wind band canon and contemporary composers alike, including a special performance by the PUWE Chamber Brass Ensemble. Reception with refreshments to follow immediately afterward in the Lewis Center for the Arts Forum.

Princeton University Wind Ensemble Inaugural Concert

Certificate Recital: Soonyoung Kwon, Violin

Certificate Recital: Albert Zhou, Viola

Jazz Festival 2024

As the headliner of Jazz Festival 2024, Jazz at Princeton and the Program in Latin American Studies present the Creative Large Ensemble, directed by Darcy James Argue, with drummer/composer/MacArthur genius Dafnis Prieto.

Jazz Creative Large Ensemble

What are we supposed to make of a Renaissance mass whose audible engine is a lewd song? Cut Circle explores this question through the astonishingly ungroomed Missa L’ami Baudichon. The mass anchors a wide-ranging program of sacred and secular music by Josquin des Prez (1450–1521). 

Ungroomed Renaissance: Josquin’s Missa L’ami Baudichon; Songs and Motets

Certificate Recital: Amelia Kauffmann, Voice

In advance of Princeton University Concerts’ “Healing with Music” event Anxiety, Depression, and Music with pianist Jonathan Biss and writer Adam Haslett, begin the exploration with Biss’ audio book Unquiet: My Life with Beethoven into Haslett’s bestselling novel Imagine Me Gone through this book club presented in partnership with the Princeton Public Library.

"Imagine Me Gone" by Adam Haslett

South African soprano Golda Schultz has been gracing the stage of the world’s greatest opera houses—from the Metropolitan Opera to the Vienna State Opera. Equally at home in leading operatic roles as she is as a soloist with the world’s foremost orchestras and in the most venerated recital halls, she has quickly become a leading voice in a new generation of star singers. For her Princeton University Concerts debut, she brings the extraordinary warmth of her voice to a program hailed as “a love-letter to women in music” exploring themes of love, nature, folklore and belief from a distinctly female perspective. Discussing the program’s curation, she shares: “Emilie Mayer, whose music was never recorded, was a genius on the level with Beethoven, but she was forgotten the day after she died in 1883. Nadia Boulanger became one of the greatest pedagogues with a touch that defined American culture. Even when we forget these women, what they’ve done still remains.” 

Golda Schultz, Soprano / Jonathan Ware, Piano

As part of its tenth anniversary season, Opus, Princeton’s undergraduate-run chamber music collective, presents a collaborative concert with Penn Sforza, a newly formed club at the University of Pennsylvania dedicated to chamber music. The program will include works from the classical canon and selections from film scores.

Opus x Penn Sforza

This year, Saturday Morning Arts turns five! Join us for a joyous celebration of our Trenton and Princeton University students, featuring performances by Trenton Youth Dancers, Orchestra, Singers, and Theater. The event will conclude with a collaborative performance involving all four groups—a historic first for SMArts.

Saturday Morning Arts Fifth Anniversary Showcase

Pamela Z performs “Syrinx” for voice and electronics, along with other works.

Pamela Z Meets The Animal Song Collective

Choi Glass Box Theater

Princeton University Chamber Choir in association with the SSCM Conference presents Music in Memoriam: Singing about Death in Moscow, Salzburg, Dresden, Constantinople, and London. Featuring the Washington Cornett and Sackbutt ensemble, directed by Gabriel Crouch & Michael McCormick

Princeton University Music Department

Apr 10, 2025

Princeton University Concerts presents Jess Gillam, Saxophone, with Thomas Weaver, Piano

Apr 2, 2025

Princeton University Concerts presents Martin Fröst, Clarinet, Antoine Tamestit, Viola, and Shai Wosner, Piano

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