All Events
2018 Auditions
Audition for The Princeton Festival’s June 2018 productions – Musical: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum – Feb. 12-15, callbacks Feb. 17; Opera: Madama Butterfly – chorus & covers Jan. 27-28; Baroque Chorus – Feb. 25. Contact [email protected]
January & February 2018
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Free Talks, Workshops, Previews and more!
Lectures, pre-performance conversations, workshops, preview performances, open rehearsals, artist round tables and more!
2018: Feb 18 - Jul 1
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Lecture | The Politics of Opera
Mitchell Cohen, the author and Baruch College political science professor discusses his latest book, a wide-ranging look at the interplay of opera and political ideas through the centuries. Free and open to the public.
2018: Feb 18 @ 3 pm
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Lectures | Overture Program: Enjoying Opera
Lecture series for residents of 55+ Communities in the Greater Princeton area. Open to community residents only.
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Musical Theater Workshop | Making of a Musical
Musical theater program for high school and college students, incl. workshop, discussions, attendance at Princeton Festival rehearsals. Free, pre-registration required.
2018: May 19, Jun 3, Jun 9
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Discussion | Artists’ Round Table
Opera artists and production staff discuss the pleasures and perils faced on stage and off as they bring the opera to life. Free and open to the public.
2018: May 30 @ 6:30 pm
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Lecture | Musical Comedy in Ancient Rome: The Genius of Titus Maccius Plautus
Princeton Professor Denis Feeney discusses how Plautus’ works from the 2nd century BC anticipated modern musical comedy, such as this year’s Festival musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Free and open to the public.
2018: May 31 @ 7 pm
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Exhibit | A-TEAM Collaboration
Paintings by A-TEAM artists, affiliated with the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and ArtSpace Artists of HomeFront, will be displayed for sale at Thomas Sweet Cafe, Route 206N, Skillman, NJ.
2018: May 1 - 31, receptions on May 15 & May 23
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Lecture | Madama Butterfly: Beauty in Betrayal
Professor Timothy Urban discusses the music and plot of Puccini’s beloved opera Madama Butterfly. Free and open to the public.
2018: Jun 2 @ 2 pm, Jun 14 @ 7 pm
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Opera Workshop | Bringing Opera to the Stage
Get the inside scoop and behind the scene view of a working rehearsal.
2018: June 3 @ 6:30 pm; June 14 @ 5:30
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Lecture | An Opera Composer’s Approach to Storytelling
Composer Andrew Lovett discusses how opera’s combination of vocal and instrumental music structures and deepens a story. Free and open to the public.
2018: Jun 5 @ 7 pm
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Opera Workshop | Music That Tells a Story
Intergenerational program, incl. opera workshop, backstage tour & dress rehearsal of Princeton Festival’s Madama Butterfly. Free, pre-registration required.
2018: Jun 6 @ 6:30 pm or Jun 9 @ 10 am or Jun 12 @ 6:30 pm; Jun 14 @ 5:30 pm
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Festival Preview
Singers perform and directors discuss June 2018 productions of Madama Butterfly and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Free and open to the public.
2018: Jun 7 @ 7 pm
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Lecture | Madama Butterfly Goes to Paris; Isabella Stewart Gardner Goes to Japan
Marianne Grey, Princeton University Art Museum Docent, discusses the West’s embrace of all things Japanese in the decades preceding Madama Butterfly. Free and open to the public.
2018: Jun 12 @ 7 pm, Jun 28 @ 7 pm
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Discussion | Cross-Cultural Challenges in Opera
Panelists will discuss issues facing directors when they present operas from a different culture. Free and open to the public.
2018: Jun 18 @ 7 pm
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Poetry Reading | Butterfly and Cio Cio-san in Mari Kashiwagi’s poetic world
A reading by award-winning Japanese poet Mari Kashiwagi of her ‘Butterfly’ poems written for The Princeton Festival plus a discussion with her translator, Takako Lento. Free and open to the public.
