April 16, 2025

Call for Art: Mercer Senior Citizen Art Show

County Executive Dan Benson has invited seniors throughout Mercer County to submit artwork to the 2025 Mercer County Senior Citizen Art Show (MCSAS), to be held this summer.

A joint project of the County’s Division of Culture and Heritage and its Office on Aging, the show is open to all Mercer County residents 60 or older. The show will be on display from July 1 through August 4 at the Conference Center at Mercer — located on the campus of Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor.

“The annual Senior Art Show is a spectacular display of the creativity and talent of Mercer County residents,” said Benson. “I’m proud that we’re continuing this beloved event, and I can’t wait to stop by and see the artwork for myself.” more

April 9, 2025

Bridges and Poetry: From Brunel’s Darling to Bristol’s Cary Grant

By Stuart Mitchner

…my first love, my darling.

—Isambard Kingdom Brunel on the Clifton Suspension Bridge

Born April 9, 1806, British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel once claimed that the “most wonderful feat” he ever performed was producing “unanimity among 15 men who were all quarrelling about that most ticklish subject — taste.” He was referring to the panel of experts that approved his ambitious design for the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, the longest in the world at the time of its construction in 1831.

In a 2002 BBC Poll of the “100 Greatest Britons,” Brunel came in second to Winston Churchill and ahead of Princess Diana, Charles Darwin, William Shakespeare, Sir Isaac Newton, Elizabeth I, and John Lennon. While his contributions to English life were no more than bridges and tunnels, the Great Western Railway, Paddington Station, and numerous steamships, Brunel somehow managed to outrank William Blake (38); Charles Dickens (41); Florence Nightingale (52); Freddie Mercury (58); Charlie Chaplin (66); Tony Blair (67); Jane Austen (70); Geoffrey Chaucer (81); Richard III (82); J.R.R. Tolkien (92); Richard Burton the actor, not the explorer (96); and David Livingstone the explorer (98). The world-makers Blake, Chaucer, and Shakespeare aside, where are the poets? Don’t ask. Milton, Keats, Shelley, Coleridge, and Wordsworth, among numerous others, didn’t make the list.

What does a poll that places Margaret Thatcher (16) ahead of Queen Victoria (18) and Queen Elizabeth II (24) say about the state of that “ticklish subject taste” in England two years this side of the millennium? You can find the full list at geni.com (“Home of the world’s largest family tree”). Although I’m not here to praise the U.K. or to bury it, only to celebrate a bridge and its builder, my impression of the extremes on the list suggest a possible explanation for Mad Merry Old England’s fling with Brexit 14 years later.  more

Lewis Center Delivers a Vibrant, Charismatic “Macbeth in Stride” at McCarter: Lady Macbeth’s Story is Retold from a Black Female Viewpoint, via R&B Songs

“MACBETH IN STRIDE”: Performances are underway for “Macbeth in Stride.” Written by Whitney White; and directed by Princeton senior Layla Williams, the musical runs through April 12 at McCarter’s Berlind Theatre. Above: Woman (Alex Conboy, third from left) debates the nature of Lady Macbeth’s role with three Witches: Sasha Villefranche (left), Amira Adarkwah (second from left), and Kareish Thony (right). (Photo by Ron Wyatt / Lewis Center for the Arts)

By Donald H. Sanborn III

Macbeth in Stride is a musical in which the story of Macbeth is retold from Lady Macbeth’s viewpoint. More precisely, it is told from the point of view of a contemporary African American female performer, identified only as Woman, portraying, and examining the role of, Lady Macbeth.

