(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO’s) 2022-2023 season opens September 10-11 with the incomparable Anne Akiko Meyers performing Arturo Márquez’ new violin concerto Fandango. The work was commissioned by Ms. Meyers and was premiered by her in 2021 with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Another concert highlight is the PSO’s US Premiere of Spanish composer Marcos Fernandez' homage to Leonard Bernstein, America. Rounding out the striking concert program are Joaquín Turina’s Danzas fantásticas, Ruperto Chapí’s Prelude to La Revoltosa, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol.
Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov conducts both performances, which take place Saturday, September 10 at 8:00pm and Sunday, September 11 at 4:00pm at historic Richardson Auditorium. Sunday’s concert includes a pre-concert talk by Maestro Milanov at 3:00pm.
Anne Akiko Meyers is “a musical wizard, with astonishing access to every kind of expressive color” (San Diego Union-Tribune) who has inspired major composers to write major new works for her. This season highlights include performances of Fandango by Arturo Márquez with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, Carnegie Hall, and in Mexico City at the 50th Anniversary of the Festival Internacional Cervantino; and the premiere of Michael Daugherty’s Blue Electra, about American icon, Amelia Earhart, at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra. In addition to appearances with leading orchestras and in recital, Anne is one of today’s most prolific recording artists, having released Shining Night, her 40th album, this year. She has appeared on The Tonight Show, CBS Sunday Morning, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Morning Edition, and Great Performances honoring John Williams. Anne performs on the legendary Ex-Vieuxtemps Guarneri del Gesù, dated 1741.
When Anne Akiko Meyers approached Arturo Márquez for a work for violin and orchestra, the composer looked to Mexico’s dance tradition, and wrote the three-movement Fandango. Marcos Fernández’ new work America pays homage to Leonard Bernstein and the Latino-American music legacy with compositional techniques from Jazz, Latin, Pop, Flamenco and contemporary music. Joaquín Turina’s Danzas fantásticas was inspired by La Orgia, a novel by Jose Más, and Ruperto Chapi’s Prelude to La Revoltosa provides an overview of his one act zarzuela, or Spanish musical theater. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov sought to capture the spirit of Spain with his Capriccio Espagnol, which concludes the concert program.
Single tickets are now available for all Princeton Symphony Orchestra orchestral concerts. The season’s live concerts feature additional top artists including soprano Pretty Yende and violist Roberto Díaz, plus established and contemporary works including the world premiere of violinist/composer William Harvey’s Seven Decisions of Gandhi. Tickets are also available for 2022 Holiday POPS!
Classical concerts take place on Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 4:00pm. Subscriptions start at $180. Youths 5-17 receive a 50% discount with an adult purchase. To subscribe or purchase single tickets starting at $30, visit the Princeton Symphony Orchestra website at princetonsymphony.org or call 609-497-0020.
Health and Safety: The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is closely monitoring and adhering to the New Jersey Department of Health’s COVID-19 requirements and complies with rules set by partner venues. 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. Online events include digital concert resources, closed captioning, and transcriptions as appropriate. If there are questions about these or if any additional services are required, contact ADA Coordinator Kitanya Khateri at [email protected] or 609 497-0020. Note: some services require at least two weeks’ notice to arrange.
PSO Music Director, Rossen Milanov. Photo by PSO-staff
ROSSEN MILANOV: Internationally renowned conductor and Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov looks forward to collaborating in 2022-23 with established and emerging artists of the orchestral world and helming the PSO’s popular June performing arts celebration – The Princeton Festival.
Respected and admired by audiences and musicians alike, he has established himself as a conductor with considerable national and international presence. In addition to leading the PSO, Mr. Milanov is the music director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and chief conductor of the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra in Ljubljana. During his eleven-year tenure with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Milanov conducted more than 200 performances. In 2015, he completed a 15-year tenure as music director of the nationally recognized training orchestra Symphony in C in New Jersey and in 2013, a 17-year tenure with the New Symphony Orchestra in his native city of Sofia, Bulgaria.
Mr. Milanov has collaborated with Komische Oper Berlin (Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtzensk), Opera Oviedo with the Spanish premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Mazzepa and Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle (awarded best Spanish production for 2015), and Opera Columbus (Verdi’s La Traviata). He has been seen at New York City Ballet and collaborated with choreographers such as Mats Ek, Benjamin Millepied, and most recently Alexei Ratmansky in the critically acclaimed revival of Swan Lake in Zurich with Zurich Ballet and in Paris with La Scala Ballet.
Mr. Milanov is deeply committed to music education, presenting Link Up education projects with Carnegie Hall and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and leading the PSO’s annual BRAVO! School Day concerts. He was named Bulgaria’s Musician of the Year in 2005; he won a 2011 ASCAP award for adventurous programming of contemporary music at the PSO; and he was selected as one of the top 100 most influential people in New Jersey in 2014. In 2017, he was recipient of a Columbus Performing Arts Prize awarded by The Columbus Foundation. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School.
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: Anne Akiko Meyers by David Zentz
