NEWS & UPDATES
May 1, 2026
| | The Beat: News from Our Music Community | | |
Welcoming the Newest Music Majors: Declaration Day 2026 | This spring, the Music Department welcomes a talented new group of sophomores officially declaring Music as their major. Marking the occasion on Declaration Day with a gathering at Cannon Green, the cohort represents a wide range of musical interests—from composition and music cognition to jazz performance, opera, and interdisciplinary study. As they begin the next chapter of their academic journeys, we’re excited to spotlight their voices and highlight what led them here | A Conversation with Professor Simon Morrison on the History of Moscow | Professor Simon Morrison, a Princeton University music historian and scholar of Russian culture, recently published A Kingdom and a Village: A 1,000-Year History of Moscow, a sweeping account of the city’s evolution across a millennium. Drawing on political history, culture, and his own early experiences in the city, Morrison traces how Moscow developed into one of Europe’s most influential and contested capitals. In our conversation, he reflects on his first encounters with Moscow, the role of music and the arts in shaping its identity, and how the city’s past continues to inform its present. | | |
Elizabeth Margulis's new book: Transported The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams
WHEN: May 19, 2026 at 6:00PM
WHERE: Labyrinth Books, Princeton, NJ
Learn more.
| Princeton University Concerts Announces 2026-27 Season | |
Princeton University Concerts is thrilled to announce their upcoming season, and invite you to immerse yourself in music through curated experiences designed to make everyone feel welcomed and engaged.
Learn more.
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Music, Memory, and Magic with the CST
with Professor Elizabeth Margulis
| | Nathalie Joachim Premieres New Works with Major Orchestras Across the U.S. and Europe | | Simon Morrison's NYT Review: ‘Anything Can Happen’: Performing the Heroine of ‘Eugene Onegin’ | A recent New York Times review, written by Professor of Music Simon Morrison, spotlights soprano Asmik Grigorian in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Eugene Onegin, praising her deeply expressive and psychologically nuanced portrayal of Tatiana. |
Introducing MuSE: Linking Music-Theoretical Concepts Across Languages
with Anna Yu Wang and Jürgen Hackl
| This past January, the CDH kicked off a new Collaborative Research Partnership with Anna Yu Wang (Assistant Professor of Music) and Jürgen Hackl (Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering), the researchers behind the larger Music Theory in the Plural project. MuSE—short for Multilingual Semantic Embeddings—asks: when scholars write about music theory across languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and Portuguese, are they talking about the same things? The project sets out to evaluate whether multilingual LLMs can translate the domain-specific discourse of music theory without flattening its nuance, and to test computational methods for discovering related concepts across those language traditions. | Announcing Princeton Playhouse's Debut EP: "From Wind to Wonder" | |
Princeton Playhouse Ensembles released an EP ("From Wind to Wonder") featuring over 50 current Princeton students and/or alums, and all original work written or co-written by students, to all streaming platforms this past Friday 4/24.
This project was supported by the Edward T. Cone '39 *42 Fund in the Princeton University Humanities Council.
Stream it across platforms here.
Spotify link here.
Playhouse Ensembles Instagram and Facebook.
| Composition Graduate Student Travis Laplante new album "Estuary"
| Composition Graduate Student Travis Laplante's new album entitled "Estuary" is out today (5/1/26)! Listen and support his music by picking up an album/digital album at www.travislaplante.bandcamp.com | Princeton Alumnus Chris Rogerson Named Artistic Director of Bravo! Vail Music Festival | Princeton Alumnus, Chris Rogerson, was named the next Artistic Director of Bravo! Vail Music Festival, beginning September 1, 2026. He becomes the fourth Artistic Director in the festival’s history, succeeding pianist Anne-Marie McDermott. Bravo! Vail in Vail, Colorado, is the only North American festival to host four orchestras each summer. | |
MPP 214: Projects in Vocal Performance: Culminating Performance
WHEN: May 1, 2026, 1:30 pm
WHERE: Woolworth Center, McAlpin Rehearsal Hall
Learn about MPP 214
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Sinfonia Concert
WHEN: May 1, 2026, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
Learn about Sinfonia
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Jazz at Princeton presents: Jazz Small Groups A & X
WHEN: May 2, 2026, 8 pm
WHERE: Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
Learn about Jazz Groups A & X
| | Mendel Music Library News | |
Summer Hours
Beginning on Friday May 15th, Mendel Library will adjust its operating hours for the summer:
Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM
Saturday & Sunday: CLOSED
Monday 5/25: CLOSED - Holiday
Friday 6/19: CLOSED - Holiday
Friday 7/3: CLOSED - Holiday
Wednesday 9/2: Academic Hours Resume
For a complete schedule of library hours, please visit https://library.princeton.edu/hours
| | | Around the Corner: Campus Collaborations | |
UNEDITED: a solo Kathak show by Rachna Nivas
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The Office of Religious Life is hosting Unedited on Sunday, May 3 at 4PM in Frist Theatre. This event is a solo Kathak dance production featuring dancer, teacher, and storyteller Rachna Nivas and a troupe of live musicians. Presented in collaboration with the student Indian classical dance group on campus, Kalaa Dance Troupe.
All are welcome. Admission is free, but tickets are required.
Free tickets are available through University Ticketing at tinyurl.com/rachnanivas
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Eric Plutz, University Organist
Reunions Organ Concert
May 22, 3:00 p.m., Princeton University Chapel
Free, Open to the Public
As part of the many varied offerings during Reunions at Princeton University, Eric will offer a less-formal, yet enjoyable and entertaining concert for Princeton Alumni and the general public alike.
| | 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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