The stage on which Woman performs seems not to be a literal space, but rather a metaphysical one. Although she is dissatisfied with Lady Macbeth’s role in the original play, Woman is constrained by the way in which Shakespeare has written it — not at the insistence of a producer or director, but because the play’s Witches, who serve as a cross between a Greek chorus and a trio of godlike beings, insist that the play’s world cannot be changed. more

PU Concerts Brings Unusual Combination of Instruments in Dance-Infused Program

By Nancy Plum

Some ensembles spend a great deal of time coming up with their name. Last Wednesday night’s presentation by Princeton University Concerts showcased three instrumentalists who collaborate as a trio, but without a formal group moniker. Swedish clarinetist and conductor Martin Fröst, French violist Antoine Tamestit, and pianist and Israeli native Shai Wosner came to Richardson Auditorium to offer a diverse program of music ranging from the 19th to the 21st centuries. Individually, these artists have been acclaimed for pushing musical boundaries, and their appearance last week expanded the repertory a bit further by uniting solo players not often heard together.

Fröst, Tamestit, and Wosner began the evening with three excerpts of a suite by Antonín Dvorák originally composed for piano duet and arranged for clarinet, viola, and piano by Wosner. Throughout the concert, Fröst alternated between clarinets in the keys of B-flat and A, finding a variety of musical styles from both. The opening “Allegretto” of Dvorák’s Legends featured a bit of klezmer effect between clarinet and viola, with long clarinet lines and sharp bowings from violist Tamestit. In all three movements, Fröst and Tamestit phrased the music in tandem, occasionally holding back cadences for effect. Pianist Wosner provided subtle accompaniment for the first two pieces, taking a more prominent role in the closing “Allegro.” In this swirling dance, a dialog between Tamestit’s fierce viola playing and Fröst’s lyrical clarinet lines were well complemented by Wosner’s skillful keyboard accompaniment. more

Classics and New Works Planned by Ballet Troupe

TELLING STORIES: Philadelphia Ballet has announced its 2025-2026 season, which includes a new take on “Romeo and Juliet” by Juliano Nunes.

Philadelphia Ballet has announced its 2025/26 season, a mix of full-length classics and new works to be performed at the Academy of Music.

The season opens with Angel Corella’s Carmen October 9-12, and continues with “Evening of Horror: Antony Tudor’s Fall River Legend and Juliano Nunes’ new Valley of Death October 16-19. Next is Balanchine’s The Nutcracker December 5-31, followed by Ronald Hynd’s version of The Merry Widow March 5-15. Nunes’ new production of Romeo and Juliet closes the season April 30-May 10. more

McCarter Theatre Center Announces 2025-26 Season

ON MCCARTER STAGE: Momix, the contemporary dance troupe, returns to McCarter with “Alice,” inspired by Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” as part of the upcoming season of performances. (Photo by Sharen Bradford)

McCarter Theatre Center has unveiled its 2025-2026 subscription season, featuring a lineup of theater, music, and dance.

The theater season opens with the world premiere, commissioned by McCarter, of I and You: The Musical, based on Lauren Gunderson’s award-winning play, with a new score by Ari Afsar and direction by McCarter Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen. Other highlights include 300 Paintings, the award-winning off-Broadway solo show by comedian-turned-artist Sam Kissajukian; Kim’s Convenience, the comedy that inspired the hit Netflix series; Circus Quixote from Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre; and the mystery-comedy Mrs. Christie, marking the McCarter directorial debut of BOLD Associate Artistic Director Donya K. Washington. more

Nakashima Foundation Hosts Peace Concert

Taoufik Ben Amor

The Nakashima Foundation For Peace will hold its 2025 peace concert, “Many Paths to the Divine — Devotional Music from the Indian and Arab Traditions: A Concert of Mystical Sounds and Shared Devotion” on Sunday, April 27 from 2-5 p.m., featuring musicians Gaurav Shah and Taoufik Ben Amor, in the Nakashima Arts Building, 1847 Aquetong Road, New Hope, Pa.

This concert supports the mission of the Nakashima Foundation for Peace, to build Sacred Peace Tables for each continent, and to preserve both the legacy of George Nakashima, a leading innovator of 20th century furniture design, and the National Historic Landmark designated Nakashima Property for future generations.

