October 2, 2024

Looking Formidable with a Veteran-Laden Squad, PHS Girls’ Tennis Wins State Opener, Moves to 5-1

DOUBLE TAKE: Princeton High girls’ tennis first doubles player Maya-Alexandra Todorov, left, hits a backhand in action last fall as partner Ashna Bushan covers the net. Last Monday, the pair of Todorov and Bushan posted a 6-0, 6-1 win to help fourth-seeded PHS defeat 13th-seeded Middletown North 5-0 in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North 2 Group 3 state team sectional. The Tigers, who improved to 5-1, will play at Lawrence High on October 7 in a regular season match before hosting fifth-seeded Summit in the sectional quarterfinals on October 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Boasting a battle-tested core of veteran performers, the Princeton High girls’ tennis team has picked up where it left off last year.

After winning eight of its last nine matches in 2023, advancing the Central Jersey Group 3 final in the process, the Tigers have started 5-1 this fall with their latest victory coming last Monday when the fourth-seeded Tigers defeated 13th-seeded Middletown North 5-0 in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North 2 Group 3 state team sectional on October 8. more

Featuring Scoring Balance, Stingy Defense, Hun Boys’ Soccer Produces Stellar 5-1-2 Start

PUSHING FORWARD: Hun School boys’ soccer player Luke Donahue, right, battles for the ball in a game earlier this season. Senior forward Donahue has tallied a goal and an assist so far this fall to help Hun get off to a 5-1-2 start. In upcoming action, the Raiders play at the Blair Academy on October 5 and at the Peddie School on October 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

It is the only loss for the Hun School boys’ soccer team so far this fall, but it proved to be a sign of the squad’s quality.

Facing perennial powerhouse Pennington on September 18, Hun battled the Red Hawks to a scoreless stalemate in the first half and the foes were locked in a 1-1 tie late in the second half before the Raiders yielded two late goals to fall 3-1. more

PDS Field Hockey Taking its Lumps in Early Going, But Young Squad Has Potential to Get on Winning Track

STEPPING UP: Princeton Day School field hockey player Sammy Dandy, right, goes after the ball in a game earlier this season. Sophomore Dandy has scored one goal so far this season for PDS. The Panthers, who lost 7-0 to Notre Dame last Monday to move to 3-5, play at Allentown on October 2 and at WW/P-North on October 7. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Undeterred by a steady rain that fell as it played at Hopewell Valley High last Friday afternoon, the Princeton Day School field hockey team came out firing.

Cashing in on some deft passing, PDS jumped out to a 1-0 lead with 6:41 left in the first quarter as Reagan Falconi blasted the ball into the cage, converting an insert by Olivia Herscovici on a penalty corner. more

September 25, 2024

Master Carver

Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) fall Artist-in-Residence Nathan Jackson, right, a nationally renowned Alaskan Tlingit artist, works with his wife, Dorica, on the ACP’s new totem pole at a public carving demonstration on Friday. The project, “Monumental Sculptures: Understanding the Totem Poles of the Northwest Coast,” honors and celebrates the Tlingit peoples of that region. Made from western red cedar, the 8-foot-high work will permanently reside in the ACP front lobby when completed. (Photo by Jeffrey E. Tryon)

Council Passes Ordinance to Acquire Westminster Campus

By Anne Levin

An ordinance that could determine the future of the 23-acre property formerly occupied by Westminster Choir College was the subject of several comments during a public hearing at the meeting of Princeton Council on Monday evening, September 23. The ordinance, which was introduced on September 9, authorizes the acquisition of the site “by negotiation, purchase, condemnation, or eminent domain.”

At the close of the public hearing, Council voted unanimously in favor of the measure. Council President Mia Sacks, who led the meeting since Mayor Mark Freda is on vacation, called it “a historic evening for all of us.” To those who expressed concerns that the Westminster Conservatory of Music and the Westminster Community Orchestra would not be a part of the future plans for the site, Sacks said that the municipality is aware of their history and importance to the cultural life of the community.

