Sara Davis Buechner, photo by Yukiko Onley

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Award-winning pianist Sara David Buechner joins up with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) for performances of Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15 the weekend of May 11-12, 2024. Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov conducts the program which includes John Luther Adams' Become River and Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120.

The concerts take place on Saturday, May 11 at 8:00pm and Sunday, May 12 at 4:00pm at Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University. The Sunday performance will be preceded by a 3:00pm pre-concert talk hosted by Maestro Milanov, which will include Ms. Buechner, and augment a Mother’s Day outing to the concert hall.

Ms. Buechner recently performed with Maestro Milanov with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, of which Milanov is music director. The Maestro is looking forward to introducing the pianist to Princeton audiences. He says, “Patrons will be riveted by Sara’s technical expertise and exceptional artistry prominently on display in performance of this first concerto by Beethoven.”

Sara Davis Buechner is one of the leading concert pianists of our time, a musician of “intelligence, integrity and all-encompassing technical prowess” (New York Times). She was the Gold Medalist of the 1984 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, and a Bronze Medalist in the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow. With an active repertoire of more than 100 piano concertos, she has been soloist with many of the world’s prominent orchestras, and given recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Hollywood Bowl. Ms. Buechner enjoys wide success throughout Asia where she tours annually. Sara Davis Buechner is the most prominent transgender musician appearing on the classical concert stage today. She received the Eleanor Roosevelt Award of Brandeis University, and is a member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. She often presents talks and workshops to LGBTQIA+ groups, and has received praise for her solo autobiographical theater show “Of Pigs and Pianos,” which premièred at New York City’s TheaterLab in 2021 to rave reviews. In 2022 she marked her 35th year as a dedicated Yamaha artist.

John Luther Adams’ Become River is one of a trilogy of works which reflects the composer’s deep engagement with nature. Beethoven blends lyrical beauty with structural ingenuity in his First Piano Concerto, and Robert Schumann’s deeply personal Fourth Symphony is a popular work in the Romantic repertoire.

Performances take place on Saturday, May 11 at 8:00pm and Sunday, May 12 at 4:00pm at Richardson Auditorium. Youths 5-17 receive a 50% discount with an adult purchase. To purchase tickets, visit the Princeton Symphony Orchestra website at princetonsymphony.org or call 609-497-0020.

Programs, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.

Health and Safety: The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is closely monitoring and adhering to the New Jersey Department of Health’s COVID-19 Requirements. Attendees will receive information regarding safety procedures, entry, seating directions, etc. in advance of their selected live performance(s).

Accessibility: The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is committed to ensuring all programming is accessible for everyone, working with venues such as Richardson Auditorium to provide needed services. Contact Mika Godbole for questions about available services at mgodbole@princetonsymphony.org or (609) 905-0931. Note: some services require at least two weeks’ notice to arrange.

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is a cultural centerpiece of the Princeton community and one of New Jersey’s finest music organizations, a position established through performances of beloved masterworks, innovative music by living composers, and an extensive network of educational programs offered to area students free of charge. Led by Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov, the PSO presents orchestral, pops, and chamber music programs of the highest artistic quality, supported by lectures and related events that supplement the concert experience. Its flagship summer program the Princeton Festival brings an array of performing arts and artists to Princeton during multiple weeks in June. Through PSO BRAVO!, the orchestra produces wide-reaching and impactful education programs in partnership with local schools and arts organizations that culminate in students attending a live orchestral performance.

The PSO receives considerable support from the Princeton community and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, regularly garnering NJSCA’s highest honor. Recognition of engaging residencies and concerts has come from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the PSO’s commitment to new music has been acknowledged with an ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and a Copland Fund Award. The only independent, professional orchestra to make its home in Princeton, the PSO performs at historic Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University.