The performance will explore meeting points where different languages, spiritual and mystical traditions use the same metaphors of love and intoxication. Shah and Amor have been making music together for more than two decades. This artistic collaboration, a contemporary manifestation of harmony between musical and spiritual traditions from centuries past, serves as a role-model for world peace in the future.  more

Pennington School Presents “The Long Ride Home” Exhibit

“BARREL RACER” This photograph by Ron Tarver is featured in “The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America,” on view in The Pennington School’s Silva Gallery of Art through June 6. A gallery talk and book signing are on April 15 from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

On view through June 6, The Pennington School’s Silva Gallery of Art now presents “The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America.” The exhibition showcases the work of acclaimed photographer Ron Tarver, who will also host a gallery talk and book signing on Tuesday, April 15, from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

Tarver, who is an art professor at Swarthmore College, corrects the American cowboy narrative with the publication of his work. From ranches to city streets, his photographs reveal the beauty, romance, and visual poetry of Black cowboys throughout the country. more

Gallery 14 in Hopewell Has Exhibits by Schwartz, Blum

“MOONSARAZ”: This photograph by Martin Schwartz is featured in “Places I’ve Been, Faces I’ve Seen,” on view through May 4 at Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography in Hopewell.

The Goodkind Gallery at Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography in Hopewell features the work of Martin Schwartz of Cranbury in “Places I’ve Been, Faces I’ve Seen,” on view through May 4.

According to the gallery, “a photographer never wants to stop seeing and shooting images. However, sometimes physical restrictions prevent our ability to get out and take new works. When this happens, we sometimes look back at previous works. That is the case with this exhibit. Martin has looked back into his expansive portfolio of work and is reimagining shots using new processing and more powerful software to create new images. Some of the shots have never been processed or exhibited before. Others are works previously shown but now reworked. Some are even from slides which he then had to scan so they could be worked on for this exhibit.” more

Grounds For Sculpture Awarded $25,000 Grant

Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) in Hamilton has received a $25,726 FY25 Cultural Trust Institutional and Financial Stabilization Grant from the New Jersey Cultural Trust. This new funding helps support installing a professional database with informational signage for GFS’ living horticulture collection that will include tagging, cataloging and tracking vital specimen history, health, and locations at the sculpture park. As the first grant awarded to GFS’ horticultural department, this support underscores the vital role that horticulture represents at the 42-acre nonprofit, which became a Level II Arboretum by The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum in 2024.

“This significant grant funding allows us to implement this new database system that will help our team manage the extraordinary living collection at Grounds For Sculpture,” said Janis Napoli, Grounds For Sculpture’s director of horticulture. “We are excited to enhance our ability to document, track, and care for our horticultural specimens, ensuring that future generations can continue to experience and learn from the ever-evolving landscape in our gardens. We are grateful to the New Jersey Cultural Trust for their support in advancing our mission.”

GFS recognizes the importance of retaining institutional knowledge about the park’s creation and its specimens, along with plant updates and the management of specialized collections, such as the deciduous conifer collection. A catalog system supported by this grant will house much of this information and assist in the daily management of the organization’s vast gardens. The sculpture park will install a professional garden database and associated tools and develop a process to maintain and create new records for existing specimens and a protocol for documenting new additions to the living collection.  more

Claude Winn Exhibition at Berkshire Hathaway

CLAUDE WINN EXHIBITION: Works by local artist Claude Winn are on view April 10 through May 15 at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, Realtors, 253 Nassau Street. An opening reception is on April 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, Realtors presents a new exhibition of abstract artwork by local artist Claude Winn, on view through May 15. An opening reception is on Thursday, April 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 253 Nassau Street.

The exhibition showcases 11 of Winn’s distinctive abstract paintings, paying tribute to artists who greatly influence her work, including Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler.  more

April 2, 2025

Kafka at the Morgan — A Homebound Celebration

By Stuart Mitchner

Kafka in ecstasy. Writes all night long….