The Conservatory and Orchestra are among the cultural organizations that operate on the Walnut Lane campus. Westminster Choir College was located there from 1935 until it was moved to the campus of Rider University in Lawrence Township in 2017 following Rider’s failed attempt to sell it to a Chinese company (Rider merged with the Choir College in 1991). more

PPS Welcomes New Food Service Supplier, Food Systems Coordinator

By Donald Gilpin

Shannon Barlow

Princeton Public Schools (PPS) is starting the 2024-25 school year with a new food systems literacy coordinator, Shannon Barlow, and a new food service supplier, Pomptonian, that offers unlimited servings of fruits and vegetables to accompany each meal.

Those changes at PPS signal a whole new perspective on the significance of food, its role in school, and its role in the lives of the school community, according to PPS Science Supervisor Joy Barnes-Johnson.

“These paired developments will, over time, fundamentally change the way that all of us at the district — students, parents, faculty, staff, and administration — understand and use food for curriculum, health, wellness, community, and for the good of natural systems that are prerequisites to all life,” said Barnes-Johnson, as quoted in a press release from Princeton School Gardens Cooperative, Inc. (PSGC), which is collaborating with PPS to use campus resources to illustrate and amplify curriculum. more

Election Race Approaches Final Month; BOE Candidates Square Off October 1

By Donald Gilpin

With races for U.S. president and vice president, U.S. Senate, U.S House of Representatives, Board of Mercer County Commissioners, Princeton mayor and Council, and Princeton Board of Education (BOE) all on the line, the 2024 campaign season is approaching its final month. Vote-by-mail ballots are already available, early voting starts on October 26, and November 5 is Election Day.

On Tuesday, October 1, beginning at 6:30 p.m., the six Princeton BOE candidates will face each other in a Candidates’ Forum Webinar hosted by the Princeton Parent-Teacher Organization Council (PTOC).

In Princeton the race for three seats on the School Board, with one incumbent and five new candidates running, is drawing the most attention and generating the most lawn signs, while Mark Freda in the race for another term as mayor and incumbent Leighton Newlin and new candidate Brian McDonald in the race for two seats on Princeton Council are unopposed.

In the contest for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Robert Menendez, Democrat Andy Kim is running against Republican Curtis Bashaw; in the 12th District race for Congress incumbent Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman is running against Republican Darius Mayfield; and in the county commissioners competition a slate of three Democrats is vying against three Republican candidates for three seats.

Information about the Princeton BOE candidates is available on the PTOC website at princetonptoc.weebly.com, in local and social media, and on candidates’ websites, as well as in a continuing flow of letters to the Town Topics Mailbox. For this article Town Topics asked the candidates to provide a statement of no more than 100 words on what they would like local residents to know about them and their candidacy. Their responses follow in reverse alphabetical order. more

Six Homes Showcasing Sustainable Living Are Open to the Public This Saturday

GOING GREEN: This home on Birch Avenue is open again this year for the Princeton Green House Tour. An example of sustainable living, it is one of six included on Saturday, September 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free but reservations for time slots are necessary.

By Anne Levin

Last year’s Princeton Green House Tour was such a success that the planners of the event, the Princeton Environmental Commission (PEC) and the nonprofit Sustainable Princeton, are back with round two. On Saturday, September 28, the public can step inside six homes — two more than last year — to see examples of sustainable living.

“The response was tremendous, which is why at the end of the day we were all exhausted,” said Lisa Marcus Levine, the vice chair of the PEC. “But we said, ‘Let’s do it again.’” more

Princeton Reaches Out to Local Businesses with PSE&G-Backed Sustainability Campaign

By Donald Gilpin

Aiming to help businesses manage their energy use, reduce carbon emissions, and take advantage of PSE&G’s programs and incentives, the Municipality of Princeton has launched its energy efficiency outreach campaign.

As part of Princeton’s participation in the Sustainable Jersey-PSE&G Energy Efficiency Partnership Program, local businesses are encouraged to upgrade to energy-efficient equipment and reduce their energy costs.

Bank of Princeton President and CEO Edward Dietzler noted that his bank had taken advantage of the PSE&G program. “I reached out to PSE&G, thinking they’d be able to demonstrate to us opportunities to save, make things more efficient, and upgrade the system,” he said. more

An Evening of 18th Century Music and Dance Reimagines a Performance in Princeton

By Anne Levin

John Burkhalter is fascinated by colonial-era broadsheet newspapers. Scrolling recently through a database, he came upon an announcement from the New York Journal, dated August 11, 1774, for an evening of music and dance in Princeton at the “Sign of the College” tavern, which was located directly across from Nassau Hall. A man named William Whitehead had leased the tavern from Richard Stockton, the original owner of Morven.

