(PRINCETON, NJ) -- On Saturday, May 7 at 8:00pm and Sunday, May 8 at 4:00pm, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents its Milanov & Jackiw concert featuring violin virtuoso Stefan Jackiw. Jackiw performs Erich Wolfgang Korngold's lush Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 on a program with Gabriela Lena Frank's Elegía Andina and Felix Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56. Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov conducts both concerts at Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall, on the campus of Princeton University.
Milanov and Jackiw are no strangers, having performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2015, the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra in 2019, and, most recently, with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra this past October. Milanov invited the violinist to play with the PSO in March 2020, but that performance was pre-empted by the pandemic. Milanov says, “I’m so pleased to finally be able to collaborate with Stefan Jackiw here with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra in such an intimate setting as Richarsdson Auditorium. His intelligent and virtuosic interpretation of Korngold’s concerto is not to be missed.”
Stefan Jackiw is one of America’s foremost violinists, captivating audiences with playing that combines poetry and purity with an impeccable technique. He has appeared as soloist with the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco symphony orchestras, among others. In the 2021–2022 season, highlights include performances with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and Alan Gilbert, and with Orchestre National de Lyon under Nikolaj Znaider. Born to physicist parents of Korean and German descent, he began playing the violin at the age of four. His teachers have included Zinaida Gilels, Michèle Auclair, and Donald Weilerstein. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, as well as an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory, and is the recipient of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. Jackiw plays a violin made in 1750 in Milan by G.B. Guadagnini, on generous loan from a private collection.
Leading off the concert program is contemporary composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s Elegía Andina (Andean Elegy), written in 2020. Frank’s work explores what it means to be of several ethnic persuasions. Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Violin Concerto was dedicated to Alma Mahler, widow of his childhood mentor Gustav Mahler, and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony was inspired by the composer’s tour of the ruined chapel of Holyrood Castle near Edinburgh, Scotland.
Both concerts take place at the orchestra’s home venue of Richardson Auditorium, on the campus of Princeton University. All attendees are required to wear masks at all times while inside the building, be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, and must have received boosters, if eligible.
Tickets for the May 7 and May 8 performances at Richardson Auditorium start at $20, youth (ages 5-17) are half price, and may be ordered through the Princeton Symphony Orchestra website at princetonsymphony.org or by calling 609-497-0020.
Health and Safety: Along with adhering to the New Jersey Department of Health's COVID-19 guidelines, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra is working closely with our venues to ensure your safety and comfort. Princeton University has a strict visitor policy in place. There will be a vaccination plus booster requirement with no exceptions. For details and to keep up to date with the most recent COVID safety requirements, please visit our Health & Safety website page.
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 [email protected] 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.
PHOTO: Stefan Jackiw. Photo © Sangwook Lee.
