Jeff Nathanson, a West Windsor resident for close to 10 years, is celebrating his fifth anniversary as the executive director of the Arts Council of Princeton by getting away from his desk to play some music on Saturday, June 5. He will be performing on electric and acoustic guitar and has invited some of his favorite musicians to join him. The Five Sets concert will feature five groups including the Rocky Hill Ramblers, the Jeff Nathanson Trio, Minister William D. Carter III, members of the Klez Dispensers, and Haute Dawg. The range of musical styles for the evening will be diverse, from folk, country and rock, to gospel, jazz, and klezmer. Tickets for the benefit concert at 8 p.m. are $15.
Nathanson began working with the Arts Council of Princeton in May, 2005. He received his formal education in art and arts administration at the University of California, Los Angeles, UC Santa Cruz, and the Indiana University School of Philanthropy.
An arts management professional, he has balanced his career between visual arts and music. He previously worked as an independent curator, arts management, and public art consultant with the Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton Public Library, Borough of Princeton, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Bradford Graves Foundation, West Windsor Arts Council, and San Francisco Art Institute. He has also been president and executive director of the International Sculpture Center in Hamilton, executive director of the Richmond Art Center in Richmond, California, executive director of ArtSpan in San Francisco, and director and curator of Spectrum Gallery in San Francisco. Nathanson also worked as a grant review panelist for the California Arts Council for seven years.
His professional music experience includes serving as music director for Faultline Comedy Theater in San Francisco and he continues to play guitar with the jazz ensemble Haute Dawg and composes music for dance. Nathanson has also performed and recorded professionally on guitar with rock, jazz, and R&B groups such as Exposure, the Norman Salant Group, Lapse of Luxury, and Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra.
There is also a Mediterra dinner package that includes a three-course dinner plus a concert ticket for $55. Reservation must be made by Wednesday, June 2.
The Rocky Hill Ramblers present a blend of folk, rock, bluegrass, and jazz with Andrew O’Connor of West Windsor on acoustic guitar and vocals, Steve Hayden on electric bass and guitar, and Jennifer Hayden on electric fiddle.
William D. Carter III, the minister of music at the First Baptist Church of Princeton, has previously performed concerts for the Princeton University Art Museum and the Arts Council of Princeton and released two CDs, “Gonna Give Thanks To God” and “All to Him.”
Members of the Klez Dispensers performing klezmer and jazz music include Adrian Banner on piano, Audrey Betsy Welber on clarinet and saxophone, and Amy Zakar on violin. The group, founded by former Plainsboro resident Alex Kontorovich, has released two albums.
The Jeff Nathanson Trio includes Nathanson, Sam Kaplan of West Windsor on bass, and Cliff Hochberg, a West Windsor resident and chiropractor, on drums. The trio will perform original Jeff Nathanson compositions for the Five Sets concert.
Haute Dawg is a six-piece ensemble that plays a unique blend of jazz, country, folk, and rock. Members include Larry Frazer on mandolin, Dave Haneman, a Plainsboro resident, on bass, Larry Wold on violin, Dennis Normile on drums, video producer Sharyn Murray on vocals, and Nathanson on guitar.
“The past five years as executive director of the Arts Council of Princeton have been exciting and challenging,” says Nathanson. “This has been a time of remarkable growth and it has been a thrill to be involved with the building of the Paul Robeson Center and the expansion of our education, exhibition, community arts, and performing arts programs. I work with a remarkable team of talented, creative and generous people and I’m very proud of our accomplishments.”
— Lynn Miller
An Evening of Five Sets, Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. Saturday, June 5, 8 p.m. www.artscouncilofprinceton.org, 609-924-8777.