“I was absolutely flabbergasted,” said Burkhalter, known for his performances of early music with The Practitioners of Early Musick. “In terms of 18th century music, this is one of most extraordinary documents.”

To celebrate this discovery, and in anticipation of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) and Morven Museum and Garden are collaborating with Burkhalter on a re-creation of the event. On November 8 at 7 p.m. at Morven’s Stockton Education Center, a reimagination of the evening of music and dance is planned. Burkhalter will play English and small flutes, and Donovan Klotzbeacher will play the harpsichord. Soprano Abigail Chapman and baroque violinist Elizabeth Rouget will also perform, and baroque dance specialist Susan Nabors Braisted will provide the dance component. more

Living In William Faulkner’s “The Sound and the Fury” — A Birthday Celebration

By Stuart Mitchner

Looking ahead to William Faulkner’s September 25th birthday, I reread the 1956 Paris Review interview in which he says The Sound and the Fury (1929) is the novel that caused him “the most grief and anguish,” comparing himself to the mother who “loves the child who became the thief or murderer more than the one who became the priest.”

For what it’s worth — a phrase to be reckoned with in this column — the novel of Faulkner’s that has afforded me the most pleasure and induced the most awe is the one that became “the thief or murderer.” In the same interview, Faulkner says that he wrote it five separate times. “It’s the book I feel tenderest towards. I couldn’t leave it alone, and I never could tell it right, though I tried hard and would like to try again.”

I read The Sound and the Fury four separate times, first when I was 19. Having found my way through it, I began reading it over again the day I finished it. Half a year later, I went back to it and finished it in two weeks. Seven years later, I reread it on the other side of the world.  more

Big-City TV Meteorologist is Trapped in a Small Town in “Groundhog Day”; Musical Adaptation of the Film Opens Kelsey’s “Season of Transformations”

“GROUNDHOG DAY”: Performances are underway for “Groundhog Day.” Presented by Kelsey Theatre and Playful Theatre Productions, and directed by Frank Ferrara, the musical runs through September 29 at Kelsey Theatre. Above: Condescending and aloof TV meteorologist Phil Connors (John Fischer, front row, fifth from left) finds himself trapped in a small town whose residents are, for him, gratingly cheerful and enthused about the titular celebration. (Photo by John M. Maurer)

By Donald H. Sanborn III

Kelsey Theatre is presenting Groundhog Day. Adapted from the 1993 fantasy romantic comedy film starring Bill Murray, the musical portrays a big-city TV meteorologist who finds himself forced to relive the same day, apparently in perpetuity, in a small town that to him is gratingly good-natured.

Groundhog Day opens Kelsey’s “Season of Transformations,” which will include revivals of Jekyll & Hyde, Beauty and the Beast, and 1776. A brochure promises, “Transformations abound in this season — from the transformation of man into monster, and beast into prince, to the transformation of the colonies into the United States of America!” more

Bravura Philharmonic Plays at Princeton Alliance Church

Kairy Koshoeva

Pianist Kairy Koshoeva is the soloist in the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra’s first concert of the season on Sunday, September 29 at 7 p.m. at Princeton Alliance Church. 20 Schalks Crossing Road in Plainsboro.

The orchestra’s music director Chiu-Tze Lin conducts the concert, which includes Koshoeva performing the Rachamaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor. Koshoeva is on the faculty of the New School for Music Study in Kingston, and frequently collaborates as a guest artist for the Department of Music at Princeton University.

Among the awards she has won are the International Piano Competition in Vicenza, Italy; the N. Rubinstein Competition in Paris; the gold medal at the 2004 Rachmaninoff Awards in Moscow; and first prize at the Chautauqua Music Festival concerto competition in Chautauqua, N.Y. She has played internationally as well across the U.S. Her performances included appearing as a soloist with the Kansas City Symphony and at the Chautauqua Music Festival, as well as with the National Symphony of Kyrgyzstan and orchestras in Houston and Jefferson City. She has also performed with the Moscow chamber orchestra “Cantus Firmus.” more

Lewis Center Announces Resident Choreographers

Matthew Neenan
(Photo by Alexander Iziliaev)

The Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Dance at Princeton University announces Rennie Harris, Matthew Neenan, and Yue Yin as Caroline Hearst Choreographers-in-Residence for the 2024-2025 academic year: As guest artists, all three are creating new works or teaching repertory works that will be performed at the Princeton Dance Festival in November.

