NEWS & UPDATES
December 5, 2025
| | The Beat: News from Our Music Community | | |
Pushing the Boundaries of Sound: Princeton PhD Student Nathan Schram on Music, AI, and Social Change | Princeton PhD student and Grammy-winning violist Nathan Schram is redefining classical music through genre-blending creativity, innovative work with AI, and a deep commitment to music as a tool for social change. From founding Musicambia, bringing music education to prisons, to exploring new frontiers in digital media and composition, Schram’s path reflects an inspiring dedication to expanding what music can mean and whom it can reach. |
NYC Premiere of Hildegard this January
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The 2026 PROTOTYPE Festival premieres HILDEGARD, a new chamber opera by Sarah Kirkland Snider that brings to life the visionary 12th-century abbess Hildegard von Bingen.
Directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, the work explores art, mysticism, and defiance within the medieval Church. Music Director Gabriel Crouch and Princeton's Director of Choral Activities, leads the ensemble in this intimate, powerful production running January 7- 18
| | Need a Study Playlist? MUS got you covered | Check out Nathalie Joachim, Assistant Professor of Music, playlist on Spotify "Ways of Listening" |
Music Department Holiday Office Hours
The Music Department office will be closed Dec. 23 at 12pm - Jan. 4 for the Holiday Break.
Normal office hours will be held Monday-Friday from 8:45am-5:00pm through Tuesday, Dec. 23, and again starting Monday, Jan. 5.
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We’re delighted to share that Solon Snider Sway, Lecturer in Music Directing and Choral Programs, welcomed his daughter, Reia Yael Sway, on November 4.
Congratulations to the Sway family on their wonderful new addition!
| 🏆 2026 GRAMMY Nominations Recap🏆 | |
Not one, but TWO of our faculty members received Grammy Nominations:
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Professor of Music and Director of Princeton Sound Kitchen, Donnacha M. Dennehy, breathtaking work Land of Winter, was nominated for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance and Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
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Director of the Creative Large Ensemble and Lecturer in Jazz Composition and Arranging,Todd Bashore, is also a nominee for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album with Without Further Ado, Vol. 1 by the Christian McBride Big Band.
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PAW Feature: Class Close-up
Animal Music Course Strikes a Chord With Students
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Professors Gavin Steingo (Music) and Asif Ghazanfar (Neuroscience & Psychology) have launched Animal Music, a new interdisciplinary course inspired by their shared interest in how animals produce and shape sound. Supported by a Magic Grant for Innovation from the Humanities Council, the class brings together students from across majors to explore the history of “animal music,” how humans interpret animal vocalizations, and what these sounds reveal biologically and culturally.
Steingo and Ghazanfar have also published a peer-reviewed paper and founded the Animal Song Collective to expand this emerging field.
As music major Morgan Taylor ’27 put it: “I think [animal music is] definitely a subject that is new and awesome and will be important in like 20 years, and we’re getting an early crack at it.”
| PAW Feature: These Princetonians Are Teaching Music to Immigrant Children | |
Princeton alumni Lou Chen ’19, CEO of INTEMPO, continues to advance the nonprofit’s mission of providing multicultural and classical music education to immigrant children, reflecting a longstanding tradition of Princetonian engagement with the organization.
Current department affiliates, Sinfonia violinist Anabel Guerreiro ’27 and performance faculty member Yousun Chung, exemplify the ongoing contributions of students and faculty, underscoring the University’s commitment to service and musical outreach.
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Our Staff Spotlight series celebrates the people whose work, creativity, and dedication keep our department thriving.
Katie Baltrush
Program Manager in Performance Activities
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Can you share a project you’re currently working on, something you’ve recently achieved?
KB: I've been glad to be a part of many of the department's achievements in my time here - the expansion of the studio lesson program, the establishment of both our minor degree programs and the performance track of our major, and the update to our musicology Ph.D. generals. At the moment, I’m assisting with the Department’s overall alignment with evolving priorities and initiatives.
Tell us a fun or little-known fact about yourself!
KB: I grew up getting to sail in Long Island Sound with my family. After a long hiatus during my early career in New York, I took it up again when I lived in California. There, my husband and I spent any time we weren't working in our theaters sailing around Angel Island or docking outside the baseball park in San Francisco Bay. We look forward to getting our daughter on the water with us when she's big enough!
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Live Music Meditation: Théo Ould, Accordion (Princeton University Concerts)
WHEN: Dec. 10, 2025, 12:00 pm
WHERE: Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
Learn about Live Music Meditation
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MPP 231: Princeton Steel Band Performance
WHEN: Dec. 10, 2025, 2:30 pm
WHERE: McAlpin Rehearsal Room, Woolworth Center
Learn about MPP 231
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MPP 213 Final Chamber Music Concert
WHEN: Dec. 10, 2025, 5:30 pm
WHERE: Lee Rehearsal Room, Lewis Arts Complex
Learn about MPP 213
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Théo Ould, Accordion (Princeton University Concerts)
WHEN: Dec. 10, 2025, 6 pm & 9 PM
WHERE: Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
Learn about Théo Ould
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Jazz at Princeton presents a concert with Small Groups 1 & X
WHEN: Dec. 10, 2025, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
Learn about Jazz Small Groups 1 & X
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MPP 214 Projects in Vocal Performance: Opera
WHEN: Dec. 11, 2025, 7:00 pm
WHERE: McAlpin Rehearsal Room, Woolworth Center
Learn about MPP 214
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MPP 314: House of Sound Showcase
WHEN: Dec. 14, 2025, 2 pm
WHERE: Forum, Lewis Arts Complex
Learn about MPP 314
| | Submit all Concur expenses by 12/12/25 before the holiday break so they may be reviewed and approved. For any questions, please email Beth Schupsky, Business Manager, at bschupsk@princeton.edu. | Playhouse Festival of New Works: Submission Deadline | |
Attention all Princeton Composers and Performers! Submissions are now being accepted for the first annual Playhouse Festival of New Works.
