NEWS & UPDATES
March 28, 2025
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DISPATCH: Princeton University Glee Club goes to Spain & Portugal | |
The Princeton University Glee Club recently returned from an exhilarating international tour of Spain and Portugal. Several students maintained a blog documenting each day of the tour with daily entries and photos. An excerpt from the blog appears below:
"Following our afternoon of exploring around Lisbon, both of our groups headed back to the hotel, and soon after, to the iconic Sé de Lisboa for our concert later that evening. Even before entering, we were awestruck; the Sé appeared as a towering stone cathedral with striking stained glass windows and medieval crenellations lining the roofline. It was scarcely imaginable that we would have the privilege of performing in such a space. The magic continued into our afternoon rehearsal and evening concert, where we experienced the resonant and warm acoustic that the twelfth-century Sé had to offer." —Jenia Marquez '25 and Robert Mohan '26
| DISPATCH: Princeton University Orchestra goes to Greece | The Princeton University Orchestra had an absolutely wonderful time on our spring break tour to Greece, March 8 – 14! We had the pleasure to visit the cities of Athens, Patras, and Thessaloniki, with one concert in each city. The audiences were enthusiastic and friendly, and we greatly enjoyed the vibrant energy of each performance and delighted in bringing our artistry to these new audiences! Between performances and rehearsals, PUO members enjoyed free time in each city to explore the local areas as well as a few guided tours. Highlights included a tour of the Athens Acropolis, an excursion to Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon, an afternoon of volleyball and walks along the Patras beach, and a lunch stop in the gorgeous city of Ioannina on our way to Thessaloniki. We returned with fond memories, newfound friendships, and an immense gratitude for this wonderful shared experience. —Heidi Gubser '27 |
Professor Simon Morrison Reviews The Sound of Utopia for The Times Literary Supplement
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Professor Simon Morrison, who specializes in 20th-century Russian and Soviet music, reviews The Sound of Utopia: Musicians in the time of Stalin by Michel Krielaars for The Times Literary Supplement. The Sound of Utopia details how Soviet musicians and composers struggled to create art in a climate of risk, suspicion and fear. An excerpt from Morrison's review appears below:
"Krielaars, a Dutch journalist with years of experience in Russia and an understanding of the workings of the Stalinist regime, uses music as a lens to explore cultural oppression, power and their arbitrary workings in the Soviet Union from 1936 to 1953. Over ten chapters, he details the cultural effects of the purges of the 1930s, the Second World War and the second wave of purges in the late 1940s, while reminiscing about his own visits to museums and conversations with musicians’ relatives. Much of what he describes is dystopian rather than utopian, though in the Soviet context the two terms aren’t as opposite as they might seem." —Simon Morrison
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TAP Founder and Program Manager Emeritus Lou Chen writes about musician Geo Suguillo for bilingual publication Latincolors Magazine | |
Trenton Arts at Princeton Program Manager Emeritus and Founder Lou Chen profiles the story of Geo Suguillo, who teaches charango for INTEMPO—a Stamford-based music nonprofit for which Chen currently serves as CEO—for the bilingual publication, Latincolors Magazine. An excerpt from Chen's story appears below:
"In 2003, when Suquillo was in his mid-20s, he immigrated to New York City. “I wanted to get into international music, like jazz and blues,” he says. In NYC, jazz legends like Pat Metheny were impressive, as were the lesser-known musicians who performed in the subways. “There were amazing musicians everywhere”. Inspired by the grassroots music scene, in 2010, he started a fusion ensemble called Inti and the Moon. They went on to be featured as one of “The Latinx Artists We Loved” by NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest." —Lou Chen
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UPCOMING AT
THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT
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Sophomore Information Session | April 8, 2025
WHEN: Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 4:30 PM
WHERE: Woolworth Lobby
WHAT: Join faculty and staff for an informal social to learn more about studying Music at Princeton. Special guest: Director of Electronic Music and Princeton Laptop Orchestra, Jeff Snyder, will perform a short set.
