NEWS & UPDATES
September 6, 2025
| | Kicking off a new year of Music Department E-news, we’re excited to have you as part of our community! We’ll keep you updated on news, events, and announcements—and we invite you to share your own updates with Engagement Manager, Renata Kapilevich. | | |
Our New Website is Live—Explore What’s New in Music at Princeton
Explore the newly refreshed Music Department site—designed for seamless navigation and enriched with updated program offerings, performance events, faculty profiles, and News & Stories—reflecting Princeton’s vibrant musical community.
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Summer at Princeton: Princeton in Leipzig Roundup
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The Princeton Music Department, in collaboration with the German Department, successfully launched Princeton in Leipzig, a new summer study abroad program. Students in the program explored Leipzig’s rich musical heritage through seminars with Professor Wendy Heller and coachings with Dr. Ruth Ochs. To deepen cultural immersion, language learning played a central role: participants took part in an intensive German program at interDaF, which included daily morning classes for four weeks and one-on-one tutorials with Dr. Jamie Rankin. The program, which ran from June 2 to June 27, 2025, concluded with a public recital in the historic Alte Börse, the city’s oldest Baroque building.
"When I first arrived in Leipzig, I believed I knew how to appreciate music. I expected the concerts to be enjoyable and maybe even inspiring. What I did not expect was that they would change how I listen altogether. That shift began with the Friday cantata concert at the Nikolaikirche. Sitting in the pews of this centuries-old church, I was struck not just by the music itself, but by the way the space carried and shaped the sound. The acoustics made each note feel both intimate and monumental. I could feel the vibrations of the performance surrounding me, not coming from a speaker or headphones, but from the architecture itself. […] I noticed something had shifted. I was no longer attending concerts as a passive observer. I was learning to listen with intention. I became more aware of the emotional pacing of each piece, the relationship between music and space, and the powerful silence that follows a moving performance." - Cara Escarment ’28
Get a student’s-eye view of the program in James Dyson ’28’s blog.
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Sō Percussion Fall Performance
Sept. 12, 2025, 7:30 pm
Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
Learn about Sō
Percussion Concert
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Princeton Sound Kitchen presents Mixtape
Sept. 23, 2025, 8:00 pm
Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
Learn about Princeton Sound Kitchen
| | | Assistant Professor, Nathalie Joachim, Named Composer in Residence for Opera Philadelphia’s 2025-2026 Season | Grammy-nominated performer and composer, Nathalie Joachim, a Haitian American artist hailed for being “a fresh and invigorating cross-cultural voice” (The Nation) will serve as Opera Philadelphia’s Composer in Residence for the upcoming 2025-2026 Season. | Professor Simon Morrison’s Book “Mirror in the Sky: The Life and Music of Stevie Nicks” Featured in Women.com article
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Simon Morrison’s book “Mirror in the Sky: The Life and Music of Stevie Nicks” was included in Women.com article “5 Books That Give Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl Energy”
The article draws parallels between Taylor Swift's twelfth album, The Life of a Showgirl, and five captivating reads that echo its glamorous backstage allure and vintage performance energy. Particularly resonant: Stevie Nicks is a known muse to Taylor Swift, making the connection feel both personal and thematic.
| Scenes from the First Week: Music Department Moments | |
Check out the Music Departments IG for photos from this week, including Assistant Professor Anna Yu Wang’s FRS 165 “Difficult Listening,” Assistant Professor Nathalie Joachim MUS 102 “Ways of Listening,” the Graduate Student Meet & Greet with faculty and staff, and the Choral Ensembles Open House.
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From Idea to Impact: Senior Music Majors on Their Thesis Journeys
| As summer winds down, we are celebrating the creativity and dedication of our senior music majors. Our feature, From Idea to Impact: Senior Music Majors on Their Thesis Journeys, showcases six talented Class of 2025 seniors who transformed their passions into groundbreaking senior theses. | Senior Thesis Spotlight: A concerto inspired by history, art and the ‘rough edges of Rush’ | |
Music Major Toussaint Santicola-Jones ’25 transformed his love of fantasy, mythology, language, and medieval history into an ambitious orchestral work. Read fully story.
“That Which I Cannot See” was performed in May by Princeton Sinfonia in Richardson Auditorium, drawn from three black-and-white photographs in the Princeton University Art Museum collection from Michael Kenna’s 1990s “Rouge” series, which shows the faded industrial might of the Ford River Rouge complex in Dearborn, MI. The concerto’s three movements reflect themes from the three images, which he describes as “the skeletons and husks of human industry.”
Listeners will hear musical influences that were in heavy rotation on Toussaint’s playlist his senior year: Rush’s “A Farewell to Kings,” Genesis’ “Nursery Cryme” and “Foxtrot,” Stravinsky’s “The Firebird,” György Ligeti’s violin concerto, Christopher Theofanidis’ violin concerto, “Harry Potter” Books 3 and 4, and “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss.
| | Alumni Spotlight: Marcel Camprubí Receives Prestigious International Award | | We are delighted to share that Marcel Camprubí, Ph.D. ’24, has been honored with the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the International Musicological Society for the best dissertation in music studies. Congratulations to Marcel on this remarkable achievement! | | Elizabeth Rouget Wins Elmer Adler Book Collecting Prize | | Post-Graduate Research Associate, Elizabeth Rouget, is one of this year's winners of the Elmer Adler Book Collecting Prize for her collection of 18th century music, libretti, and playbills. | |
Princeton Sound Kitchen presents: Mixtape
WHEN: Sept. 23, 2025, 8:00 pm
WHERE: Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
Learn about Princeton Sound Kitchen
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Do-Re-Meet: Pre-Concert Speed Dating
WHEN: Sept. 25, 2025, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Maclean House, Princeton University Campus
Learn about Do-Re-Meet
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Princeton University Concerts presents Takács String Quartet and Jordan Bak, Viola
WHEN: Sept. 25, 2025, 6:00 pm & 9:00 pm
WHERE: Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
Learn about Takács String Quartet
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Do-Re-Meet: Pre-Concert Speed Dating
WHEN: Sept. 30, 2025, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Maclean House, Princeton University Campus
Learn about Do-Re-Meet
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Princeton University Concerts presents Abel Selaocoe, Cello
WHEN: Sept. 30, 2025, 6 pm & 9 pm
WHERE: Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
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Fall 2025 Undergraduate Courses & Add/Drop Deadline
Reminder: Undergraduate Course Add/Drop continues through Sept. 15 @ 11:59pm.
