Performing Arts

TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2020 • 16 To: ___________________________ From: _________________________ Date & Time: ______________________ Here is a proof of your ad, scheduled to run ___________________. Please check it thoroughly and pay special attention to the following: (Your check mark will tell us it’s okay) � Fax number � Address � Expiration Date Auditions Being Scheduled For Girlchoir, Boychoir Princeton Girlchoir (PGC) and Princeton Boychoir (PBC), the area’s premier training and performance choirs for boys and girls, are now auditioning new choristers for the 2020- 2021 season. Any child entering grades 3-12 this fall is welcome. Both choirs are programs of Westrick Music Academy (WMA). Both choirs offer a quality music education to participants in all 10 of their ensembles. Singers who have trained with the choirs are regularly accepted into prestigious University music programs across the country. While most alums go on to successful careers outside of music, all benefit from the discipline, community, and empowerment that have been the hallmark of the choirs for more than 30 this remote environment. In addition, the choirs have a full year of virtual and potentially live events and performances planned. While this year will begin virtually, WMA will continue to monitor health and safety guidelines as it applies to singing, and will begin to sing together again in person when it is safe to do so. A strong desire to learn, a musical ear, and an eagerness to share music with others are key to a successful audition. Despite the many musical opportunities PGC and PBC offer during the year, the auditions remain low-key and enjoyable and no music needs to be prepared in advance. This year, singers will be asked to introduce themselves, sing a major scale and a familiar song like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat, or “Happy Birthday.” Princeton University Concerts Cancels Fall Season Events In accordance with Princeton University’s recently announced policies regarding campus operations in the fall term, Princeton University Concerts (PUC) has canceled all previously planned concerts and events through December 2020. launching a number of new group and individual classes for children and adults this fall, exploring new and engaging ways to build and strengthen musicianship. Offerings include group piano for all ability levels, vocal improvisation from Beyoncé to Billy Eilish, piano study of chord progressions from pop to gospel, private vocal instruction, piano beyond a solo artform, and more. Visit WestrickMusic.org/ education to learn more or register for a class. Performing Arts years. Interested singers have the This includes concerts All WMA programs, including PGC and PBC, will begin the season virtually, with small group lessons led by renowned youth choir leaders. Classes will focus on choral skills, ensemble building, music theory, sight reading, song writing, rhythm training, and more, all with the individual attention that is possible in option to have a live audition via Zoom, or submit an audition video. Auditions for new choristers are scheduled throughout the month of August, but interested singers are encouraged to apply early. To learn more about the process or to schedule an audition, visit WestrickMusic.org/auditions. In addition, WMA is with the Takács Quartet with pianist Jeremy Denk (October 15); violinist Alina Ibragimova and pianist Cédric Tiberghien (November 11); Richardson Chamber Players (November 22); and the Tetzlaff Quartet (December 3); Orli Shaham’s Bach Yard family program (October 24); and First Monday of the Month Listening Parties with host Matt Abramovitz Fast Food • Take-Out • Dine-In on October 5 and DecemHunan ~ Szechuan Malaysian ~ Vietnamese ber 7. No tickets had been released for these events, and Daily Specials • Catering Available tickets for the remainder of 157 Witherspoon St. • Princeton • Parking in Rear • 609-921-6950 PUC’s 2020-2021 season

will continue to be withheld until a determination can be made about policies for events on campus in the spring. Every effort will be made to reschedule as many of these canceled events as possible to future seasons.

“Ours is a remarkably tight-knit community, and music has made our relationship with one another all the more personal,” said Marna Seltzer, director of Princeton University Concerts. “As such, we have keenly felt our responsibility both to you and to our artists as we considered how to move forward under these uncertain circumstances. That will continue to be at the core of all of our plans moving forward.”

To replace these canceled events, PUC has announced several new initiatives that can take place in a sociallydistant way during the fall. These include an outdoor Live Music Meditation series, Watch Parties with PUC artists, and a new Performers Up Close series.

During September and October, PUC will partner with D&R Greenway Land Trust to adapt its Live Music Meditation program to an outdoor, socially distanced format. The community is invited to discover new bucolic landscapes and take a moment to collectively breathe in music.

Matt Weiner, associate dean in the Princeton University Office of Religious Life, will provide guided meditation instruction. Dates and performers will be announced in early September. Tickets will be required, and the capacity will be limited in accordance with public safety guidelines.

Online streams of performances produced specifically for PUC audiences will include longtime fan-favorites the Takács String Quartet, as well as sibling artists cellist Sheku and pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason in their PUC debut. In addition to specially curated digital content surrounding the concerts — including interviews, preconcert talks, and more — PUC will partner with local vendors to help make the virtual concert hall feel all the more special.

As a variation to PUC’s Performances Up Close series, in which the audience is seated on stage near the musicians, Performers Up Close is a series that discovers the personal stories and interests that shape the performers in our community so that we can experience their identities in new ways and consider their artistry within the context of this unique moment in our history.

Further details about all of these initiatives will be announced later in the summer. In the meantime, PUC is continuing to release new playlists every week as part of the Collective Listening Project, featuring musical selections curated by professional musicians and other individuals affiliated with the series. This free offering is available by signing up for PUC’s mailing list at princetonuniversityconcerts.org, which also features playlists from past weeks.

For more information visit princetonuniversityconcerts. org.

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SIBLING ARTISTS: Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, above, is among the artists whose music will be streamed by Princeton University Concerts, which has canceled fall season live events. Her brother, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, below, will perform with her.

(Isata Kanneh-Mason photo by Robin Clewley; Sheku Kanneh-Mason photo by Jake Turney).

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