Maestro Rossen Milanov, photo by PSO staff.
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) has announced a very special 2024-25 Season capturing the passions of guest artists including violinists Leila Josefowicz and Aubree Oliverson, pianist Orli Shaham, Princeton University's Performers-in-Residence Sō Percussion, and pianist Natasha Paremski with programming designed to showcase their extraordinary artistry and technical prowess.
In celebration of his 60th Birthday, Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov has created an extraordinary line-up of favorite works including concertos by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Igor Stravinsky, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Viet Cuong’s Re(new)al. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Triple Concerto will display the talents of PSO concertmaster Basia Danilow and principal cellist Alistair MacRae with pianist Steven Beck.
Maestro Milanov says, "I'm thrilled and excited to celebrate with the musicians of Princeton Symphony by performing works by some of my favorite composers. This season promises to bring to life spectacular music, with emotionally charged performances by passionate artists that I love to share the concert stage with."
In addition to Viet Cuong, other living composers include Gemma Peacocke, Michael Abels, and Carlos Simon. There are also symphonies by Johannes Brahms, Sergei Prokofiev, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven, an all-Mozart concert conducted by Gérard Korsten, plus choral music by Brahms and Tchaikovsky performed by Rider University’s Westminster Symphonic Choir.
All performances take place on select Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 4:00pm, at Richardson Auditorium on Princeton University’s campus. Rossen Milanov conducts all but the all-Mozart program in February.
Aubree Oliverson, violin. Photo (c) Nick Bayless
The season opens September 14-15, and features the PSO debut of dynamic, young violinist Aubree Oliverson in performances of Tchaikovsky’s beloved Violin Concerto. Princeton composer Gemma Peacocke’s Manta draws inspiration from nature’s magnificent manta ray, and Brahms’ sweeping fourth and final symphony concludes the program.
On October 19-20, the PSO draws from its own talented roster, highlighting concertmaster Basia Danilow and principal cellist Alistair MacRae joined by pianist Steven Beck in Beethoven’s “Triple” Concerto. 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Michael Abels, well known for his film scores, takes inspiration from Vivaldi for his More Seasons. Prokofiev’s first symphony channels the classical style and bears the hallmarks of the composer’s unmistakable voice.
Leila Josefowicz, violin. Photo (c) Tom Zimberoff
At January 11-12’s Edward T. Cone Concert, Rossen Milanov celebrates his milestone sixtieth birthday with one of his most valued collaborators and some of his favorite works. Powerhouse violinist Leila Josefowicz returns to the PSO with Stravinsky’s brilliant neoclassical Violin Concerto. Tchaikovsky’s monumental symphony Manfred, a rarely-heard masterpiece and one of the Maestro’s favorite works to conduct, utilizes the forces of an expanded orchestra.
Orli Shaham, piano. Photo by Christian Steiner
The PSO celebrates the later music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart February 8-9 with an all-Mozart concert led by South African conductor Gérard Korsten. Referred to by The Chicago Tribune as “a first-rate Mozartean,” Orli Shaham brings her expert interpretation to Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20. At the request of his commissioners, Mozart wrote a fifteen-minute ballet to be performed within his opera Idomeneo, the music of which stands on its own as a stately example of Mozart’s best work. The program concludes with the effervescent Symphony No. 39, a classic in the repertoire.
March 8-9, spring-minded patrons will be treated to Beethoven’s pastoral sixth symphony. Described by the composer as “Recollections of Country Life,” it evokes scenes of nature and the serene beauty of the countryside. Carlos Simon’s lively Four Black American Dances showcases dance styles with cultural significance to Black American communities. Princeton’s own Sō Percussion performs Viet Cuong’s Re(new)al, a fascinating work inspired by the power of hydro, wind, and solar energies.
Audience favorite Natasha Paremski returns to the PSO stage May 10-11 with Rachmaninoff’s fiendishly demanding third piano concerto, a perfect showcase for her expert technique and dynamic style. The Westminster Symphonic Choir features in two works: Tchaikovsky’s beautiful a capella “Hymn of the Cherubim,” drawn from his Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and Brahms’ Schicksalslied (“Song of Destiny”), an example of the great composer’s exceptional choral writing.
Initially, these concerts are available only by subscription, with single tickets going on sale over the summer. Concerts take place on Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 4:00pm. Full Season subscriptions start at $189. Youths 5-17 receive a 50% discount with an adult purchase. To subscribe, 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. 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 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. 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.
