Gala chair Jennifer Bednar with her husband Myron Bednar on the grand staircase at Jasna Polana. Photo by T. Kevin Birch
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) made the most of its Licence to Thrill Gala held Saturday, April 15, 2023 at stunning Jasna Polana. Arriving guests passed by a parked Aston Martin and entered into what could have been a 007 destination movie set: hors d’oeuvres passed about on silver trays, uniformed bartenders serving up shaken, not stirred cocktails, and attendees wearing black-tie, beautiful gowns, and the occasional dinner jacket.
The dining room was awash in cool tones of rich blue with sapphire table cloths and azure lighting. Fuchsia floral arrangements of roses and orchids provided a punch of color. At the room’s center, mezzo soprano Kelly Guerra enthralled the jet set-styled guests with powerful renditions of popular Bond movie themes. She was accompanied by PSO musicians seated side-by-side with members of the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey (YOCJ) and Silver Arrow band members, conducted by the PSO’s Georg and Joyce Albers-Schonberg Assistant Conductor Kenneth Bean.
Instead of high-stakes baccarat, there was high-end Baccarat crystal glasses and shaker, available through an on-site Raffle Royale drawing, which also included a Frederique Constant Watch and luxurious Bottega Veneta shoulder bag. Guests vied for limited sign-up slots to attend still more parties during cocktails and dinner, and sought to out-bid one another during an action-packed auction moderated by communications consultant and PSO Trustee Pete Taft. Taft led the fund-a-need to encourage attendees to make donations to support the orchestra’s PSO BRAVO! education programs. All funds raised throughout the evening benefit the PSO’s music, education and community programs, and the Princeton Festival.
Vocalist Kelly Guerra performing superb renditions of Bond movie theme songs at the Gala. Photo by T. Kevin Birch
007 gained entrée to the Gala in the guise of a pink tuxedo-clad, Daniel Craig cut-out – a popular subject of multiple photos and selfies taken during the evening. In charge of setting the scene and coordinating the overall event was Gala Chair Jennifer Bednar and her tireless Gala Committee. Reflecting on the Gala, Ms. Bednar said, “This is Princeton’s premiere black-tie event, tailor made for the likes of James Bond. I am thrilled with the energy and excitement that the evening delivered.”
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra provides classical, chamber, and pops concerts and over 100 PSO BRAVO! performances and events each year which engage students at every age level. The education programs are presented free of charge to schools and throughout the Central Jersey’s communities. Its Princeton Festival is New Jersey’s premier performing arts festival held each year in June. For more information on how to support the PSO, visit princetonsymphony.org/support.
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.
Gala attendees Kevin and Hope Cotter pose in their finery at the “step-and-repeat” featuring popular Bond figures. Photo by Marissa Birch
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