EXPERIENCING MUSIC OUTDOORS: Princeton University brings back its “Breathe in Music” program, on and off the campus, starting October 3.

Princeton University Concerts (PUC) will transition its popular Breathe in Music program, conceived in partnership with the Princeton University Office of Religious Life, to an outdoor format this October. A series of eight “Live Music Meditation: Outdoors” events — four afternoon sessions at 2 p.m. at the Princeton University Graduate College Courtyard, and four twilight sessions at 5:30 p.m. at D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center Campus, surrounded by Greenway Meadows park — will invite listeners to experience a guided meditation to live music.

Performers are violist Jordan Bak on Sunday, October 3; violinist Alexi Kenney on Sunday, October 10; cellist Joshua Roman on Sunday, October 17; and So Percussion with violist Beth Meyers on Tuesday, October 26; with meditation instruction by Matthew Weiner, associate dean in the Office of Religious Life. Tickets for the hour-long programs ($25 General/$10 Student) will be released on Thursday, September 23 at 11 a.m. online at puc.princeton.edu. In the case of inclement weather, tickets will be refundable.

The Breathe in Music program, launched in 2015, bridges mindfulness practice with music to create a highly visceral listening experience. The program is designed to make listening to classical music as immersive, personal, deeply-engaging, and accessible as possible. The new outdoor format, co-sponsored by D&R Greenway Land Trust and the Princeton University Graduate College, draws on the beauty of the outdoors to heighten the experience. The new program is also intended to reinforce mental well-being during the stress of the pandemic, and provide a COVID-19-safe outlet for listening to live music. The events will be PUC’s first live, in-person events since the start of the pandemic.

A Breathe in Music podcast will soon be launched by Princeton University Concerts as well, with breath-size music meditation episodes available to stream from home. To learn more, visit puc.princeton.edu.