REGISTER HERE
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Improv Workshop for Strings with Princeton Arts Fellow yuniya edi kwon | April 5, 2025
WHEN: Saturday, April 5, 2025, 2:00 pm
WHERE: Ellie’s Dance Studio at the Lewis Center for the Arts, Arts Tower 2nd floor landing
WHAT: This session with Princeton Arts fellow yuniya edi kwon is intended for string players who are new to improvisation, so no prior improv experience is required. The session is open to all, but we do ask interested participants/attendees to please RSVP to Music Department Violin Studio Faculty member Sunghae Anna Lim at annalim@princeton.edu.
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Princeton Preview | April 15 & 22, 2025
WHEN: Tuesday, April 15 & April 22, 2025 from 1:30- 3:00 PM
WHERE: TBD location
WHAT: All admitted undergraduate students are invited to attend Princeton Preview, a one-day, on-campus program in April designed as an in-depth introduction to the many dimensions of academic and extracurricular life at Princeton. Be sure to stop at the Music Department's table to learn more about our offerings!
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Lunch with the Chair |
April 21, 2025
WHEN: Monday, April 21, 2025 from 12:00-1:30 PM
WHERE: Prospect House
WHAT: Music students are invited to join our department chair, Dan Trueman, for lunch at Prospect House! You won't want to miss this chance to meet in a small group of other students from the Music Department, to get to know one another, share your thoughts and ideas about the music student experience, and ask any question that’s on your mind.
Please fill out this Lunch with the Chair form if you are interested in joining or to let us know that you’re interested in a future opportunity. If we have more students interested than spots available, we will do a lottery, and your spot/participation will be confirmed in email correspondence from the Music Department.
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Announcing the Royal College of Music Fall 2025 Cohort
The Music Department is thrilled to congratulate the following students, who have been selected to participate in the Royal College of Music for Fall 2025. Princeton's partnership with the Royal College of Music offers a semester of music immersion in a conservatory setting for highly talented performance students, with the possibility of an accelerated Masters of Music degree from the Royal College of Music.
Tendekai Mawokomatanda, Class of ’27 – Double Bass
Isabelle Bruening, Class of ’27 — Piano
Heidi Gubser, Class of ’27 — Flute
Isabelle Tseng, Class of ’27 — Violin
Daniel Liu, Class of ’26 – French Horn
Congratulations!
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Professor Elizabeth Margulis Featured on The Connection, an NPR and PBS Podcast
The most recent episode of The Connection, a podcast sponsored by NPR and PBS, features Princeton Professor and Director of Graduate Studies (Musicology) Elizabeth Margulis. In conversation with host Marty Moss-Coane, Professor Margulis discusses why music can transport us and connect us to others, how different cultures shape our taste in music, and how melodies affect our mood. Their discussion also touches on why some tunes can get stuck in our head, why repetition is central to music, where music is stored in the brain, and how music can unlock language for people with aphasia.
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Trenton Arts at Princeton Founder Lou Chen in Conversation with Aaron Dworkin for Arts Engines Podcast
Trenton Arts at Princeton Founder and Program Manager Emeritus, Lou Chen, who now serves as the CEO of INTEMPO, was recently in conversation with Aaron Dworkin for the Arts Engines Podcast. Arts Engines now reaches over 100,000 weekly viewers in partnership with Detroit PBS and ArtsJournal, and seeks to share the most valuable advice and input from arts administrators who tell their stories of creative problem-solving, policy, economic impact, and crisis management.
For this episode of the podcast, Chen discusses the role of the arts in immigrant communities. Listen to the full episode below.
