(EWING, NJ) -- The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) student Haley Wright, Class of 2023, was chosen to compose music for American Repertory Ballet (ARB). Her piano composition was paired with a dance performance in ARB’s digital 2021 spring season. Haley is an Interactive Multimedia (IMM) major in TCNJ’s School of the Arts and Communication.
The song, “Saudade”, draws inspiration from the Portuguese word’s inherent meaning of “nostalgia” with a sense of “hopefulness”. “Especially with the pandemic over the past year, the word saudade seemed an appropriate title for our time. We all have hope our society will eventually return to some version of normal,” Wright said. The American Repertory Ballet approached Haley about crafting the musical work after creating a short dance film to a song Wright composed called “Repeat” in June 2020.
“I completed the piece on piano during winter break. I created it to pick up from where ‘Repeat’ left off. ‘Saudade’ contains four composition sections, each one sculpted to convey emotional fluctuations,” Wright explained. She has performed ballet since an early age, and began dancing with the American Repertory Ballet as a trainee after high school in 2017. After a year, she was promoted to ARB's second company. She started attending TCNJ part time in 2018 until 2020, when she decided to enroll as a fulltime student.
Dean of TCNJ’s School of the Arts and Communication Maurice Hall says, “We are proud to enroll some of New Jersey’s most talented young performers. Accomplishments of multi-talented artists like Ms. Wright exemplify the school’s rich reputation for empowering students.”
American Repertory Ballet dance artist Ryoko Tanaka partnered with Wright to design corresponding choreography for the composition. “When I listened to ‘Saudade’ for the first time, it sounded like the music was talking to me. It was very emotional and powerful. I felt like the song was telling me a story,” Tanaka remarked. She has performed with American Repertory Ballet for three years and became a company member in 2018. The American Repertory Ballet’s virtual performance of “Saudade” in April marked Tanaka’s debut as a choreographer for the organization.
Founded in 1963, American Repertory Ballet’s mission is to bring the joy, beauty, artistry and discipline of classical and contemporary dance to New Jersey and nationwide audiences, and to dance students through artistic and educational programs. The organization comprises: the preeminent professional classical and contemporary ballet company in the state; Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest and most respected non-profit dance schools in the nation; and ARB’s Access & Enrichment initiatives, including the acclaimed DANCE POWER program, the longest continuously running community and arts partnership in New Jersey.
The School of the Arts and Communication is TCNJ’s interdisciplinary arts, performance, music, multimedia and communication studies branch. Proud to provide students with a top-tier liberal arts education, the School is an inclusive community of dedicated teaching professionals focused on preparing young minds to flourish as productive citizens in a complex world. Watch student films and music performances on ArtsComm DIGITAL, a brand-new digital platform by the School of the Arts and Communication.
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
