Hardanger Instruments

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Princeton Symphony Orchestra's (PSO's) Soundtracks Series continues on Wednesday, February 4, 2026 at the Princeton Public Library with a musical presentation which introduces the national instrument of Norway, the Hardanger fiddle. Showtime is 7:00pm.

Bergamot Quartet will perform new works composed and adapted by composer and Princeton Music Department Chair Dan Trueman specifically for their unique Hardanger string instruments. Attendees will learn what makes these instruments special and how Bergamot Quartet is reviving the Hardanger tradition for modern audiences. Audience members will have an opportunity to participate in a Q&A immediately following.

This free presentation ties into the PSO's February 7-8 concerts which features Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg's folk-infused Piano Concerto.

Bergamot Quartet, photo by Corey Hayes

Project Resonance is a multifaceted collaborative endeavor between contemporary music specialists Bergamot Quartet and composer/fiddler Dan Trueman, with the Hardanger fiddle music of Norway at its center. Bergamot Quartet plays a set of four Hardanger instruments made by Lynn Berg, one of the only sets of its kind in the world.

Under the auspices of Project Resonance, Bergamot and Trueman are creating new repertoire for the quartet of instruments, working with both traditional tunes and experimental/modern musical language, as well as recording, touring, commissioning, and providing a variety of educational opportunities. "Resonance" speaks not only to the five sympathetic strings on each Hardanger instrument which give them their unique sound, but to Trueman and Bergamot's pursuit of discovering the ways in which the project can resonate across folk traditions, modes of performing, and beyond.  

Soundtracks events are free and open to the public, with complimentary refreshments, and presented as a PSO BRAVO! community outreach program in partnership with the Princeton Public Library. Soundtracks is sponsored in the 2025-26 season by AffinIT.

Attendees will have the opportunity to enter a drawing to win tickets to the Princeton Symphony Orchestra's February Beethoven & Grieg concert at Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University.

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is committed to ensuring all programming is accessible for everyone, working with venues such as Richardson Auditorium to provide needed services. Contact Mika Godbole for questions about available services at [email protected] or (609) 905-0931. Note: some services require at least two weeks' notice to arrange.

Programs, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.

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. The only independent, professional orchestra to make its home in Princeton, the PSO performs at historic Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University.

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.