—Max Brod, October 1912

On April 13, the Czech migrant who has been residing at 225 Madison Avenue since November 22, 2024, will be leaving town. I’ve had almost four months to visit the Morgan Library & Museum’s exhibit commemorating Franz Kafka’s June 3, 1924 death and yet here I sit in my study with a copy of Diaries 1910-1923 open to a facsimile of the undated first page, which begins with a single sentence: “The onlookers go rigid when the train goes past.”

At home, I can see the German sentence in Kafka’s handwriting and know what it says thanks to the English translation on the facing page. At the Morgan, while I’d be in the presence of the actual notebook, it would be under glass, as would Kafka’s unintelligible handwriting, the room would be crowded, and I would be distracted by the metropolitan rush of my first walk in the city since the October 2019 J.D. Salinger centenary at the New York Public Library.  more

Mitsuko Uchida and Mahler Chamber Orchestra Mesmerize Audience in Performance of Mozart

By Nancy Plum

Over the past decades, Princeton University Concerts has developed enduring relationships with performers worldwide, always expanding the PUC artist family. The Mahler Chamber Orchestra has long been one of these partners, returning to Princeton several times to showcase the excellence of its international roster. Founded in 1997 as an artistic “global collective,” the Orchestra is comprised of musicians from 25 countries who come together for each tour or project, exploring instrumental dialogue and the “sound of listening” though a wide range of repertoire.

The Mahler Chamber Orchestra revisited Richardson Auditorium last Thursday night under the leadership of pianist/conductor Mitsuko Uchida, who is particularly well known for her interpretation of the works of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Uchida’s performances of the piano concertos of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are considered a gold standard, and it was two of these concertos which she and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra brought to the Princeton stage.

Mozart composed more than 25 concertos for piano and orchestra, many of which were vehicles for his own performance as soloist. Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat Major, dating from 1784, was one of six written that year alone, part of a constant demand for new works from the prodigious composer. These works may have originally involved a great deal of improvisation from the soloist, and as pianist, Uchida highlighted the imaginative aspects of the music and its inherent virtuosity. more

“Deathtrap” is On Stage at MCCC’s Kelsey Theatre

DARK COMEDY: Hester Young as Myra Bruhl and Ed Forsthoffer as Sidney Bruhl in the upcoming production of the comedy-thriller “Deathtrap,” April 4-13 at the Kelsey Theatre on Mercer County Community College’s West Windsor Campus.

A washed-up Broadway playwright has a plan to revive his career: a plan that involves theft, betrayal, and murder in the dark comedy-thriller Deathtrap, presented by Maurer Productions OnStage at the Kelsey Theatre, April 4-13, on Mercer County Community College’s West Windsor Campus.

Deathtrap is the story of world-famous playwright Sidney Bruhl, who is suffering from a chronic case of writer’s block. But inspiration strikes when one of his former students shows him what might be the next Broadway hit, motivating Sidney and his wife to concoct a deadly plan to make the manuscript their own. Throw in an eccentric psychic and stuffy lawyer, and “Deathtrap” is as funny as it is serious. more

Princeton University Concerts Announces 2025-2026 Season

From September 2025 through April 2026, Princeton University Concerts (PUC) will offer 23 performances spanning diverse artists, repertoire, and formats in which to experience chamber music.

Curated series include Concert Classics, Music & Healing, and Performances Up Close. Special events and programming for children, Do-Re-Meet social events, documentary screenings at the Garden Theatre, and free programs and book discussions are also scheduled.

Artists include choreographer Mark Morris, director Peter Sellars, violinist Lisa Batiashvili, violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, and pianist Paul Lewis. The Belcea String Quartet, the Ebene Quartet, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Marmen String Quartet, and the Richardson Chamber Players are also on the schedule. more

George Lopez to Perform at State Theatre New Jersey

EMBRACING ETHNICITY: George Lopez, known for his career in television, film, and stand-up comedy, is a trailblazer for Latino comics. He will be at the State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick on April 18. (Photo by JSquared Photography)

State Theatre New Jersey presents George Lopez on Friday, April 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $46-$140.

