(LEFT) Melissa Errico (RIGHT) Renée Fleming, photo by Marvin Joseph
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) has announced its performance line-up for this year's Princeton Festival, New Jersey's premier performing arts festival, taking place June 6-21, 2025 on the beautiful grounds of Morven Museum & Garden. The performing arts showcase includes chart-topping hits of music icons, superstar soprano Renée Fleming, songs by Sondheim, a tumultuous opera by Giacomo Puccini, an evening of dance, music of Vivaldi and the Motor City, plus a joy-filled finale featuring the music of ABBA. A Baroque concert and violin recital take place at nearby Trinity Church.
Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov says of the many offerings, “This year’s Festival will amaze you with its breadth and variety of musical experiences. Whether you like Classical, Baroque, vocal, pop music or dance and opera, I guarantee you that you will find it in our Festival line-up. Prepare to be transported by exquisite music in a beautiful setting, surrounded by nature.”
Opening Weekend begins Friday, June 6 with ICON: The Voices That Changed Music featuring songs by such iconic artists as Prince, Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, Elvis Presley, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, and more performed by returning Festival artists Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw, with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lucas Waldin.
On Saturday, June 7, the incomparable soprano Renée Fleming performs with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. The 5-time Grammy® Award-winning soprano sings her favorite arias and songs during one unforgettable evening at this year's Festival. Rossen Milanov conducts.
Sunday, June 8 is Community Day at the Festival with morning Yoga, a new Festival Farmers’ Market, student art exhibit, and free family fun activities followed by a ticketed, cabaret-style performance of Sondheim in the City with Broadway star Melissa Errico.
Opera is at the heart of the Festival with Giacomo Puccini’s passionate opera Tosca taking centerstage June 13, June 15, and 17. Soprano Toni Marie Palmertree stars as Tosca. Victor Starsky takes on the role of Cavaradossi and Luis Ledesma portrays Scarpia. Festival veterans Eric Delagrange and Nicholas Nestorak are cast as Cesare Angelotti and Spoletta, respectively. Jacob Hanes is in the role of Sciarrone.
Classical music lovers will enjoy An Evening of Pas de deux with American Repertory Ballet and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, June 14, and Viva Vivaldi! with Daniel Rowland and Maja Bogdanović on Friday, June 20 in the performance pavilion. Two concerts will be performed at Trinity Church, Tessa Lark, Violin: Stradgrass on Thursday, June 12 and The Sebastians: Baroque Brilliance on Wednesday, June 18.
Fans of music groups of the 60s-70s can look forward to Masters of Soul: A Motown Revue capping off the Festival’s Juneteenth Celebration on Thursday, June 19, and ARRIVAL from Sweden: The Music of ABBA on Saturday, June 21, concluding the Festival on a high note of nostalgic fun.
The complete 2025 Princeton Festival performance line-up is as follows:
* Friday, June 6 at 7:00pm – ICON: The Voices That Changed Music
* Saturday, June 7 at 8:00pm – Renée Fleming with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra
* Sunday, June 8 at 4:00pm – Sondheim in the City with Melissa Errico
* June 12 at 7:00pm (Trinity Church) – Tessa Lark, Violin: Stradgrass
* June 13, 15 & 17 – Puccini’s Tosca (4:00pm Sunday matinee and other performances at 7pm)
* Saturday, June 14 at 7:00pm – An Evening of Pas de deux with American Repertory Ballet and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra
* Wednesday, June 18 at 3:00pm & 7:00pm (Trinity Church) – The Sebastians: Baroque Brilliance
* Thursday, June 19 at 7:00pm – Masters of Soul A Motown Revue
* Friday, June 20 at 7:00pm – Viva Vivaldi! with Daniel Rowland and Maja Bogdanović
* Friday, June 21 at 7:00pm – ARRIVAL from Sweden: The Music of ABBA
The Festival’s outdoor venue features concessions and space for attendees to gather outdoors before performances and during intermissions. Main-stage events are presented in a state-of-the-art, rain-proof performance pavilion which will be expanded this year to include additional seating to accommodate growing audiences.
The two-week Princeton Festival includes three weekends of opera, concerts, and dance, with additional music-filled evenings and ancillary events during the week. The complete performance line-up can be found online, with tickets available by phone at (609) 497-0020 and via the Festival website.
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.
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