2018: Jun 17 @ 11:30 am
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Lecture | More About What’s BAROQUE About Baroque Music?
Early Music musician and specialist John Burkhalter discusses Baroque music and instruments. Free and open to the public.
2018: Jun 21 @ 7 pm
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Lecture | Before Butterfly: 17th-Century Dutch & Japanese Music
John Burkhalter and Glenn Shōyū Swann discuss and perform 17th c. and early 20th c. music from Japan, as influenced by Dutch East India Co. Free and open to the public.
2018: Jun 25 @ 7 pm
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Film Screening | “Winged Migration” and Discussion
Film screening and discussion of an epic portrait of winter bird migration as part of Migrations project. Free and open to the public.
2018: Mar 11 @ 1 pm
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2018 Princeton Festival Gala
Cocktails, dinner, auction, entertainment, and dancing with the Courtney Colletti Band! For more information and prices, contact [email protected]
2018: Apr 21 @ 6 pm
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2018 Sing Spring!
A pre-season fund raising party with life performances from our musical to celebrate our 2018 season.
2018: May 19 @ 4 pm
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Piano Competition & Finals
Pianists ages 6-24 compete for trophies and cash prizes. Application Deadline: May 7, 2018. Preliminary Rounds: Saturday June 9, 10am-2pm & Sunday June 10, 9am-2pm, free and open to the public. Final Round: Sunday, June 17 at 3pm, tickets required.
2018: Jun 9 @ 10 am, Jun 10 @ 9 am, Jun 17 @ 3 pm
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Opera | Madama Butterfly
Intensely moving drama combined with Puccini’s heartfelt music set Madama Butterfly apart as a crowd-pleaser and masterpiece.
2018: Jun 16 @ 7:30 pm, Jun 24 @ 3 pm, Jul 1 at 3 pm
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Musical Theater | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Broadway’s greatest farce is light, fast-paced, witty, irreverent and one of the funniest musicals ever written. 12 performances in June 2018 will sell out!
2018: Jun 10 – Jul 1
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Chamber Music | Concordia Chamber Players
Brilliant performers, intriguing programming. The Concordia Chamber Players return to The Princeton Festival for the 14th consecutive year. Music by Kodály, Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Dvořák.
2018: Jun 9 @ 7:30 pm
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Princeton Festival Baroque Orchestra
Concertmaster Juan Carlos Zamudio leads the Princeton Festival Baroque Orchestra in two concerts on period instruments.
2018: Jun 23 @ 5 pm; Jun 27 @ 7:30 pm
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Jazz | Peter & Will Anderson Quintet
Peter and Will Anderson perform their unique renditions of classic jazz songs and innovative original music as they “flood the room with joy.”
2018: Jun 23 @ 8 pm
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Choral | Princeton Festival Baroque Chorus & Orchestra
The Princeton Festival Baroque Chorus and Princeton Festival Baroque Orchestra perform works by Bach and Handel using period instruments.
2018: Jun 30 @ 7 pm
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2017 Princeton Festival Gala
Cocktails, dinner, auction, entertainment, and dancing with the Courtney Colletti Band! For more information and prices, contact [email protected]
2017: Apr 22 @ 6 pm
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Sing Spring!
A pre-season party on Saturday May 20th from 4-6 pm to celebrate our 2017 season
2017: May 20 @ 4 pm
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Free Talks, Workshops, Previews and more!
Lectures, pre-performance conversations, workshops, preview performances, open rehearsals, artist round tables and more!
2017: May 7 - Jun 24
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Musical Theater: Man of La Mancha
The Man of La Mancha’s dream is Everyman’s dream. His tilting at windmills is Everyman’s great adventure. Somehow, the footlights disappear, time is telescoped and the Man of La Mancha speaks for humankind.
2017: Jun 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 @ 8 pm; Jun 11, 18, 25 @ 4 pm; Jun 24 @ 3 pm
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Opera: Fidelio
The glorious and moving music of Beethoven’s opera Fidelio propels a stirring tale of love, heroism, and the fight for liberty against tyranny.
