SIBLING ARTISTS: Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, above, is among the artists whose music will be streamed by Princeton University Concerts, which has canceled fall season live events. Her brother, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, will perform with her. (Photo by Robin Clewley) 

In accordance with Princeton University’s recently announced policies regarding campus operations in the fall term, Princeton University Concerts (PUC) has canceled all previously planned concerts and events through December 2020.

This includes concerts with the Takács Quartet with pianist Jeremy Denk (October 15); violinist Alina Ibragimova and pianist Cédric Tiberghien (November 11); Richardson Chamber Players (November 22); and the Tetzlaff Quartet (December 3); Orli Shaham’s Bach Yard family program (October 24); and First Monday of the Month Listening Parties with host Matt Abramovitz on October 5 and December 7.

No tickets had been released for these events, and tickets for the remainder of PUC’s 2020-2021 season will continue to be withheld until a determination can be made about policies for events on campus in the spring. Every effort will be made to reschedule as many of these canceled events as possible to future seasons.

“Ours is a remarkably tight-knit community, and music has made our relationship with one another all the more personal,” said Marna Seltzer, director of Princeton University Concerts. “As such, we have keenly felt our responsibility both to you and to our artists as we considered how to move forward under these uncertain circumstances. That will continue to be at the core of all of our plans moving forward.”

To replace these canceled events, PUC has announced several new initiatives that can take place in a socially-distant way during the fall. These include an outdoor Live Music Meditation series, Watch Parties with PUC artists, and a new Performers Up Close series.

During September and October, PUC will partner with D&R Greenway Land Trust to adapt its Live Music Meditation program to an outdoor, socially distanced format. The community is invited to discover new bucolic landscapes and take a moment to collectively breathe in music.

Matt Weiner, associate dean in the Princeton University Office of Religious Life, will provide guided meditation instruction. Dates and performers will be announced in early September. Tickets will be required, and the capacity will be limited in accordance with public safety guidelines.

Online streams of performances produced specifically for PUC audiences will include longtime fan-favorites the Takács String Quartet, as well as sibling artists cellist Sheku and pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason in their PUC debut. In addition to specially curated digital content surrounding the concerts — including interviews, pre-concert talks, and more — PUC will partner with local vendors to help make the virtual concert hall feel all the more special.

As a variation to PUC’s Performances Up Close series, in which the audience is seated on stage near the musicians, Performers Up Close is a series that discovers the personal stories and interests that shape the performers in our community so that we can experience their identities in new ways and consider their artistry within the context of this unique moment in our history.

Further details about all of these initiatives will be announced later in the summer. In the meantime, PUC is continuing to release new playlists every week as part of the Collective Listening Project, featuring musical selections curated by professional musicians and other individuals affiliated with the series. This free offering is available by signing up for PUC’s mailing list at princetonuniversityconcerts.org, which also features playlists from past weeks.

For more information visit princetonuniversityconcerts.org.