Photo by Princeton Symphony Orchestra staff

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Hundreds turned out for Thursday's Juneteenth Celebration culminating with the show Masters of Soul: A Motown Revue at the 2025 Princeton Festival, despite a dramatic evening downpour with flooding, thunder, and high winds.

Presented in partnership with the Municipality of Princeton, the day began with sunshine and the annual Juneteenth Flag Raising ceremony at 1 Monument Hall honoring the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans and celebrating Black culture. Multiple community members were in attendance. Among them were Michelle Pirone Lambros, Councilwoman, Bernard Hvozdovic, Municipal Administrator, Leticia Fraga, Councilwoman, Mia Sacks, Council President, and Leighton Newlin, Councilman.

Leticia Fraga and Leighton Newlin shared powerful thoughts with the audience, including the importance of continuing the Civil Rights Movement’s fight for Justice and Truth today. Young musician Olivia Strauli-Ellis shared a soulful rendition of the Black National Anthem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" just prior to Fraga and Newlin raising the Municipality’s blue, white, and red Juneteenth flag.

Olivia Strauli-Ellis, photo by Princeton Symphony Orchestra staff

At a subsequent talk given at Morven Museum & Garden’s Stockton Education Center, connections between the Civil Rights Movement and the music of Motown were drawn by Rochelle Ellis, a lecturer on voice at Princeton University. Also on hand were representatives of multiple community groups: Art Against Racism, The Historical Society of Princeton, Morven Museum and Garden, The Municipality of Princeton, Princeton Parents for Black Children, Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, and YWCA Princeton. Morven Museum & Garden opened its doors with free admission for all attendees, and Tipple & Rose, a local tea emporium provided delicious samples of African and Southern treats, free of charge.

Braving the freakish weather, hundreds of patrons gathered for the Princeton Festival’s presentation of Masters of Soul: A Motown Revue. Vocalists in appropriately retro attire performed top Motown hits honoring iconic artists such as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Tina Turner. The responsive audience grooved to the beat and enthusiastically jumped to their feet during the encore performance of “Shout!” by the Isley Brothers.

Photo by Princeton Symphony Orchestra staff

The Princeton Festival will take place again in June 2026. In the meantime, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s 2025-26 Classical Series, which runs from October-May, offers concerts at Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University.

The Princeton Festival is the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s flagship summer program showcasing the performing arts. Founded in 2004, the Princeton Festival quickly established a reputation for artistic excellence and innovative programming. Every year in June, thousands of people from the mid-Atlantic region and beyond come to the Festival to enjoy the quality and variety of its programs. Offerings include opera, musical theater, dance, orchestra and chamber music, and a constantly evolving selection of other genres, including jazz, world music, choral concerts, and country music. The Festival has long-standing partnerships with public libraries and local churches, and promotes life-long learning in the arts through free educational lectures presented to a wide and diverse community.