Launched in 2017, the Caroline Hearst Choreographers-in-Residence Program fosters the Program in Dance’s connections with the dance field. It provides selected professional choreographers with resources and a rich environment to develop their work and offers opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to engage with diverse creative practices. The artists share their work and processes with the Princeton community through workshops, conversations, residencies, open rehearsals, and performances. more

Lively Rhythms

Indigenous People’s Day will be celebrated on Thursday, October 24 at 3 p.m. with a performance of Polynesian dance to music of the ukulele, at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike. This event is supported by Friends of the Lawrence Library. Register in advance at mcl.org.

Chris Botti and Friends Perform Jazz Classics

MAN WITH A HORN: Chris Botti, Grammy-winning trumpeter, comes to State Theatre New Jersey on October 12 at 8 p.m.

On Saturday, October 12 at 8 p.m., trumpeter Chris Botti will appear at the State Theatre New Jersey, 15 Livingston Avenue. Botti performs with a group of renowned fellow musicians including violinist Joshua Bell and Israeli guitarist Gilad Hekselman. Tickets range from $29-$69.

During the past three decades, Botti has collaborated with Sting, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Steven Tyler, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma, and others. He has topped the jazz charts with numerous albums, earned multiple Gold and Platinum records, and performed with symphony orchestras and on stages from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl to the Sydney Opera House. more

Chamber Music Concerts Begin with Piano Trio

AN ALL-NEW SERIES: The Signum Quartet are among the ensembles taking part in the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s four-concert chamber series this season at Trinity Church. (Photo by Irene Zandel)

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) has announced the opening of its all-new, four-concert chamber music series at Trinity Church. The first event is on Thursday October 10 at 7 p.m., featuring music composed for piano trio. Players are violinist Emma Richman, cellist Wangshu Xiang, and pianist Yoon Lee.

Additional concerts showcase a rare instrument of the viol family, a string trio, and string quartet, successively. General admission tickets are $45 per person, per concert with a 50 percent discount for children 5-17.  more

Chamber Music Society Hosts Family Program

RAPT AUDIENCE: Young listeners and their families are the focus of “CMS Kids: Tuneful Travels,” a special program taking place in the Lee Rehearsal Room of the Lewis Arts Complex on Saturday, October 19 at 1 and 3 p.m.

Princeton University Concerts welcomes back the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) for the first family program of the season on Saturday, October 19 at 1 and 3 p.m.

Rami Vamos hosts these events in the Lee Rehearsal Room of the Lewis Arts Complex. “CMS Kids: Tuneful Travels” is curated for kids ages 3-6 and their families. Vamos and the professional musicians of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will guide audiences through a magical journey where music for piano, violin, and bassoon becomes an expression of joy and movement.
The concert is adapted for neurodiverse audiences, including children with autism and other special needs. The performance is less formal than traditional concerts and more supportive of sensory, communication, movement, and learning needs. more

Roxey Ballet Celebrates Breast Cancer Survivors

On October 4-6 and 25-27, Roxey Ballet presents “The C Word,” a celebration in dance, music, and spoken word of the strength and resilience of breast cancer survivors. The performances, which are in person and virtual, take place at Mill Ballet, 46 North Sugan Road, New Hope, Pa.

Choreographed by Mark Roxey, the multimedia production tells the personal stories of women who have overcome breast cancer. Funded by a grant from New Music USA, it is a tribute to the human spirit. Roxey has collaborated with composers Robert Maggio and Matthew Hardy to bring these stories to life. more

Two Fall Solo Exhibitions at Contemporary Art Center

FALL EXHIBITIONS: Solo exhibitions by Angela Pilgrim, whose work is shown at left, and Barbara Wallace, right. will be on view at The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster September 27 through December 8. An opening reception is on September 27 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster has announced two fall solo exhibitions on view September 27 through December 8. The opening reception will be held on Friday, September 27 from 6 to 8 p.m., and is free and open to the public.

