(PRINCETON, NJ) -- On Tuesday, January 30 at 4:00pm, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s BRAVO! Listen Up! Exhibition featuring student artwork and writing created in response to Erwin Schulhoff’s Concerto for String Quartet and Winds opens at the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP). Participating middle school students will be on hand to discuss their works and their interaction with Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s guest ensemble the Lark Quartet who performed the concerto with the orchestra on October 29.
Made up of Deborah Buck, violin I; Basia Danilow, violin II; Kathryn Lockwood, viola; and Caroline Stinson, cello, the Lark Quartet inspired students with the on-stage performance of the Schulhoff concerto as well as with shorter compositions at a workshop held this fall at the Arts Council. Music Director Rossen Milanov stopped by and contributed to the discussions on personal interpretations of music. ACP Instructor Susan Hoenig highlighted well-known visual artists who have created works in response to music, and guided the students in their artistic reflections. Over the course of several weeks, the students gave form to their own creative ideas in writing and visual art.
Thirty-four students from 9 area middle schools make up this season’s Listen Up! artists and writers:
The Cambridge School - Izzy Almeida, Kyle Daly, Emily Harrison; John Witherspoon Middle School - Angelina Chen, Sophie Lin, Bolin Shen, Chloe Wright, Jimmy (James) Weinstein, Anne Xu; Montgomery Lower Middle School - Chloe Sun, Jennifer Tian, Josephine Vala, Haoran Xu; Montgomery Upper Middle School - Dina Dank, Skyler Galatro, Janey Ryu, Isabella Weigand; Princeton Charter School - Maya Meehan-Ritter, Kaushik Rathuryan, Doug Selig, Greta Yuan; Ranney School - Rowan Johnson, Grace Nivera; Timberlane Middle School - Raelynn Cui, Paige Haaf, Dylan Kalina, Evelyn Lansing; St. Paul's School of Princeton - Thomas Banfe, Patrick Powichrowski, Isabella Sagarese, Olivia Troiano, Noah Trupin; Stuart Country Day School - Jasmine Ma, Abby Zhou.
Now in its eleventh year, Listen Up! is an art response program which encourages creativity through active listening. To date, it has engaged nearly 285 students. Online galleries featuring previous years’ student artwork can be accessed via our website at princetonsymphony.org under PSO BRAVO! Listen Up!
All PSO BRAVO! programs are free to participating students and schools thanks to the support of generous sponsors who believe in the importance of the arts in education. To learn more about Listen Up! or other PSO BRAVO! education programs or to offer support, call the symphony office at (609) 497-0020.
The students’ visual and literary works will be on display Tuesday, January 30 – Monday, February 26 at the Arts Council of Princeton’s Paul Robeson Center, 102 Witherspoon Street, 2nd Floor lobby, during regular gallery hours. Both the opening reception and exhibit are free and open to the public.
ABOUT PSO BRAVO! EDUCATION PROGRAMS
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s acclaimed PSO BRAVO! education programs reach more than 10,000 students each year. Meet the Orchestra! establishes PSO musicians in teaching partnerships at more than 30 public, private, and special-needs elementary schools throughout Central New Jersey, and stages full-orchestra performances for elementary school students each spring. At the middle school level, Listen Up! invites students to attend Classical Series concerts and create visual art in response to the music they hear. Advanced high school and college instrumentalists participate in public masterclasses with world-renowned artists. From kindergarten through college, PSO BRAVO! inspires the next generation of musicians and audiences.
ABOUT THE PRINCETON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is a cultural centerpiece of the Princeton community and one of New Jersey’s finest music organizations, a position established through performances of beloved masterworks, innovative music by living composers, and an extensive network of educational programs offered to area students free of charge. Led by Music Director Rossen Milanov, the PSO presents orchestral, pops, and chamber music programs of the highest artistic quality, supported by lectures and related events that supplement the concert experience. Through PSO BRAVO!, the orchestra produces wide-reaching and impactful education programs in partnership with local schools and arts organizations that culminate in students attending their first live orchestral performance. With considerable community support and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the PSO is also a multiple-year recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ highest honors. The PSO has been recognized for its commitment to new music with an ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and a Copland Fund Award. The only independent, professional orchestra to make its home in Princeton, the PSO performs at historic Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University.
