TAKING A BOW: Princeton Pro Musica Artistic Director Ryan James Brandau acknowledges applause from the audience at last year’s December holiday concert, “A Feast of Carols,” at the Princeton University Chapel. “Our annual December ‘A Feast of Carols’ includes the Christmas music of Bach and Handel and a wide variety of carols from across the ages,” says Kenny Litvack, Princeton Pro Musica’s marketing manager. (Photo by Ron Wyatt).

By Jean Stratton

What is your pleasure? Opera, symphony, choral, Broadway musicals, rock, rap, pop, blues, folk, country?

What is wonderful about music is that it is a gift for all of us. We are fortunate in Princeton to have many opportunities to enjoy a wide selection of music in many styles and formats.

“I think at a very fundamental level, people are drawn to the way music breathes life into our experience as human beings,” says Kenny Litvack, marketing manager of Princeton Pro Musica (PPM).

As part of this remarkable and highly respected organization, he has been in a unique position to see the truth of these words. Since he joined Princeton Pro Musica in 2005, he has performed as a chorister, and also served as president of the board of trustees, in addition to his current role.

Choral Masterworks

Founded in 1979 by Frances Fowler Slade, Princeton Pro Musica was established as a symphonic chorus to perform major works with orchestra.

As its mission statement reports, “Princeton Pro Musica exists to perform choral masterworks and other works of the choral literature with energy, passion, and uncompromising artistic excellence. We believe in the power of choral music to uplift and transform our present and future audiences, performers, and communities.

“Frances Fowler Slade’s focused vision and firm commitment to the pursuit of the highest levels of excellence guided the ensemble for three and a half decades.

“Princeton Pro Musica welcomed its second artistic director, Ryan James Brandau, in 2012. Under his artistic leadership, PPM continues to establish itself as one of central New Jersey’s premier symphonic choral ensembles.”

With a chorus of 100-plus voices, including primarily highly skilled non-professionals and also selected professional singers, PPM gives four performances a year. It also features orchestras with experienced professional musicians, drawn from New York City, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. The Met Opera Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and New Jersey Symphony are among those that have participated.

Performances often take place at Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium (PPM’s unofficial home), as well as at the Princeton University Chapel, The College of New Jersey’s Kendall Main Stage Theater, and also at the Patriots Theater at the Trenton War Memorial.

Lifelong Activity

Singers audition twice a year, reports Litvack, and they are all ages, from 18 to those in their 80s.

“The beauty of singing,” he adds, “is that if you take care to keep your voice in good working order, just as you would for any physical activity, it can be a lifelong activity.”

Chorus members come from Princeton and beyond. As he reports, “A significant portion of the chorus lives in Princeton and its immediate environs, but the more time passes, the wider our radius seems to grow. I have been commuting to rehearsals from Burlington County for 20 years. We have folks coming from even farther — from the shore in Monmouth and Ocean counties, into Bucks County, and up to Hunterdon County. I think our artistic director Ryan James Brandau travels the farthest, though, from Manhattan’s West Village.”

An important feature of PPM is its performances with symphony orchestras. As Litvack explains, “For a least three out of four concerts per year, we hire players to become the Princeton Pro Musica Orchestra, and although many of the same players return from concert to concert, it is essentially an ad hoc group of professional musicians. It’s a model not often seen in the region, and we are proud to have been making it work all these years.

“Typically you might have to travel an hour or more to New York or Philadelphia to hear much of the repertoire we perform. Princeton Pro Musica makes it possible to hear a large chorus singing the best the repertoire has to offer with fully professional orchestras comprising players from New York, Philadelphia, and of course, New Jersey.”

Regarding the repertoire, he goes on to explain that PPM’s performances encompass a wide array of music. “In the 20 years I have sung with the group, we have performed music that has its origins in the very earliest Gregorian chant, all the way through music composed the very year we performed it. Choral music is an art that is very much alive and growing, with new works being written and premiered all the time.”

MUSIC MAESTRO PLEASE! Princeton Pro Musica Symphonic Chorus and Orchestra presented “Reflections on a Requiem” in March 2024 at Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium. Featured were Mozart’s “Requiem,” Jasmine Barnes’ “Portraits: Douglass & Tiubman,” and selections by guest artists from the Glassbrook Vocal Ensemble. (Photo by Ron Wyatt)

Performance History

Of course, he continues, “the likes of Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Brahms are all well-represented in our performance history, and we continue to program these giants on a regular basis. In recent years, we have also made an intentional effort to program at least one work per season that is both recently-composed, and carries an especially relevant message.

“Last season, we performed ‘Sanctuary Road’ by Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell, which focused on the life and work of William Still, a conductor for the Underground Railroad (a New Jersey resident whose descendants still live here), who helped lead more than 800 enslaved Americans northward to freedom in Canada.