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Princeton University Chamber Choir
WHEN: Saturday, March 29, 2025, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
Click here for Chamber Choir tickets
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Certificate Recital: Sarah Lekaj, Voice
WHEN: Sunday, March 30, 2025, 3:00 pm
WHERE: Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
Click here more information about Sarah Lekaj
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Certificate Recital: Theo Wells-Spackman, Voice
WHEN: Sunday, March 30, 2025, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
Click here for more info about Theo Wells-Spackman
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Princeton Livestock Exchange Concert
WHEN: Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Colab, Lewis Arts Complex
Click here for more info about Livestock Exchange Concert
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Princeton University Concerts presents Martin Fröst, Clarinet, Antoine Tamestit, Viola, and Shai Wosner, Piano
WHEN: Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
Click here for more concert and ticketing information
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PLOrk: Embodied
WHEN: Friday, April 4, 2025, 8:00 pm
WHERE: Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
Click here for more info about PLOrk 20th Anniversary concert
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Certificate Recital: Chloe Webster, Voice
WHEN: Friday, April 4, 2025, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
Click here to learn more about Chloe Webster
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Certificate Recital: Claire Dignazio, Voice
WHEN: Saturday, April 5, 2025, 3:00 pm
WHERE: Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
Click here for more info about Claire Dignazio
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Certificate Recital: Lena Molyneux, Voice
WHEN: Sunday, April 6, 2025, 3:00 pm
WHERE: Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
Click here for more info about Lena Molyneux
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Certificate Recital: Karlo Andrei Antalan, Voice
WHEN: Sunday, April 6, 2025, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
Click here for more info about Karlo Andrei Antalan
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Vocal Consort Recital
WHEN: Thursday, April 10, 2025, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Princeton Theological Seminary Chapel
Click here for more info about Vocal Consort Recital
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Princeton University Concerts presents Jess Gillam, Saxophone, with Thomas Weaver, Piano
WHEN: Thursday, April 10, 2025, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
Directly after this concert, join saxophonist Jess Gillam for an end-of-season dance party where you can learn simple choreography to music featured on the concert program!
Click here for more concert and ticketing information
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Instructions for Declaring a Music Major | |
Process for declaring a music major:
- Declare "Music" as your intended major on the Registrar's website between March 27 and April 14, 2025.
- Complete your Department Academic Planning Form (DAPF) in TigerHub between March 27 and April 11, 2025.
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Princeton University Concerts Announces 2025-26 Season | Princeton University Concerts (PUC) announced their 2025-26 season! Subscriptions and Student Early Bird Tickets to the 2025-26 Season are now on sale. Make-Your-Own package sales begin May 12. Single tickets will go on sale online only on Monday, August 5; and by phone on Monday, September 8. |
Trenton Arts at Princeton in search of Program Manager
Trenton Arts at Princeton (TAP) seeks a Program Manager who will oversee all aspects of the TAP program. Working closely with an advisory group comprised of leadership from Community and Regional Affairs, the Department of Music, Lewis Center for the Arts, and Pace Center for Civic Engagement, the TAP Program Manager provides strategic vision and operational oversight for the program including but not limited to artistic direction, fiscal responsibility, mission-centric programming, and collaboration across departments. Relationship building with partners in Trenton will also be an essential facet of the job, as the Program Manager works closely with teachers and leadership in the Trenton Public School District to develop and align programs which complement and support the pedagogical objectives of the faculty in Trenton.
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Reminders about Finances and Reimbursements
Please note the following reminders about reimbursement processes:
- All out of pocket expenses must be submitted through Concur within 60 days of transaction date
- Expenses on Princeton credit cards must be submitted every 30 days through Concur
- Important dates: Final Concur submission of expense reports for this Fiscal Year is May 15, 2025. Please complete purchases on or before May 1, 2025, and submit expense reports by May 15, 2025. This step allows Beth Schupsky, the Department's Business Manager, to focus on closing the books by June 30, 2025
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
| Nominate a Student for the Joseph Pucciatti Prize for Community Engagement in the Arts | |
Last year, in honor of longtime Trenton Central High School (TCHS) Orchestra director Joseph Pucciatti, the Department of Music has established a new prize: the Joseph Pucciatti Prize for Community Engagement in the Arts. The prize is awarded annually to a graduating Princeton University senior whose love of community, artistic imagination, and passion for mentorship—all qualities embodied by Pucciatti—have expanded access to the arts.