Are you interested in developing your craft as a musical theater writer or performer? If so, consider applying for the Playhouse Festival of New Works, a new part of the LCA season designed as a workshop for underclass writers and performers. The festival will take place in the Wallace Theater on May 1 and 2, 2026.
Selected writers will have the chance to workshop up to 12 minutes of material with students from the theater minor/across campus and the Playhouse Ensembles performing and rehearsing their work. Feedback will come from monthly workshops throughout the year and panel discussions/faculty and guest feedback during the festival itself.
Submission Deadline: December 7, 2025, by 11:59 PM (ET)
ADMISSION: Open to Princeton students
Learn more about the Playhouse Festival of New Works.
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Study Break at Mendel
Please join us in the Mendel Library first floor reading room during Reading Period (December 5th-12th) for a relaxing study break featuring jigsaw puzzles and soothing music. We have put together a few playlists that showcase our Naxos classical, jazz, and world music databases, and feature selections that are ideal for studying or relaxation. Links to the playlists can be found on QR codes posted in the reading room. A selection of fun puzzles will be available for you to explore as well. Stop by to give yourself a break and relieve some stress!!
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Citations for Music Research: Introduction to Zotero
Music Librarian, Lisa Read, will be holding two more workshops on music citations and Zotero, which is a tool used for creating and managing research citations. Get a jump on your winter research before the semester ends! These identical sessions will cover Zotero basics as well as the peculiarities of using it to cite various music formats. The workshops will be held in the Cone seminar room inside the Mendel Music Library. Please download Zotero to your laptop or device before attending and bring along any difficult resources you want help with.
Monday, December 8, 10am: RSVP here
Thursday, December 11, 10am: RSVP here
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Mendel Holiday & Winter Break Hours
Beginning on December 21st, Mendel Library will adjust its operating hours for the holidays and winter break:
Sunday 12/21- CLOSED
Monday-Tuesday 12/22-12/23- 9a-5p
Wednesday 12/24/25 - Sunday 1/4/26- CLOSED - Holiday Break
Monday 1/5/26- OPEN 9a-5p (winter break hours)
For a complete schedule of library hours, please visit https://libcal.princeton.edu/hours
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Graduate Students: Call for Papers
Seeing Sound, Speaking Images: The Senses in the Middle Ages
The Princeton Medieval Studies Graduate Conference invites submissions for its upcoming meeting, Seeing Sound, Speaking Images: The Senses in the Middle Ages, to be held at Princeton University on March 27–28, 2026.
Submissions are due on December 15. Learn more.
| | | Around the Corner: Campus Collaborations | | A Yuletide Feast for Organ and Brass | |
December 7, 2025, 2:30 - 3:30 PM
Princeton University Chapel
University Organist Eric Plutz is joined by Timberdale Brass in a concert featuring music for brass quintet, organ solo, brass and organ, and carols for all to sing.
Learn More About Yuletide Feast
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December 8, 2025, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST
Drapkin Studio, Lewis Arts Complex
Free for all Princeton students. Faculty and staff are welcome to attend
Nine Princeton alumni working in entertainment will be on campus Monday, December 8 to lead sessions as part of the 7th annual SCRIPT TO SCREEN seminar. Please join us for a day of panels and info-sessions as well as a networking luncheon.
Student Registration through Handshake
Complete Schedule
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Auld Lang Syne
December 12, 2025, 5:00 PM
Chancellor Green Rotunda
A program of Celtic music celebrating the Winter Solstice, Christmas, and Hogmanay, with bagpipes and voices.
Learn more about Auld Lang Syne
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Dr. Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek ensemble, ModernMedieval Voices, is presenting a holiday concert in NYC!
December 18, 2025, 7:30 PM
Church of St. Luke in the Fields
Learn more about A Midwinter Feast
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The After Noon Concert Series is a weekly opportunity for the Princeton Community to enjoy performances at the Princeton University Chapel by various local, national, and international organists. These half-hour concerts showcase the flexibility of the magnificent Skinner/Mander Chapel organ. Each visiting organist rehearses and performs, bringing forth a different voice and character from the organ.
12:30-1:00 pm
January 29 – Kyle Ritter
Cathedral of All Souls
Asheville, NC
Learn more about After Noon Concert Series
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McCarter Theatre: Emmanuel Ax Concert and Preshow Talk with the MUS Department
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Emmanuel Ax, Fri, February 6 at 7:30 pm
Scholar's Insights - Preshow talk at 6:30 pm
Learn more about the performance from experts. Curated in partnership with The Department of Music at Princeton University.
Eight-time GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist Emanuel Ax is renowned for his poetic temperament, deeply felt interpretations, and unparalleled virtuosity. Whether performing a timeless sonata or premiering a new work, his artistry reflects a profound love for music and its power to inspire. As The NY Times declares, Ax’s performances are “never less than spellbinding.”
A favorite of Princeton audiences, Ax first performed at McCarter in 1981 and continues to captivate with his masterful musicianship.
| | | Please submit any event or news you would like to share with the Department of Music students, faculty, and staff in future iterations of the Synthesizer. | | |
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