Princeton University Concerts is set to unroll another season of musical events.
Single tickets to PUC events are scheduled to go on sale Sept. 2.
Twelve performers are set to make their PUC debuts this season. They range from countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, a Princeton alumnus, to pianist Marc-André Hamelin.
The season is dotted with artistic collaborations that PUC calls “musical dream teams.” Georgian violin virtuoso Lisa Batiashvili joins English pianist Paul Lewis for a rare duo appearance. mandolinist Chris Thile, whose sold-out show was a highlight of 2013, is set to return to perform with another genre-bending musician, bassist Edgar Meyer. Brentano String Quartet is set to join mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato to perform the Princeton premiere of Camille Claudel: Into the Fire, a new song cycle by Jake Heggie.
The winds of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are set to play Mozart’s Gran Partita, a sublime piece that has been likened to “hearing the voice of God.” Following the concert, amateur musicians of all ages and abilities to join the CSO musicians on stage to read a symphony.
Building on the success of last season’s Meet The Music series, PUC is set to offer two programs featuring musicians from The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with host Bruce Adolphe for children age six and older.
PUC 2014-15 performance schedule follows.
Sept. 19: Takács String Quartet with narrator Meryl Streep, 7:30 p.m. This special event features Academy Award-winning actress Streep reading from Philip Roth’s novella Everyman interspersed with short works for string quartet by Arvo Pärt and Schubert. Full-priced tickets to this event have sold out. A limited number of obstructed view seats at $10 are scheduled to go on sale Sept. 2 by phone only at (609) 258-9220.
Oct. 2: Emerson String Quartet, 8 p.m. This classical series concert features works by Haydn, Beethoven and Ravel.
Oct. 9: Manolinist Chris Thile and bassist Edgar Meyer, 7:30 p.m. This special event features one of PUC’s musical dream teams playing a diverse program of largely original music.
Oct. 19: Richardson Chamber Players: Russian Treasures, 3 p.m. This program is set to include works by Rachmaninoff and Medtner.
Nov. 6: Ébène String Quartet, 8 p.m. The group makes their PUC debut with a Classic Series concert featuring works by Haydn, Schumann and a mix of jazz standards.
Nov. 8: Meet the Music: The Magical World of Maurice Ravel, 1 p.m. A young pianist who is struggling to play a piece by Ravel has a dream in which the composer himself appears and explains the musical mysteries of his magical-sounding piece.
Nov. 23: Richardson Chamber Players: Divine Winds, 3 p.m. This program is set to include works by Giuliani, Mozart and Poulenc.
Feb. 2 and Feb. 9: The Life of Camille Claudel, 6:30 p.m. at Taplin Auditorium in Fine Hall. In conjunction with the Feb. 18 presentation of the Brentano String Quartet and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, PUC and the university’s Art Museum are collaborating on two screenings of films that focus on the life of French sculptor Camille Claudel. Caroline Harris, Associate Director for Education at the Princeton University Art Museum, will introduce both films and give insights into their historical accuracy. After the films, Dr. Harris will be available for questions and further discussion. Admission is free.
Feb.5: Violonist Isabelle Faust and pianist Alexander Melnikov, 8 p.m. The dus is set to make its PUC debut with a Classic Series concert featuring works by Dvořák, Enescu, Tchaikovsky, Antheil and Franck.
Feb. 12: Chicago Symphony Winds, 8 p.m. This Classic Series concert features an all-Mozart program.
Feb. 18: Brentano String Quartet and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, 7:30 p.m. This special event features the Princeton premiere of Camille Claudel: Into the Fire, a song cycle for Mezzo-Soprano and String Quartet written by composer Jake Heggie.
Feb. 26: Pianist Marc-André Hamelin, 8 p.m. Hamelin is set to make his PUC debut with a Classic Series concert featuring works by Mozart, Debussy and Schubert.
March 1: Richardson Chamber Players: Pierrot’s Stage, 3 p.m. This program is set to include works by Biber and Schoenberg.
March 6: Violinist Lisa Batiashvili and pianist Paul Lewis, 8 p.m. The pair is set to make their PUC debut with a Classic Series concert featuring works by Schubert, Bach and Beethoven.
March 21: Meet the Music: Inspector Pulse Pops A String, 1 p.m. It’s only when the wacky inspector breaks a piano string that he learns that pianos even have strings inside. Who knew that? How can we make so much music with just stretched strings? Inspector Pulse gets a string of answers when he is visited by a string quartet.
April 16: Australian Chamber Orchestra, 8 p.m. The orcherstra is joined by Martin Fröst on clarinet to present the Princeton premiere of Jonny Greenwood’s Water, as well as works by Mozart, during this Classic Series concert.
April 30: Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo and pianist Bryan Wagorn, 8 p.m. Princeton graduate Anthony Roth Costanzo is set present songs by Duparc, Britten, Liszt, Mozart, Handel and Gershwin during this Classic Series Concert.
Ticket prices range from $45 to 20 for Classic Series Concerts; $15 for Richardson Chamber Players; and $10 to $5 for Meet the Music events. Student prices are available. Special event ticket prices vary.
Performances are scheduled to take place in Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall.
Tickets are available for purchase online, by phone at 609-258-9220, or in person at the Frist Campus Center Ticket Office open Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
More information is online at princetonuniversityconcerts.org.