2017: Jun 18 @ 3 pm, Jun 25 @ 3 pm
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Chamber Music: Concordia Chamber Players
Brilliant performers, intriguing programming: Kernis, Beethoven, R. Strauss. Concordia returns to The Princeton Festival for the 13th consecutive year.
2017: Jun 3 @ 7:30 pm
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Quartet²: Film & Performance
“Quartet” film screening, followed by a live performance by Princeton Festival artists of quartets and more.
2017: Jun 4 @ 4 pm
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Pops Orchestra with Film
The Princeton Pops Orchestra performs music from The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Frozen, and other favorite Disney films while scenes from the movies appear on a big screen. Fun for the whole family!
2017: Jun 9 @ 8 pm
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Orchestra: Princeton Festival Baroque Orchestra
Concertmaster Juan Carlos Zamudio leads the Princeton Festival Baroque Orchestra in two concerts on period instruments.
2017: Jun 17 @ 4 pm; Jun 21 @ 7:30 pm
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Jazz: Peter Martin Trio
Peter Martin is the go-to pianist, arranger, and music director for jazz stars like Dianne Reeves, Chris Botti, and Wynton Marsalis. His superstar trio makes its New Jersey debut in this Princeton Festival performance.
2017: Jun 17 @ 8 pm
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Dance: BalletX
Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet company, with a focus on “new works of athleticism, emotion and grace”
2017: Jun 24 @ 8 pm
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Choral Concert with Baroque Orchestra
The Festival Chorus and Festival Baroque Orchestra perform works by Handel, Vivaldi, Monteverdi, and Zelenka under the batons of conductors from the Choral Conducting Master Class.
2017: Jun 24 @ 5 pm
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Piano Competition & Finals
Pianists ages 6-24 compete for trophies and cash prizes. Application Deadline: May 1, 2017. Preliminary Rounds: Saturday June 3, 9:45am-2pm & Sunday June 4, 9am-3pm, free and open to the public. Final Round: Sunday, June 11 at 3pm, tickets required.
2017: Jun 3 @ 9:45 am, Jun 4 @ 9 am, Jun 11 @ 3 pm
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Conducting Master Class
This 7-day professional conducting master class is open by application to conductors and auditors.
2017: Master Class Jun 18-24; concert Jun 24 @ 5 pm
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Family Film: Beethoven Lives Upstairs
Charming introduction to Beethoven for children ages 6 and up. Running time 52 min. Free and open to the public.
2017: May 7 @ 2 pm
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Presentation: Meet Beethoven
One-man living history show on the times of Beethoven for children ages 10 and up. Free and open to the public.
2017: May 13 @ 1 pm
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Lecture: What’s BAROQUE About Baroque Music?
Early Music musician and specialist John Burkhalter III discusses Baroque music and instruments. Free and open to the public.
2017: May 25 @ 7 pm
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Artists’ Round Table
Opera artists and production staff discuss the pleasures and perils faced on stage and off as they bring the opera to life. Free and open to the public.
2017: May 31 @ 6:30 pm
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Lecture: Leonore, a New Kind of Heroine
Popular lecturer Marianne Grey discusses Fidelio’s Leonore as a trailblazer for women in Beethoven’s time. Free and open to the public.
2017: Jun 1 @ 7:30 pm, Jun 14 @ 7 pm
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Discussion: Opera and the Movies
Panel discussion by three experts on music and film preceding Quartet^2 film & performance.
2017: Jun 4 @ 3 pm
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Lecture: Don Quixote and the Transformation of Others
Yale professor Roberto González Echevarría discusses Cervantes’ Don Quijote. Free and open to the public.
2017: Jun 6 @ 7 pm
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2017 Opera Workshop: Music That Tells a Story
Registrants will attend a two-hour opera workshop and the final dress rehearsal performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fidelio with a backstage tour.