Trenton Arts at Princeton is now collecting nominations for the 2025 Pucciatti Prize. The deadline is Friday, April 4.
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Minor in Music Enrollment Requests Open for Classes of 2026 & 2027
Modeled on our major, students in this program pursue work in two areas: topics usually explored in hands-on ways, such as composition, improvisation, theory, analysis, and electronic music; and the scholarly study of music, from music history and theory to cognitive science and ethnography.
There are no prerequisites for entering the program. Students who wish to pursue the minor in music simply need to complete a brief request form (found here) to declare their intention and share some information for review by our Director of Undergraduate Studies.
If you need any assistance to request enrollment, meet with the DUS, or have other questions about the Minor in Music, please contact Katie Baltrush (KBaltrush@princeton.edu).
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FINAL CALL: Auditions for Admission to the Minor in Music Performance will be held April 3, 2025 | |
Our Minor in Music Performance provides a framework for students to pursue immersive study in vocal/instrumental performance alongside their work towards their majors. All Princeton undergraduate students in their 2nd year of study are eligible to apply. Admission to this particular minor degree program is by audition, and admitted students will begin formal work towards the degree in Fall 2025. For more details about the curriculum and auditions for this program, please visit the Music Department website and the Princeton University Undergraduate Announcement.
If you are interested in being considered for this degree program, please find detailed information about eligibility, audition repertoire and application requirements on the Minors in Music page of the Music Department website and submit application materials and sign-up for an audition time at this link. This is also found on the Minors in Music page of the website, under the Application Process section.
Note that applicants are required to provide their own accompanist, if one is needed for their audition.
If you need any assistance to apply, schedule an audition, or have other questions about the Minor in Music Performance, please contact Katie Baltrush (KBaltrush@princeton.edu).
| Apply to the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance by April 25, 2025 | |
Trinity Laban is the UK's first conservatoire of music and dance. Formed in 2005, Trinity Laban combines the tradition of two leading music and dance centers: Trinity College of Music and Laban. Trinity Laban offers a unique and intense experience incorporating innovative education and training in performing arts. This program fosters a collaborative environment and a thriving community of musicians with ample opportunity to perform. Students attending the fall program will enroll in Trinity Laban's Jazz program and take the third year curriculum consisting of Principle Studies (one-on one music lessons or small ensemble projects), Academic Studies (practical classes on improvisation and composition or music history) and Electives. During the semester students will have three performance weeks as well as other opportunities to perform in various venues in London.
Apply with audition tape ASAP, and no later than April 25, 2025 to be considered for Fall 2025.
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Musicology Colloquium Series presents: Nadine Hubbs
Nadine Hubbs is a professor of Women's & Gender Studies and Music & American Culture at the University of Michigan, where she also serves as director of the Lesbian-Gay-Queer Research Initiative (LGQRI). She specializes in gender and queer studies in relation to music, culture, and social class, with a focus on the queer influence on modern classical and popular music of the 20th- and 21st-centuries.
WHEN: Thursday, April 3, 2025, 4:30 pm
WHERE: Mendel Reading Room
Click here to browse books by Nadine Hubbs
Click here to browse articles by Nadine Hubbs
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SMArts Annual Showcase
Join Trenton Arts at Princeton for a joyous celebration of our Trenton and Princeton University students participating in the Saturday Morning Arts program, featuring performances by Trenton Youth Dancers, Orchestra, Singers, and Theater! This event is free and unticketed.