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Princeton University Concerts Updates:
Join your classical music-loving peers! Learn more about opportunities to make music a part of your Princeton experience:
- Join the Student Ambassadors of Princeton University Concerts
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Audition to perform with professional musicians (October 24!)
- Write for concert programs
...and more!
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Need a Locker or Instrument?
Reminder: Please email mus-instruments@princeton.edu for all locker and instrument inquiries.
Double bass lockers located in the forum are currently out for repair and scheduled to return at the end of September.
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Practice Room Access
New and Returning Students: Learn how to access Practice Rooms in Woolworth Center and Effron Music Building.
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Mendel Library News:
New Mendel Library Hours
Opening hours at Mendel Music Library will be reduced this year as part of University-wide cost reduction efforts. We recognize this is a significant change, but we are taking a data-informed approach to minimize disruption as much as possible. Mendel hours are provided below, and all library hours are posted online. Please contact Lisa Read with any questions or concerns.
Mendel Hours
Monday–Thursday: 9am–9pm
Friday: 9am–5pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: 3pm–9pm
For a complete schedule of library hours, please visit https://library.princeton.edu/hours
New Online Resources
Mendel Music Library is excited to announce the addition of two new music databases: RILM Encyclopedias and DEUMM.
RILM Music Encyclopedias (RME)
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Full-text searchable music dictionaries and encyclopedias, with topics ranging from popular music, rock, opera, classical, and blues to recorded media and music theory. Content spans many regions and languages, with publications dating from 1775 to the present. See full list of publications included.
DEUMM
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An extensive, modern music dictionary, covering music and musicians of many genres from around the world. Based on the Dizionario enciclopedico universale della musica e dei musicisti (DEUMM), with regular updates to the present day. Content is primarily in Italian, but a translation feature allows for viewing in other languages.
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Organist Eric Plutz Featured in Milestone 200th Organ Media Foundation Release
Have you ever wondered about the mysterious organ in the University Chapel? What all those knobs and buttons do? University Organist Eric Plutz announces the release of an informative video, produced by Organ Media Foundation, that offers an up-close look at the Princeton University Chapel Organ. He is honored that the Foundation chose the Chapel Organ to be its 200th release!
Watch video featuring Organist Eric Plutz
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REACHOUT FELLOWSHIPS INFO SESSION
Come learn about these exciting service-oriented fellowships for Princeton seniors: The ReachOut 56-81-06 Domestic Fellowship enables a Princeton senior to devote the first post-graduation year to undertaking a special project, or otherwise performing a useful function, for a public interest organization of the applicant’s choice, anywhere in the United States. The 1956 ReachOut International Fellowship enables a Princeton senior to spend the first post-graduation year performing a public-interest project anywhere in the world. The ReachOut Herbert C. Paschen, Jr. ’56 Fellowship enables a pair of Princeton seniors to carry out a project jointly, either domestically or internationally.
Sept. 8, 2025, 4:30–6:30 pm
Julis Romo Rabinowitz (JRR) A17
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Library Makerspace Orientation
This is a quick 30-minute tour of the PUL Makerspace, a creative technology lab open to current Princeton students, faculty, and staff. Learn about the resources available, such as equipment and tools (3D printers, sewing machines, and more), training sessions, and workshops. Registration is required.
Sept. 8, 2025, 3:00-3:30 pm
Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 3:00-3:30 PM
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Women and Temples in Carnatic Music
Renowned singer and teacher Sriranjani Tapasya Santhanagopalan explores temples as the original seats of Carnatic music, and devadasis—women artists dedicated to temple worship—as early shapers of the artform. This innovative lec-dem brings the devotional and cultural roots of this music to life and honors the enduring legacy of its forgotten heroines.
Sept. 9, 2025 7 pm
Carl A. Fields Center,
Room 104
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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.
Sept. 11, 2025, 12:30-1:00 pm
Princeton University Chapel
Ariana Corbin
Washington National Cathedral, Washington, DC
Sept. 18, 12:30-1:00 pm
Princeton University Chapel
Jessie Zixi Deng
Student, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, PA
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Author and scholar Daniel Pollack-Pelzner will visit Princeton to discuss his new book, Lin-Manuel Miranda: Education of an Artist (Simon & Schuster). Associate Professor of Theater Brian Herrera will join him in conversation at the Princeton Public Library. Free and open to the public.
Sept. 15, 2025, 7:00 pm
Princeton Public Library
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The Winston Churchill Foundation offers scholarships for one year of graduate study in STEM fields at Churchill College, University of Cambridge. Contact Dean Rebecca Graves-Bayazitoglu (rgraves@princeton.edu) with specific questions after visiting the Churchill Scholarship website.
Sept. 16, 2025, 4:30–5:30 pm
OIP Conference Room, Louis A. Simpson A66
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Crafternoons are designed to give you a short break in your week and make something with your hands. Our workshops are low-stakes with easy-to-learn crafts designed to give you a fun finished product.
Sept. 19, 2025, 12:15-1:15 pm
Commons Library Curiosity Studio
| | | 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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