“This May, we will perform “Codebreaker” by James McCarthy. This work focuses on three episodes in the life of Alan Turing whose work in cracking German ciphers helped turn the tide of World War II to the Allies’ advantage. Ultimately, Turing meets a heartbreaking end, but the musical setting of his story is stirring, and we are very excited to share it in Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University — the very institution where Tuning earned his Ph.D. in mathematics.”

Litvack notes that this year’s “A Feast of Carols” has been sold out since Thanksgiving, a tribute to its continuing popularity. “It is a thrilling afternoon of music. We have been really touched by how many people in the community have made ‘A Feast of Carols’ part of their annual holiday tradition.”

He is also looking forward to next March, when PPM will perform Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” with the Roxey Ballet company.

“This will be the third time we have collaborated with them on this work, and each time it gets better and more exciting — a spectacular in the truest sense of the word. I would also note that our previous performances in 2017 and 2019 sold out quickly, so if drama, passion, and storytelling through song and dance are your thing, get your tickets soon.”

Vision and Insight

Litvack also points out the contribution and artistic expertise of Brandau, who has been artistic director since the 2012/2013 season.

“We have been so pleased to work with Ryan, who is not only an extraordinary musician of the highest caliber, but who also happens to be an exceptionally kind human being who brings a sense of vision and insight to music-making that isn’t found in your average volunteer chorus,” he says. “We consider ourselves especially fortunate to sing under his leadership.”

Litvack himself wears many hats in addition to his role as marketing manager. He also interacts with the development committee, which is responsible for the fundraising goals.

As he says, ”The fundraising goals cut across a wide swath of the community, including foundations, state and local funding entities, corporate sponsors, and — most importantly — individual donors.”

Certainly, as a small arts nonprofit organization, PPM’s continuing operation depends on donations. They are essential, and always welcome.

In addition, Litvack points out, “Patrons may become a subscriber, which earns them a discount, and ensures that they get to sit in precisely the spot they like for each performance.”

Positive Reviews

“As a staff, we take very seriously the work of managing this nonprofit. Our executive director, Mary Trigg, has done just outstanding work over the past 13 years in expanding PPM’s operational capacity. She secures performance venues, and handles contracts for our orchestral players, vocal soloists, and pro-choristers. She is an unwavering steward of the organization’s finances, and she oversees myriad volunteers and our volunteer coordinator. This sense of professionalism has enabled our growth and visibility in the community over the years.”

Indeed, PPM continues to receive consistently positive reviews from music critics and audiences alike. In 2021, it won first place in the community division of the American Prize for Choral Performance.

It is also important that PPM is an inclusive organization, emphasizes Litvack. “We welcome singers regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, etc. We celebrate diversity within our chorus, among our collaborators, and in the music we program.

“We strive to create safe and inclusive spaces for our singers, players, and audiences, and continue to learn about best practices to help us elevate the ideals of access, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.”

Litvack is very proud of PPM, and pleased to be part of this special musical adventure. As he observes, “Choral singing is among the most cooperative endeavors one can undertake. Studies have shown that when groups of people sing together, their heartbeats begin to synchronize.

“It is noteworthy that we count among our current roster of singers a handful of folks who have been with PPM almost since day 1. Last spring, we bid farewell to the last singer who sang on PPM’s very first concert 46 years ago. He is still around and now supports us in other ways. Our singers take great pride in being members of this chorus.”

Primary Mission

And what means the most to Kenny Litvack about his own connection with PPM?

“I think if I consider all the things I love about it, they all have one thing in common: the impact we have on people. For me, this has two-fold implications — first, we affect people through music, which is our primary mission, of course. Singers and audiences alike are changed by participating in our concerts.

“The other way we affect people is interpersonally. I have met some of my very best friends through my involvement in music in general, but Princeton Pro Musica especially. I suppose it’s true that you can’t tackle giants like Bach’s ‘Mass in B Minor’ or Britten’s ‘War Requiem’ without growing closer to your choral compatriots, but I think I speak for a great many of us when I say that the opportunity PPM affords its singers to become part of a big musical family is one for which we are extremely grateful.”

As he looks ahead to PPM’s future, he is optimistic. “What excites me is that the sky is the limit! As we grow, as both an artistic ensemble and a nonprofit business, I look forward to expanding our reach within our community, attracting an ever-growing and ever-diversifying audience of music lovers, and exploring music from across the centuries and around the world. Between the artistic leadership of Ryan Brandau and the administrative leadership of Mary Trigg, there has been very little we haven’t been able to achieve, and I think we will continue this tradition of excellence long into the future.

“What choral music provides is important. It’s good for the heart, mind, and soul in myriad ways.”

For further information and ticket availability, call (609) 683-5122. Visit the website at princetonpromusica.org.