Opening Weekend Program Set for Princeton Festival

TIME FOR THREE: The trio returns to open the Princeton Festival at the performance pavilion at Morven Museum & Garden on June 9 at 7 p.m. (Photo by Shervin Lainez)

The trio Time for Three leads off the opening weekend of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO) 2023 Princeton Festival on Friday, June 9 at 7 p.m. Also scheduled are Aretha, A Tribute on Saturday, June 10 at 7 p.m., and a recital by pianist Christopher Taylor on Sunday, June 11 at 4 p.m.

All three performances take place in the outdoor performance pavilion on the grounds of Morven Museum & Garden. The festival, which runs through June 25, includes opera, musical theater, orchestral music, Baroque and chamber music, dance, and more.

Time For Three performs arrangements of popular chart hits and fresh takes on classical repertoire. Double-bassist Ranaan Meyer and violinists Nick Kendall and Charles Yang have crafted a unique sound taking them beyond traditional string trio repertoire.

“I’m thrilled that my friends in Time For Three are leading off this year’s Festival after wowing the audience with their electrifying performance in 2022,” said PSO Music Director Rossen Milanov. “They are a perfect start to a great festival.”

Time For Three has played venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and The Royal Albert Hall. In 2020, the band partnered with cellist and composer Ben Sollee to put together the soundtrack to the new Focus Features’ film Land, starring and directed by Robin Wright. They have collaborated with artists Ben Folds, Branford Marsalis, and Joshua Bell, and premiered original works by Pulitzer Prize-winners Jennifer Higdon and William Bolcom. Their most recent commission by Pulitzer Prize-winner Kevin Puts, Contact, is featured on their 2023 Grammy award-winning album, Letters for the Future, alongside Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto 4-3.

On Saturday, Drama Desk Award nominee Capathia Jenkins sings many of the Queen of Soul’s signature melodies in Aretha, A Tribute with three-time Grammy-nominated artist Ryan Shaw. Accompanying them is the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John Devlin. The tribute includes iconic favorites “Respect,” “Think,” “A Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools,” and more.

Pianist Taylor’s recital program on Sunday includes works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Nikolai Kapustin, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Sergei Prokofiev.

Upcoming performances at the festival include Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, improvisation with Broadway’s Next Hit Musical, Andrew Lippa’s musical tribute to Harvey Milk, a collaboration of Attacca Quartet and American Repertory Ballet, a Juneteenth Celebration featuring Met Opera star Will Liverman, a “feel good” Mazel Tov Cocktail Party, Peter and the Wolf Family Concert, and more.

Tickets are available now, ranging from $10-$125, at princetonsymphony.org/festival.