Maestro Rossen Milanov, photo by PSO Staff
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) has announced its 2025-26 Season with a line-up of superb guest artists assembled by Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov.
Audience favorite Aubree Oliverson returns to the PSO stage along with violinist Bella Hristova who last performed with the orchestra in 2014. Exciting pianists Maxim Lando and 2025 GRAMMY® winner Michelle Cann, noted harpsichordist Mahan Esfanhani, and Serbian-French cellist Maja Bogdanović will each be appearing with the PSO for the first time at Richardson Auditorium.
The season promises exciting performances of concertos composed by Antonín Dvořák, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Edvard Grieg, and Camille Saint-Saëns as well as the world premiere of a new work for harpsichord and small orchestra by Princeton-based composer Julian Grant. Additional contemporary compositions include Dobrinka Tabakova’s Orpheus’ Comet, Andreia Pinto Correia’s Ciprés, Jessie Montgomery’s Records from a Vanishing City, and Viet Cuong’s Extra(ordinarily) Fancy.
Aubree Oliverson, photo by Nick Bayless
Maestro Milanov says, “I am always amazed by the Princeton audiences and their curiosity for fresh viewpoints and artistic expression. The juxtaposition of new works with beloved classics invites comparison and stimulates dialogue.”
Among the masterworks to be presented are Johannes Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 1 as orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg, Felix Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, Dmitri Shostakovich’s First Symphony, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Second Symphony, and Sergei Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony. Princeton Festival veterans Aubry Ballarò, soprano, Nicholas Nestorak, tenor, and Joseph Barron, bass, will perform the full version of Igor Stravinsky’s Pulcinella.
All performances take place on select Saturdays at 7:30pm (a new start time) and Sundays at 4:00pm, at Richardson Auditorium on Princeton University’s campus. Rossen Milanov conducts all but the February concert.
The season opens October 25-26, and features the return of violinist Aubree Oliverson who wowed audiences in 2024 with dynamic performances of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. This season, she’ll be playing Antonín Dvořák’s Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 53. The program includes Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova’s energizing Orpheus' Comet, drawing sound inspiration from bees, and renowned twentieth-century composer Arnold Schoenberg’s orchestration of Johannes Brahms’ stately Piano Quartet in G Minor.
Maxim Lando
On November 8-9, the brilliant 22-year-old American pianist Maxim Lando performs Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s rarely-heard Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major, Op. 44. Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90 “Italian” and Gioachino Rossini’s sparkling overture to L’italiana in Algeri complete the program.
Bulgarian-American violinist Bella Hristova returns to perform Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19 at performances January 10-11. Andreia Pinto Correia’s 2018 work Ciprés explores themes of trees and water, and the program concludes with Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 10, an early work revealing the composer’s profound talent.
Michelle Cann, photo by Titilayo Ayangade
2025 GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist Michelle Cann graces the PSO stage February 7-8 with performances of Edvard Grieg’s majestic Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16. Jessie Montgomery’s Records from a Vanishing City is based on her recollections of growing up on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36, one of his lesser-known works, brims with positivity. Georg and Joyce Albers-Schonberg Assistant Conductor Kenneth Bean conducts.
Mahan Esfahani, photo by Kaja Smith
March 7-8, leading harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani performs a world premiere work by Julian Grant for solo harpsichord and orchestra. Viet Cuong’s Extra(ordinarily) Fancy cleverly reinterprets the baroque double oboe concerto, and Stravinsky’s neo-classical ballet Pulcinella features Aubry Ballarò, soprano, Nicholas Nestorak, tenor, and Joseph Barron, bass.
Serbian-born cellist Maja Bogdanović makes her long-awaited Richardson Auditorium debut May 9-10 with Camille Saint-Saëns’ melodic Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33, one of the most popular in the repertoire. Aaron Copland’s Letter from Home, an emotional wartime offering and Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Op. 100, one of his most beloved works, complete the program.
Initially, these concerts are available only by subscription, with single tickets going on sale over the summer. Concerts will take place earlier on Saturdays with a new time of 7:30pm, with Sunday performances remaining at 4pm. Full Season subscriptions start at $192. Youths 5-17 receive a 50% discount with an adult purchase. To subscribe, visit the Princeton Symphony Orchestra website at princetonsymphony.org or call 609-497-0020.
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.
Programs, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.
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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