Lopez’s multi-faceted career encompasses television, film, stand-up comedy, and late-night television. Lopez has broken ground for Latino comics by embracing his ethnicity, confronting racial stereotypes, and fighting for his community on and off the stage. more

Garden Theatre to Host Filmmaker Whit Stillman

The Garden Theatre will be welcoming back to Princeton filmmaker/writer/producer/director Whit Stillman on April 21 at 7 p.m.

Following a screening of his 2011 comedy, Damsels in Distress, which is free for members of the nonprofit cinema, there will be a conversation with Stillman. This will be his third trip to the Garden, having first visited in 2016 to promote his Jane Austen adaptation, Love & Friendship, and in 2022 for a discussion around his 1990 debut feature, Metropolitan.  more

Reimagining “Macbeth” at the Berlind Theatre

MUSICAL “MACBETH”: From left are Kareish Thony, Amira Adarkwah, and Sasha Villefranche as the three Witches, and Alex Conboy as Woman in rehearsal for the musical “Macbeth in Stride.” (Photo by Chloe Li)

Macbeth in Stride, by Obie Award-winning theater artist Whitney White, employs the musical styles of rock, pop, gospel, and R&B to investigate some of the most familiar narratives of Shakespeare’s “Scottish play.” The show is presented by Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts April 4-12 at McCarter Theatre’s Berlind Theatre, 91 University Place.

The show asks: What does it mean to be a woman? A Black woman? And what happens when the one thing we think she desires is power? At times inhabiting Lady MacB’s perspective, Woman interrogates love, ambition, and power in a an interactive concert-style performance. Joined by the Witches as singing collaborators, the work explores what it means to try to change a story whose end is already predetermined and has been lived a thousand times before. The director is Princeton senior Layla Williams.

Performances are April 4, 5, 10, 11, and 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 ($10 for students). Visit Mccarter.org.

Princeton Porchfest 2025 Scheduled for April 26

The fourth annual Princeton Porchfest will take place Saturday, April 26 from 12-6 p.m. at front porches and other DIY concert venues across Princeton. Performers will play 45-minute sets at this walkable event.

Fifteen porches will feature live performances at porches on Witherspoon Street, Birch Avenue, Moore Street, Jefferson Road, Chestnut Street, Linden Lane, Queenston Place, Nassau Street, Markham Road, and Murray Place. Maclean House on the Princeton University campus, Hinds Plaza, and the Palmer Square Green are additional venues.

An after-party in Palmer Square will offer lawn games, bubbles, beer, wine, and snacks from Winberie’s Restaurant & Bar at 6:15 p.m.

For a full schedule and more information, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org.

PU Dance Program Holds Spring Dance Festival

NEW WORK: From left are Princeton University seniors Ethan Arrington and Paige Sherman in rehearsal of a contemporary ballet by Matthew Neenan for the annual Spring Dance Festival. (Photo by Jon Sweeney)

Spring Dance Festival: Threshold, the annual dance concert presented by seniors in Princeton University’s Program in Dance, premieres five works on Friday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 5 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at the Hearst Dance Theater in the Lewis Arts complex on the campus.

Included are a group piece fusing different dance styles by senior Kate Stewart and a new solo contemporary work by senior Adam Littman Davis; a new solo work choreographed by guest artist Tamisha A. Guy performed by senior Madison Qualls; a new solo work by faculty member Davalois Fearon performed by senior Moses Abrahamson; and a new contemporary ballet duet choreographed by guest artist Matthew Neenan performed by seniors Ethan Arrington and Paige Sherman. more

Lenape Chamber Ensemble Marks Fiftieth Season

Alan R. Kay

The Lenape Chamber Ensemble continues its 50th anniversary season of chamber music concerts on Friday and Sunday, April 4 and 6, in Bucks County, Pa.

