(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) promises to deliver an all-new, outdoor Princeton Festival June 10-25, 2022 with a cohesive campus plan, community cooperation, and exciting artists. A cadre of opera singers are poised to inhabit the comic characters of Derrick Wang's Scalia/Ginsburg and W.A. Mozart's The Impresario, as well as Benjamin Britten's full-length opera Albert Herring. Concerts featuring top performers such as Storm Large, the Signum Quartet, and Baroque ensemble The Sebastians ensure multiple evenings of first-rate, live music covering a variety of genres of yesterday and today.
After months of behind-the-scenes planning following the PSO’s merger with the Princeton Festival this past summer, Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov provides a glimpse of the combined organization’s visionary plans for the Festival. He says, “Building on the Princeton Festival’s unique 17-year history, we are embarking on a new vision of a summer festival filled with wonderful performances in a unique summer setting. We are welcoming our audiences with a wide spectrum of exciting events ranging from orchestral and chamber music performances, fully staged operas, popular entertainment, jazz, and baroque music to events designed to be enjoyed by the whole family. I have always dreamed of PSO having a summer presence, and look forward to connecting in a new and exciting way with our diverse community.”
Rossen Milanov, Marc Uys, and Gregory J-Geehern
The Layout - The Princeton Festival is moving outdoors with an enormous, state-of-the art, clear-span tent to be built on the grounds of Morven Museum & Garden. The performance structure is vast enough to encompass on-stage action and an orchestra pit, dressing rooms and other backstage areas, plus convertible seating plans designed to make every event a new audience experience. Lectures and receptions will take place in the Museum’s Stockton Education Center, and the gardens and lawn areas will be available for picnicking and other outdoor activities, contributing to the festival vibe.
Morven Museum & Garden Executive Director Jill Barry is looking forward to seeing the grounds of Morven transformed in support of the arts. She says, “Throughout the pandemic, we learned music and Morven are natural partners. The Festival will elevate summer concerts to new heights. With so many different performances in the historic setting, it will be an unparalleled experience for music lovers.”
It Takes a Community - Reimagining the 17-year-old Princeton Festival on such a spectacular scale takes careful planning and cooperation. Working behind the scenes with community leaders are Executive Director Marc Uys and Festival Director Gregory J. Geehern. Mr. Uys says, “We continue to meet with community leaders and influencers to explain our vision for the 2022 Princeton Festival. We have received so much positive feedback from everyone. It confirms all we are seeking to accomplish on behalf of the town of Princeton and those who appreciate the live performing arts.”
The PSO acknowledges that the 2022 Princeton Festival will be uniquely different from years past thanks to Mayor Mark Freda’s encouragement and assistance from the municipality of Princeton, the cooperation of Morven Museum & Garden, and the support of the PSO Board of Trustees and its Festival Advisory Board.
“This is truly exciting,” says Mayor Freda, “seeing how the Princeton Festival, through the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, has been adapted into an outdoor event for 2022. Audiences will be able to take advantage of this multi-day series of events on the grounds of the Morven Museum & Garden and experience Princeton. This is a great opportunity for fans of the Princeton Festival, fans of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra and for our business community.”
Preparations for the Princeton Festival are ongoing. Mr. Geehern says, “We are looking to the business community to help us make the Festival a success through sponsorships and program ads, and are hopeful that local residents show their support by attending the Festival come June!”
Taking the Stage - As Music Director, Rossen Milanov oversees the Princeton Festival’s innovative programming, a development resulting from the Festival’s merger with the PSO. He is responsible for engaging Storm Large, who is opening the festival with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, the renowned Signum Quartet, who will be presenting a two-evening cycle of Franz Schubert's late string quartets, and the NYC-based Baroque group The Sebastians. Mr. Milanov has also secured artists of the opera stage, on tap to take on roles in the double bill of Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg and Mozart’s The Impresario as well as Britten’s Albert Herring. There are plans for pops concerts with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra and club-like evenings with jazz performance and cabaret nights, complete with VIP lounge.
Additional information and a schedule of events will be released in early spring to coincide with tickets going on sale. Check the PSO’s Princeton Festival website for more details at princetonsymphony.org/festival.
Programs, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.
Princeton Festival History - Founded in 2004, the Princeton Festival (TPF) has established a strong profile as a multi-faceted, summer performing arts festival attracting people from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. TPF has a reputation for artistic excellence, for growing the number and variety of its offerings, and for serving a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, intergenerational audience of up to 8,000.
TPF expanded from five events in 2005 to over 22 performances in 2019 in more than ten genres plus many free educational and community enrichment offerings located in a variety of venues. TPF promotes life-long learning in the arts, from children to seniors, through performance opportunities for children and young people in the piano competition, workshops in opera and musical theatre for all age groups, and opportunities for young emerging professionals to perform principal and supporting roles in the opera and musical. TPF has long-standing partnerships with four public libraries and local churches to offer its series of free educational lectures to a wide and diversified community.
Health and Safety - The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is closely monitoring and adhering to the New Jersey Department of Health’s COVID-19 Requirements. Concert attendees will receive information regarding safety procedures, entry, seating directions, etc. in advance of their selected live performance(s).
Accessibility - The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is committed to ensuring all programming is accessible for everyone, working with venues to provide needed services. Contact ADA Coordinator Kitanya Khateri for questions about available services at kkhateri@princetonsymphony.org or 609 497-0020. Note: some services require at least two weeks’ notice to arrange.
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 Edward T. Cone 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. Its flagship summer program The Princeton Festival brings an array of performing arts and artists to Princeton during multiple weeks in June. 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 a live orchestral performance. The PSO receives considerable support from the Princeton community and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, regularly garnering NJSCA’s highest honor. Recognition of engaging residencies and concerts has come from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the PSO’s commitment to new music has been acknowledged 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.
TOP PHOTO BY JESSI FRANKO
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