Because of safety concerns regarding the ill-timed thunderstorms that battered the region last night not long before curtain, it was nearly 9:00 before soprano Sondra Radvanovsky took the stage of the performance pavilion at Morven Museum & Garden for the second night of The Princeton Festival. But boy, when she did, did she deliver.
The program was perfectly tailored to suit her voice, with selections by Verdi (“La forza del destino”), Giordano (“André Chénier”), and Puccini (“Tosca” – which she’ll be singing at the Met next season – and an imperious Turandot). Her control was riveting, her dramatic presence hypnotic, and when she was under full sail, she flooded the tent with a magisterial voice that stirred overwhelming emotion.
She was joined by rising tenor Victor Starsky, a Princeton Festival veteran, who sang Cavaradossi in last year’s production of “Tosca” and will return next week as Pinkerton in “Madama Butterfly.” Starsky had his time in the spotlight with “Celeste Aida” and that old standby, “Nessun Dorma.” Nothing sets a crowd wild like a tenor in full voice.
But even more compelling, for me, personally, were his duets with Radvanovsky (from “Un Ballo in maschera” and “Manon Lescaut”), which allowed his passion to bubble over. I was left shaken by their concluding “Vicino a te s’acqueta,” from “André Chénier,” in which the couple anticipates fulfillment of their love in their impending death at the guillotine (“Viva la morte insiem!”) – so much so that, as I was chatting with some people behind me afterward, I nearly broke down.
No doubt there would have been encores, but it was already pushing 11:00. I’m sure a lot of contracted employees are going to be getting overtime.
Rossen Milanov conducted The Princeton Symphony Orchestra, in support of the singers, but also supplied the overtures and interludes by Verdi, Mascagni, and Leoncavallo. It was a late night, so I was thankful for having imbibed a strong cold brew beforehand. Even so, I think it would have been impossible to nod. It was definitely worth sweating it out in the car for an hour, waiting for the thunder and lightning to subside.
Today is the festival’s Community Day, with Yoga in the Garden (to live musical accompaniment) already underway. That will be followed this afternoon by family friendly activities, including an instrument “petting zoo,” a musical story time, a quilting exhibition, “Harriet Powers: American Icon,” with the Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilt Guild, and American Repertory Ballet‘s 30-minute “Swan Lake Experience,” an accelerated story of the ballet with audience participation, from 12-3 p.m.
This evening, Milanov and the PSO will return to join the dancers for a program that will feature pas de deux from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” and “The Sleeping Beauty,” Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” and a world premiere choreographed to music by Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw. But especially interesting to me will be a ballet set to Jean Françaix’s Piano Concerto, with Steven Beck the soloist. The event will commence in the performance pavilion on the Morven grounds at 7 p.m.
Morven Museum & Garden is located at 55 Stockton Street (Route 206) in Princeton, NJ.
The Princeton Festival runs through July 21. For tickets and information, visit princetonsymphony.org/festival.
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I didn’t take any pictures last night. I’ll add a more pertinent photo once the Princeton Festival makes one available!
Tag: Princeton
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Stunning Radvanovsky Worth the Wait, After Rain Delay at the Princeton Festival
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June Is Bustin’ Out at the Princeton Festival
It’s June, and the performance pavilion is up at Morven Museum & Garden! Who’s ready to hear some music? Opera, cabaret, Baroque, dance, Great Ladies of Jazz, Time for Three, the Bacon Brothers, Queen Nation, and a pops concert in celebration of America’s 250th birthday – the Princeton Festival will begin on Friday and run through June 21.
Main stage events will be held on the grounds of Morven, at 55 Stockton Street (Route 206), with Baroque concerts held across the way, at Princeton’s Trinity Church (33 Mercer Street).
On opening night, Broadway superstar Sierra Boggess (“The Little Mermaid,” “The Phantom of the Opera”) will perform cabaret-style, with piano, sharing showtunes, songs, and personal anecdotes (Morven, Friday at 7 p.m.).
Then will be a big treat for opera lovers, as world-renowned soprano and Metropolitan Opera star Sondra Radvanovsky will headline a program of moving arias, duets, and orchestral interludes from the Italian repertoire, including works by Puccini, Verdi, Mascagni, and Giordano. For the duets, she’ll be joined by Festival veteran Victor Starsky, who will also perform the showstopper “Nessun Dorma.” The Princeton Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Rossen Milanov (Morven, Saturday at 8 p.m.).
Sunday will be the Festival’s Community Day, which will include free morning Yoga in the Garden (9 a.m.) and, in the afternoon, family friendly activities, such as an Instrument Petting Zoo, a Musical Story Time, a Quilting Exhibition “Harriet Powers: American Icon,” with the Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilt Guild, and American Repertory Ballet‘s 30-minute “Swan Lake Experience,” an accelerated story of the ballet with audience participation (12-3 p.m.).