The concerts will highlight works by Mozart and Debussy featuring clarinet, and a symphonic quintet by American composer Arthur Foote. Performances are on Friday, April 4 at 8 p.m. in the historic Upper Tinicum Lutheran Church in Upper Black Eddy, and on Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m. in Delaware Valley University’s Life Sciences Auditorium in Doylestown.

First on the program will be Mozart’s Quintet for Clarinet and Strings K., with soloist Alan R Kay, who is co-principal clarinetist and former artistic director of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and who also performs with New York’s Riverside Symphony, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. more

“David Stier: Refuge” Exhibit Opening at Silverman Gallery

“HAVEN”: Recent works by award-winning artist David Stier are featured in a solo exhibit on view April 5 through May 4 at the Silverman Gallery of Bucks County Impressionist Art in Holicong, Pa.

Award-winning Carversville artist David Stier will be presenting a collection of his most recent paintings and drawings in a solo exhibit, “David Stier: Refuge,” at the Silverman Gallery of Bucks County Impressionist Art. Opening receptions with the artist are on Saturday, April 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. The exhibition continues through May 4.

Three standout paintings — Refuge III, Haven, and Approaching Light — embody feelings of quiet and peaceful spaces, urging viewers to stop and reflect. Stier said, “To be the silent witness to our minds and our sensory experience is a refuge. It’s the place where imagination and observation intersect. Where compulsions and judgement surrender and a wordless perspective arises to celebrate life.” more

Works by Prajakta Joshi at Green Building Center

“ENOUGH”: Works by artist Prajakta Joshi will be featured in “Awakenings,” on view April 12 through June 20 at the Green Building Center, 67 Bridge Street, Lambertville. An opening reception is on Saturday, April 12 from 5 to 8 p.m.

“Awakenings,” featuring works by Prajakta Joshi, will be on view at the Green Building Center, 67 Bridge Street, Lambertville, April 12 through June 30. An opening reception is on Saturday, April 12 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Joshi is an emerging artist residing near Princeton. After earning a BFA in design and visual communication, she established herself as a successful design entrepreneur in Mumbai, Dubai, New York, and New Jersey. more

“Super/Natural” Exhibit at Michener Art Museum

“SUPER/NATURAL”: Judith Schaechter’s eight-foot-tall stained-glass dome, representing a “three-tiered cosmos,” is on view at the Michener Museum in Doylestown, Pa., April 12 through September 14.

On view April 12 through September 14 at the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pa., “Judith Schaechter: Super/Natural” is the first exhibition to feature the internationally known glass artist’s newest work, an eight-foot-tall stained-glass dome designed for a single viewer.

The immersive stained-glass environment represents a “three-tiered cosmos” that explores the idea of biophilia, the human tendency to connect with nature.  more

Online Call for Art: Annual “Ellarslie Open”

Sheryl Liebman Fisher

The “Ellarslie Open,” Trenton City Museum’s annual juried art show, invites artists to enter artwork from April 6 through May 16 via its online call for art. Sheryl Liebman Fisher, associate director of Gallery Henoch in New York City, will jury the 2025 show.

Artists may submit from anywhere and may enter up to four works. Complete instructions and timeline are found at ellarslie.org/eo42. The link to the call for art will activate Sunday, April 6. The show’s five categories are: Paintings, Works on Paper, Sculpture; Photography, and Digital Art. The top award, Best in Show Overall, carries a prize of $1,000. Five category awards and sponsored awards also carry cash prizes.

Showcasing contemporary creations by established and emerging artists, the Ellarslie Open has developed into one of the area’s premier annual juried exhibitions since its beginnings in the early 1980s. In 2024, out of 555 entries, the juror selected 110 diverse pieces by artists from across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and beyond. The 2025 show will open with an Artists’ and Members’ Reception Saturday, June 21, and will remain on view through September 7.  more