photo by Matthew Staver
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The all-new Princeton Festival production of Giacomo Puccini's masterful opera Tosca takes center stage at Morven Museum & Garden June 13, 15, and 17. Between these performances, on Saturday, June 14, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra pairs up with American Repertory Ballet for An Evening of Pas de deux. All performances take place in the grand pavilion on the grounds of Morven Museum & Garden.
Stage Director Eve Summer and Scenic Designer Ryan McGettigan offer a fresh version of Puccini’s Tosca, recreating the 24-hour, politically unstable period of Rome on June 17, 1825–Tosca Day!–bringing a touch of film noir lighting and shadow to otherwise Roman architectural elements. Attired in period-adjacent clothing by Costume Designer Marie Miller, the passion-filled characters of Tosca, her lover Cavaradossi, and the villainous Scarpia, merge paths resulting in tension-filled meetings fraught with danger. The libretto was written by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, who also collaborated on La bohème and Madama Butterfly. The Festival production of Tosca is sung in Italian with English titles.
Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov conducts all three performances which star Toni Marie Palmertree as the ill-fated opera singer Tosca, Victor Starsky as Tosca's luckless lover, Cavaradossi, and Luis Ledesma as the treacherous chief of police, Scarpia. Other characters are portrayed by Festival veterans Eric Delagrange (Cesare Angelotti) and Nicholas Nestorak (Spoletta), as well as Stefano de Peppo (A Sacristan) and Jacob Hanes (Sciarrone). Students from Princeton Middle School join area singers to form the Princeton Festival Opera Chorus.
Opera lovers and singers of all ages can check out these free events presented by the Princeton Festival Guild:
Thursday, May 29 at 6:30pm – Lawrence Library Headquarters – Music That Tells a Story “Opera 101”: Princeton University’s Rochelle Ellis and Opera Delaware’s Emily Margevitch will help participants discover their voice type and breathe like an opera singer. The Music That Tells a Story series honors the legacy of long-time Festival supporter Takako Lento.
Tuesday, June 3 at 7:00pm – Princeton Public Library – Artists’ Roundtable: members of the artistic and production team provide insight into the Festival’s production of Tosca.
Thursday, June 10 from 3:00pm-8:00pm – Stockton Education Center – Music That Tells a Story “Opera Bootcamp”: a five-hour immersion combining vocal instruction with a discussion of Tosca, plus a back-stage tour and observation of that night’s rehearsal in the pavilion. Music That Tells a Story events require advance, online registration at princetonsymphony.org/festival.
On Sunday, June 15 at 2:15pm, Princeton Symphony Orchestra offers a free pre-performance “Exploring Tosca” talk as part of its BRAVO! community outreach. Westminster Choir College’s Margaret Cusack and Tosca Stage Director Eve Summer will take an in-depth look at the Princeton Festival's opera production in a special presentation at Stockton Education Center.
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO) valued partnership with American Repertory Ballet (ARB) continues on Saturday, June 14 at 7:00pm with An Evening of Pas de deux, a program of dance for two with choreography by George Balanchine, Marius Petipa, and Ethan Stiefel, Artist in Residence at American Repertory Ballet. The PSO will accompany ARB dancers throughout and perform overtures by Léo Delibes, Franz von Suppé, and Jacques Offenbach. Ballet selections are compositions by Léo Delibes, Ludwig Minkus, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The performance of “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,” a Balanchine ® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style ® and Balanchine Technique ® Service standards established and provided by the Trust.
American Repertory Ballet (ARB) is New Jersey’s preeminent professional ballet company, presenting classical and contemporary works to engage and inspire audiences. Founded in 1963 as part of the Princeton Ballet Society, ARB has been designated a “Major Arts Institution” by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. The Company has also been awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council and is frequently voted the Jersey Arts People’s Choice Award for “Favorite Dance Company.”
Tickets are available now for all 2025 Princeton Festival events at Morven Museum & Garden, starting at $25, at princetonsymphony.org/festival or 609-497-0020; youths, ages 5-17, receive a 50% discount.
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is committed to ensuring all programming is accessible for everyone, working with venues such as Morven Museum & Garden and Trinity Church to provide needed services. Contact ADA Coordinator Mika Godbole for questions about available services at mgodbole@princetonsymphony.org 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.
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