In the evening, Milanov and the PSO will return in support of the dancers for a program including celebrated pas de deux from Tchaikovsky masterworks (including “Swan Lake”), a ballet set to a neglected gem by Jean Françaix – his Piano Concerto, with Steven Beck the soloist – and a world premiere choreographed to music by Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw (Morven, Sunday at 7 p.m.).
Two Baroque concerts will be offered on weeknights at Trinity Church, with The Sebastians performing a program of Bach cantatas, BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” (“Sleepers Awake”) and BWV 80 “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott” (“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”), alongside the Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor (Trinity, next Tuesday at 7 p.m.).
Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” will highlight a program performed by the ensemble Twelfth Night that will also include works by Pietro Locatelli, Arcangelo Corelli, and Francesco Durante (Trinity, next Thursday at 7 p.m.).
This year’s fully-staged opera will be Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” Soprano Toni Marie Palmertree, who really threw herself into the role (and off Castel Sant’Angelo’s parapet) last year as Tosca – and who recently sang “Butterfly” at the Met – will sing Cio-Cio-San. Victor Starsky, who gave an impassioned performance as Tosca’s lover, Cavarodossi (and, again, will sing with Radvanovksy this Saturday) – will return as Pinkerton. Once again, Milanov will conduct the PSO. The opera will be heard in two performances (Morven, Friday, June 12, at 7 p.m.., and Sunday, June 14, at 4 p.m.).
Impassioned music-making of another sort will rock the pavilion – and you – as musicians of Queen Nation, billed as the undisputed #1 Queen Tribute Band in the United States, declare themselves the champions in iconic Queen ‘70s and ‘80s-era costumes (Morven, Saturday, June 13, at 7 p.m.).
Grammy and Emmy Award-winning ensemble – and Festival favorites – Time for Three will return with another genre-defying program. The trio of Ranaan Meyer (double bass, vocals), Nicolas “Nick” Kendall (violin, vocals) and Charles Yang (violin, vocals) merge classical, Americana, and singer-songwriter traditions into a singular, remarkable sound. As always, in the spirit of spontaneity, as always, the group will announce its selections from the stage (Morven, Thursday, June 18, at 7 p.m.).
The concluding weekend will be a three-day showcase of American music, in celebration of America’s Semiquincentennial, with additional family events on Sunday. The weekend will be presented in partnership with the Municipality of Princeton.
Great Ladies of Jazz will be a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, and Ginger Rogers, among others, starring Capathia Jenkins and Aisha de Haas. Lucas Waldin will conduct the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (Morven, Friday, June 19, at 7 p.m.).
A pre-concert talk, “Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement,” will be delivered by Princeton University voice teacher Dr. Rochelle Ellis. Treats will be available to sample from Tipple & Rose, and Morven’s Museum will be open with free admission from 5-7pm in recognition of Juneteenth.
The Bacon Brothers, Emmy-winner composer Michael and A-list actor Kevin (of “Footloose” and “Apollo 13” fame), will play a mix of folk, rock, soul, and country music. Olsson’s Fine Foods will be onsite with Happy Hour Boxes filled with gourmet cheeses and sandwiches. (Morven, Saturday, June 20, at 7 p.m.).
Finally, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra will offer a star-spangled salute with “American Fanfare,” featuring Broadway vocalist Julie Benko (“Funny Girl”). The patriotic program will include works by Aaron Copland, Valerie Coleman, Virgil Thomson, Richard Rodgers, Harold Arlen, and John Philip Sousa. America 250 flags and red, white, and blue pom-poms will be given out to the first 150 to enter the grounds (Morven, Sunday, June 21 at 3 p.m.).
Prior to the concert, free family fun for children of all ages will be available, beginning at 1:00.
Picnic boxes from Jammin’ Crepes may be pre-ordered up to 48 hours before each mainstage Festival performance, except the June 6 Sondra Radvanovsky concert.
Tickets and information are available by phone at (609) 497-0020 and online at princetonsymphony.org/festival. -
Princeton Pro Musica to Revive Frank Lewin’s Kennedy Requiem at Princeton University Chapel
As teased in yesterday’s post, here’s my article in the Princeton weekly U.S. 1, out today.
I really wanted to write about Princeton composer Frank Lewin and his “Mass for the Dead (Requiem for Robert F. Kennedy).” The work will be revived by Princeton Pro Musica at Princeton University Chapel on Saturday, May 9, at 4 p.m., as part of an all-American concert, which will also include Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms.” The Requiem was first heard there 57 years ago, during a memorial service for RFK, in 1969.