WHEN: Saturday, April 12, 2025, 2:00-3:30 PM
WHERE: Lewis Arts Complex Forum
Click here for more info about the SMArts Showcase
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Zingaresca: Russian Romani Music & Musicians
A concert of traditional and contemporary Russian and other East European Romani music which will bring to life the rich contributions of Romani performers to traditional music-making.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 8:00 PM
WHERE: Community Hall, Class of 1970 Theater
Click here to learn more about the concert of Russian and East European music
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Opera and History: Die Frau ohne Schatten, World War One, and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy
In this lecture, Larry Wolff, Julius Silver Professor of European History at New York University, will discuss opera and history through the case of Richard Strauss's opera Die Frau ohne Schatten in relation to the period of its creation before, during, and after World War I. In particular, the lecture will address the leading roles in the opera — a fairy-tale emperor and empress — in relation to the last Habsburg emperor and empress, Karl and Zita, who departed from Austria in 1919, the same year their fairy-tale counterparts took the stage in Vienna.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 8, 4:30-6:00 PM
WHERE: Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building, Room 399
Click here to learn more about the lecture with Larry Wolff
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After Noon Concert Series
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.
Thursday, April 3, 2025, 12:30-1:00 PM
Princeton University Chapel
Mina Choi, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ
Thursday, April 10, 2025, 12:30-1:00 PM
Princeton University Chapel
Margaret Harper, Trinity Episcopal Church, Princeton, NJ
Click here for more info about the After Noon concert series
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When Pages Breathe: The Greatness of Gatsby | March 31-April 3, 2025
The Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Theater, in collaboration with Princeton University Library, presents When Pages Breathe, a series of events that celebrates bringing good books to life through adaptation for the stage and screen. This year’s series focuses on the 100th Anniversary of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s American classic The Great Gatsby.
Panel—The Greatness of Gatsby
March 31, 6:30 PM
Chancellor Green Rotunda
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and former Princeton Hodder Fellow Martyna Majok and Executive Director of American Repertory Theater Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. (Princeton Class of 2009) discuss Majok’s book for the new musical Gatsby, An American Myth, with music by Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett that had its world premiere in May 2024. Moderated by Professor of Theater Stacy Wolf, one of America’s foremost scholars on American musical theater. Also includes a performance by Tony Award-nominated writer and actress Sharon Washington. Pre-panel reception at 6 p.m. This event is presented in collaboration with the Library’s celebration of The Great Gatsby at 100, a suite of on- and off-campus programming inspired by the library’s significant Fitzgerald and Gatsby-related holdings. The panel is free and open to the public. Registration required through the Library.
The Actor’s Exploration of Classical Text
April 1, 7:00 PM
Drapkin Studio at Lewis Arts complex
An event with Tony Award-nominated playwright (Best Book of a Musical for New York, New York) and actress Sharon Washington. Free and open to University community, no registration required.
Producing Shorts from Literature
April 1, 8:30 PM
Drapkin Studio at Lewis Arts complex
Award-winning director and producer Chuck Schultz and playwright/actress Sharon Washington present a masterclass on the creative process of bringing books to life. Free and open to University community, no registration required.
Screening—When My Sleeping Dragon Woke
April 2 at 7:00 PM
Drapkin Studio at Lewis Arts complex
Director Chuck Schultz and Sharon Washington screen their film When My Sleeping Dragon Woke, a documentary on Washington’s life from a young girl exploring library shelves to a 2023 Tony-nominated playwright. The film is a powerful reminder that creativity can flourish in the most unexpected places. Free and open to the public, no registration required.
The Great Gatsby by Literature To Life
April 3 at 5:00 PM
Drapkin Studio at Lewis Arts complex
Literature to Life, a performance-based literacy program that presents professionally staged verbatim adaptations of American literary classics, presents a full performance of Kelvin Grullon’s theatrical adaptation of The Great Gatsby performed by Bryce Foley and directed by Grullon with music by A.J. Khaw. Free and open to the public, no registration required.
| | 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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