(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in Washington, DC, has announced that it is awarding $13,000 to The Princeton Festival in support of the Festival’s new production of Nixon in China, the acclaimed modern opera by NEA Opera honoree John Adams and librettist Alice Goodman.
“We are honored to receive this prestigious grant from the NEA,” said Richard Tang Yuk, the Festival’s Artistic and Executive Director. “Nixon in China is a landmark in American opera, a profound and mesmerizing work with broad audience appeal. The NEA’s award supports our effort to realize the opera’s full impact in a new production that brings out the human dimensions of its story.”
John Adams’ opera Nixon in China imbues a world-changing political event with the emotional charge more commonly found in personal dramas and mythological stories. Its poetic libretto is set to exciting and expressive music. While this contemporary masterpiece is relevant to today’s political and international situation, it also reminds us that human stories and motivations lie behind all political action.
The Princeton Festival has won five NEA grants in the company’s 15-year history. The Festival received awards in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014 for operas ranging from Ariodante by Handel to Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.
“Reflecting the diverse artistic richness of our nation, these Arts Endowment-funded projects are varied in their size, scope, and artistic discipline,” said Arts Endowment Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter. “The projects also illustrate the unique geographic reach of Arts Endowment funding, serving Americans in places large and small in all corners of the country.”
Nixon in China will be performed on June 23 and June 30 at 3:00pm in the Matthews Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, in Princeton. Tickets are available for purchase online or by calling 609-258-2787.
Other events in the Festival’s 2019 season, which begins June 7, include the musical She Loves Me, a jazz vocal concert by Jazzmeia Horn, three Baroque music concerts, and a piano recital with Rachel Cheung. A program of free lectures, films, workshops, and previews starts May 25.