As an added bonus for me, I got to interview the composer’s daughters, radio host Naomi Lewin, whose syndicated show, “Classics for Kids,” follows my light music show “Sweetness and Light,” Saturday mornings on KWAX; and her sister, documentary filmmaker Miriam Lewin, who once worked at the Opera Company of Philadelphia, where I briefly interned in the ‘90s (after she had already left), and who has the distinction of having introduced supertitles to opera.
I must say, this is the quickest turnaround, from submission to publication of a piece, I ever experienced. Usually, arts writers are requested to get their work in days in advance. For U.S. 1, I think it’s usually about a week. But this an interim editor. Once production hits a bump or I exceed my quota by a million words, maybe the deadline will get pushed up. As it stands, I’m pretty happy with it.
Physical editions of the paper are available in vending machines and at local businesses through next Tuesday. But if you just can’t wait, you can always access the article here:
https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/artsandentertainment/princeton-pro-musica-revives-frank-lewin-s-requiem-for-rfk/article_c6c148b4-1539-4ced-b932-109339bf7b26.html
PHOTOS: Frank Lewin (seated) prepares his Kennedy Mass with soprano Sylvia Jones and tenor Leo Goeke; RFK funeral train passes through Princeton Junction on June 8, 1968
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Venerable Trenton-Princeton Conductor and Music Educator Matteo Giammario Has Died
I am very sorry to learn that conductor and music educator Matteo Giammario has died. Among his other achievements, Giammario founded the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra. He devoted much of his life to inspiring young people. His contagious love of music made the world a better place. Happily, he lived to a venerable age. Giammario died on March 9, just days shy of his 101st birthday. Here’s a bio extracted from an article I wrote about the organization in 2024:
Born to parents who immigrated from Italy’s Apulia region – the heel of the “boot,” as it were – he developed an early fascination with music from the Neapolitan songs he overheard growing up in Trenton’s Little Italy. His mother steered him from the guitar to the violin, which started him on the path of his life’s passion, which has been for music education and performance.
Following service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Giammario used his G.I. Bill benefits to attend NYU, where he received his bachelor’s degree. He earned his master’s from Columbia University and a doctorate from the University of Arizona. Further training was undertaken at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome.
Most of Giammario’s teaching career was spent in the Trenton school district, where he served first as a music educator, then as director of music education. In 1960, he was invited by the American Federation of Musicians, Local 62, to conduct the Mercer County Symphonic Orchestra. The orchestra originally performed mainly at the Trenton War Memorial and, according to an article in the digital archive of the New York Times, was intended as a sort of training ground for future members of the Greater Trenton Symphony. From the start, its personnel consisted of local high school and regional college musicians.
The orchestra became a resident ensemble of the Lawrenceville School. Another article in the Times announces a benefit concert at the school in 1975 to be conducted by the internationally beloved pianist and humorist Victor Borge. The orchestra, it notes, “is composed of approximately 70 musicians from public and private junior and senior high schools and few community colleges within the Delaware Valley.”
At the time, Giammario was also conductor of the Bucks County Youth Orchestra and the Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra.
Later still, Giammario oversaw the board during a period of transition that yielded the orchestra’s rebranding as the GPYO, offering even greater breadth to the student musician experience.
“He is so dedicated to the concept of music, music education, music performance,” [board chair of the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra David] DeFreese says. “He’s a true piece of history and a legend in the Trenton-Princeton community.”
In retirement, Giammario continues to compose and arrange, and of course share his rich history and that of the orchestra he founded. The concerto competition, named for him, is one of the many ways in which the GPYO has committed to honor his legacy.
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I only just learned of his passing from an article that ran in last week’s edition of the Princeton weekly, U.S. 1.
https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/business/fastlane/gpyo-founder-matteo-giammario-dies-at-age-100/article_d255dae1-b822-4b15-b218-f0d972114b0d.html
R.I.P.
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Paul Robeson’s Dream of Universal Brotherhood
On Paul Robeson’s birthday, here’s Princeton’s own, to sing Beethoven’s celebration of universal brotherhood, his setting of Schiller’s “Ode to Joy.”
At the time of this recording, his U.S. passport had been revoked.
https://www.peoplescollection.wales/items/24367
More about Robeson’s ties to Wales and the plight of the miners:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jul/02/how-paul-robeson-found-political-voice-in-welsh-valleys
Robeson in “The Proud Valley” (1940)
The story behind “Freedom Train,” with audio:
https://njdigitalhighway.org/lesson/paul_robeson/freedom_train
Paul Robeson’s dream of universal brotherhood was a lifelong commitment to the idea that all human beings, regardless of race, nationality, or economic standing, are interconnected and deserving of dignity, equality, and peace – concepts still unfortunately radical in 2026.
The man certainly walked the walk. Happy birthday, Paul Robeson.
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