Mariana Karpatova

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO)'s Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov joins mezzo-soprano Mariana Karpatova in an exploration of the songs, dances, and culture of their native Bulgaria at a very special PSO Soundtracks talk: A Celebration of Bulgaria. Their presentation takes place on Thursday, March 7 at 7:00pm, at the Princeton Public Library in the library's Community Room. Immediately following, there will be time for a brief Q&A. The talk serves as a prelude to the orchestra's March 9-10 concerts which includes a work by Bulgarian composer Marin Goleminov. Soundtracks is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served.

Internationally renowned conductor and Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov helms the Orchestra and its 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. He was named Bulgaria’s Musician of the Year in 2005.

Rossen Milanov, photo by Stephen Pariser

Mariana Karpatova has been recognized as a specialist in training singers for contemporary and classical music, in both the youth and advanced professional categories. She has maintained a private practice teaching singing since 2002, and besides FDU, she is currently on the vocal teaching staff at the Jewish Community Center’s School of Drama in Tenafly. She is a frequent adjudicator on the panel of the Violetta DuPont Vocal Competition held by Opera at Florham. Ms. Karpatova is also a renowned opera singer and has appeared with major U.S. opera companies such as the Metropolitan Opera, New Jersey State Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Sarasota Opera, Baltimore Opera, Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Sofia National Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and performed as Florence Pike in Albert Herring at the 2022 Princeton Festival. In concert and recital, she has performed at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Spoleto Festival USA, Mexico National Symphony and others. Ms Karpatova is a graduate of the Juilliard School’s Professional Studies Program and the Juilliard Opera Center, and a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) since 2012.

The PSO Soundtracks Series is presented by the Princeton Symphony Orchestra through a longstanding partnership with the Princeton Public Library. The series is sponsored in the 2023-24 season by CISO Global.

Information on Soundtracks and the PSO’s March 9-10 concerts can be found on the orchestra’s website at www.princetonsymphony.org.

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. 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 only independent, professional orchestra to make its home in Princeton, the PSO performs at historic Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University.

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.