(PRINCETON, NJ) -- On Saturday, March 11 at 8:00pm and Sunday, March 12 at 4:00pm, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents the world premiere of composer William Harvey’s Seven Decisions of Gandhi. Written for violin and orchestra, the work was dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter Ela on the occasion of her 80th birthday. The composer is soloist, accompanied by Dibyarka Chatterjee on tabla. The program also includes Alexander Borodin’s thrilling Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 “Pathétique.” Guest conductor Sameer Patel takes to the podium for both concerts at Richardson Auditorium, on the campus of Princeton University.

An admirer of Gandhi, William Harvey was intrigued by the fact that Gandhi was once a violinist like himself, and this sparked an idea for composing a piece about the peaceful revolutionary. Harvey explains, "Had Gandhi decided to stick with the violin, world history might be very different. This gave me the idea that a violin concerto about his life could be based on decisions that made him the international nonviolence icon he is today. When I met his granddaughter in Durban, South Africa, in 2017, I ran this idea by her, and she gave the project her blessing. During the pandemic, I finished the concerto just in time to dedicate it to her for her 80th birthday on July 1, 2020. The concerto will hopefully inspire us all to make decisions as well as Gandhi did, and to choose nonviolence and principled thought in all aspects of our lives."

Violinist, composer, and conductor William Harvey has forged a unique international career that has taken him from Carnegie Hall to the jungles of Papua New Guinea to the streets of Kabul. From 2010 to 2014, he conducted the orchestra at Afghanistan National Institute of Music on Afghan national television, for President Karzai, and on tour to sold-out audiences at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. He has performed as soloist with orchestras in the USA, Mexico, Argentina, and the Philippines, and served as concertmaster of orchestras in the USA, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa. His recording of the Violin Concerto by Hector Infanzón was nominated in both classical music categories at the 2021 Latin Grammys. His compositions have received over a hundred performances worldwide and have been featured at prestigious music festivals in Mexico City and San Juan, Argentina. His Cuerpo Garrido for solo piano won Columbia University’s Bearns Prize. He plays a violin by Joseph Curtin.

Sameer Patel. Photo by Sam Zauscher

Internationally recognized for his deep musicianship and passionate communication, Sameer Patel is one of America's most exciting conductors. In the 2022-23 season, he makes debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, as well as return appearances with the Florida Orchestra and La Jolla Symphony and Chorus. Patel is the newly appointed Artistic Director of the San Diego Youth Symphony. He also served for six seasons as Associate Conductor of the Sun Valley Music Festival and recently concluded an acclaimed tenure as Associate Conductor of the San Diego Symphony. Recent performances include Puccini’s Tosca with Houston’s Opera in the Heights, as well as concerts with the orchestras of Toronto, St. Louis, Detroit, New Jersey, Sarasota, Phoenix, Grand Rapids, Sacramento, Naples, and Jacksonville. He has also appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Chicago Sinfonietta, and other orchestras here and abroad.

The Polovtsian Dances from Alexander Borodin’s opera Prince Igor were popularized by the 1953 Broadway musical Kismet. Most notable is the theme from “Gliding Dance of the Maidens,” which was given lyrics and altered to become “Stranger in Paradise.” William Harvey’s Seven Decisions of Gandhi is based on the premise that individuals are defined by their decisions and is a musical exploration of seven key decisions by Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948). Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky added “Pathétique” to his Sixth Symphony’s title page, but without accompanying programmatic text. The mystery surrounding the reason for the title makes the work Tchaikovsky’s most debated piece.

Prior to the Seven Decisions of Gandhi concert weekend, William Harvey will give a violin masterclass at Wolfensohn Hall, on the campus of the Institute for Advanced Study on Wednesday, March 8 at 7:00pm. Student performers will be selected by a panel of Princeton Symphony Orchestra musicians and have the opportunity to perform with an accompanist and receive insight and instruction from the world-renowned composer and musician. Observation of the masterclass is free and open to the public with ticketed registration.

On Thursday, March 9 at 7:00pm, William Harvey will give a lecture introducing traditional instruments of the Indian Subcontinent. Joined by tabla musician Dibyarka Chatterjee, the two will discuss the history of the tabla, the traditional music of India, and Harvey’s Seven Decisions of Gandhi. This lecture is presented as part of PSO Soundtracks in partnership with Princeton Public Library. The series is sponsored in the 2022-23 season by Cerberus Sentinel. The lecture will be held in the Princeton Public Library’s Community Room and is free and open to the public.

Tickets for the March 11-12 performances at Richardson Auditorium start at $30; Youths 5-17 receive a 50% discount with an adult purchase. Visit the Princeton Symphony Orchestra website at princetonsymphony.org or call 609-497-0020.

Health & Safety: The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is closely monitoring and adhering to the New Jersey Department of Health’s COVID-19 Requirements. 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 such as Richardson Auditorium to provide needed services. Contact ADA Coordinator Kitanya Khateri for questions about available services at  [email protected] or 609-905-0973. 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.