“Angela Pilgrim: New Growth” presents the work of Angela Pilgrim, whose studio is in Newark. She said, “My work explores the Black female gaze through figurative imagery of the body. Utilizing portraiture, printmaking, pattern making and mixed media, I investigate themes of beauty, spirituality and reflection. By creating visual stories that invoke critical thinking processes regarding interiority, my work aims to reverse and rebuild how Black women see themselves, both within their communities and expanded to a much larger world view.” more

“Reciprocal Inspiration” Exhibit Coming to Gourgaud Gallery

“LAVENDER HORIZON”: This work by Elizabeth Grimaldi is featured in “Reciprocal Inspiration and a Cranbury School Legacy: Elizabeth Grimaldi and Elaina Phillips,” on view October 2 through October 30 at the Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury

The Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury will present “Reciprocal Inspiration and a Cranbury School Legacy: Elizabeth Grimaldi and Elaina Phillips” October 2 through October 30.

In the exhibition, Elizabeth Grimaldi, a retired Cranbury School teacher and administrator, will exhibit her original paintings. Additionally, works by Elaina Philips, her former student, will be on display.  more

Sculptor Campbell’s Studio On Hopewell Tour des Arts

OPEN STUDIO: Sculptor Don Campbell is among the local artists who will open their studio doors to the public for the 17th Annual Hopewell Tour des Arts on September 28 and 29.

During the 17th Annual Hopewell Tour des Arts on September 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and September 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., more than 60 local artists will open their studio doors to the public. Among stops on this year’s tour is the studio of sculptor Don Campbell.

Nestled in the heart of Hopewell, Campbell’s barn studio offers a unique opportunity to explore the world of narrative sculpture. Campbell, a master storyteller in clay, is known for his ability to capture emotion, form, and narrative in his absract, portrait, and figurative works. His pieces, deeply inspired by the realms of consciousness and nature, invite viewers to engage with the unfolding stories embedded within each sculpture. more

NJ Senior Art Show at Meadow Lakes

The 2024 New Jersey Senior Citizen Art Show opens on Saturday, October 5 at Meadow Lakes Senior Living, 300 Meadow Lakes, East Windsor, and will remain on display and open to the public through Wednesday, October 30. This is the 58th annual State Senior Citizen Art Show, and features more than 250 works of art by artists over the age of 60, representing 20 of the state’s 21 counties.

The work — by both professional and non-professional artists in 11 categories (acrylic, craft, digital arts, mixed media, oil, pastels, photography, print, sculpture, watercolor, and works on paper) — will be reviewed by a three-person panel of professional artists. After careful review, the judges will select first, second, and third place winners and honorable mentions in each category. more

PU Football Plagued by Some Sloppy Play in Opener as It Falls at Lehigh, Aiming to be Sharper Against Howard

OFF AND RUNNING: Princeton University football running back John Volker heads upfield in a 2023 game. Last Saturday, senior Volker scored on a three-yard touchdown run in a losing cause as Princeton fell 35-20 to Lehigh in its season opener. The Tigers will look to get on the winning track as they host Howard (2-2) on September 28 in its home opener. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Opening its 2024 season last Saturday by facing a rugged Lehigh squad that already had three games under its belt, the Princeton University football team got off to a rough start.

Princeton trailed 21-7 at halftime, getting outscored 14-0 in the second quarter as it struggled on both sides of the ball. more

Senior Star Schulze Comes Up Big with Hat Trick As PU Field Hockey Rallies to Edge Rutgers 3-2

AMAZING GRACE: Princeton University field hockey player Grace Schulze controls the ball in a game earlier this season. Last Sunday, senior forward Schulze scored all three goals for No. 18 Princeton as it edged No. 13 Rutgers 3-2. The Tigers, now 4-2 overall and 1-0 Ivy League, play at Columbia on September 27 before hosting No. 1 Northwestern on September 29. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Justin Feil

Grace Schulze found the perfect way to end her frustration.

The senior forward scored all three goals in No. 18 Princeton University field hockey team’s 3-2 comeback win at No. 13 Rutgers on Sunday.

“It definitely was a great feeling,” said Schulze. “I think when we play Rutgers, there’s always a lot of emotion. They’re obviously our in-state rivals, so being able to get the comeback win was huge and I think I’ve been struggling with getting goals and getting shots, so I think for me it was a good way to start my scoring for the season.” more