RENAISSANCE MEN: McCarter Theatre hosts the Renaissance Quartet, a group of Juilliard School graduates mentored by Itzhak Perlman, on Thursday, November 21. From left are Daniel Hass, Randall Goosby, Jeremiah Blacklow, and Jameel Martin.

The Renaissance Quartet, featuring violinists Randall Goosby and Jeremiah Blacklow, violist Jameel Martin, and cellist Daniel Hass, comes to McCarter Theatre on Thursday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Graduates  of the Juilliard School who were mentored by Itzhak Perlman, the quartet blends classical mastery with a reimagining of chamber music traditions. The New York-based ensemble takes a forward-thinking approach to appeal to a diverse audience. more

ANNIVERSARY TOUR: Time-travel to 1973 with “Selling England by the Pound,” at State Theatre New Jersey on Friday, December 6. (Photo by Jean-Marc Hamel)

State Theatre New Jersey presents The Musical Box – 50th Anniversary Genesis—Selling England by the Pound on Friday, December 6 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $29-$49. 

Fifty years ago, Genesis released Selling England by the Pound and changed rock history. In 1973, Peter Gabriel’s famous theatrics and Genesis’ musical apex produced some of the most iconic images and sounds of the ’70s, which to this day have a cult following. The Musical Box, who shared the stage with Phil Collins and Steve Hackett as performing guests at such venues as London’s Royal Albert Hall and Paris’ Olympia, will perform the emblematic 1973 show in painstaking detail.

State Theatre New Jersey is at 15 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick. Visit Stnj.org for tickets.

Phillips’ Mill’s third annual Play with Words Student Playwriting Challenge is accepting submissions through midnight on January 12, 2025. Winners will be announced in late January, and winning plays will be presented at the location in New Hope, Pa., in a staged reading on March 1.

According to Fran Ferrone, who chairs the competition, one of last year’s winners, Saskia Cooper of The Pennington School, said that she “was nervous … that a joke wouldn’t land … but was really happy to see the actors having fun,” and plans to enter again this year.

She also quoted Abigail Wus of Pennsbury High School (Pa.), who thinks the pressure of juggling time between studies and her love of writing is worth it. “To anyone who has a notes app full of unfinished ideas and fragments of stories, I encourage you to write for Play With Words,” Wus said. “It provided me the motivation to try a new medium and helped me realize a new depth to writing that I will carry with me in the rest of my works.”  more

Mercer County Community College (MCCC) students from different departments are collaborating on an interpretation of a classic Greek tragedy The Bacchae of Euripides and A Mouthful of Birds, November 21-24, at the Kelsey Theatre on MCCC’s West Windsor Campus.

Both productions involve students from the Theater, Dance, and Entertainment Technology; Fashion Apparel/Design; and Advertising and Graphic Design programs serving as performers and costume designers and providing advertising/promotion support.

According to Jody Gazenbeek-Person, MCCC’s Theatre, Dance, and Entertainment Technology coordinator, the intra-program experience serves as a real-life lesson for a career in the entertainment industry, where understanding all aspects of a production is important for success.  more

Mikhail Voskresensky will present an all-new program on Saturday, December 14 at 7 p.m. in Bristol Chapel, on the campus of Westminster Choir College, 101 Walnut Lane. He will perform works by Beethoven, Mozart, Grieg, Scriabin, and Chopin. Tickets are $45 ($20 for students).

Dutch violinist Janine Jansen is set to make her long-anticipated Princeton University Concerts (PUC) debut with Belgian pianist Denis Kozhukhin on Wednesday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium.

The program features Robert Schumann Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 105; Clara Schumann Three Romances, Op. 22; and Johannes Brahms Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100 and Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108.

“We have been eager to present this legendary duo for a very long time,” said PUC Director Marna Seltzer, “and after the pandemic and illness delayed their debut, it feels surreal that this historic moment has finally arrived. As we head into the holiday season, I can think of no greater gift.” more

Princeton Youth Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker,” choreographed by Risa Kaplowitz and Talin Kenar, is on stage at Princeton High School Performing Arts Center Saturday, December 7 at 4 p.m. and Sunday, December 8 at 12 and 4 p.m. This version of the familiar holiday ballet is a coming-of-age story. Tickets are on sale at pyb.booktix.com.

On December 3 at 7:30 p.m., Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts presents Courtney Stephens’ live performance/film essay, Terra Femme, at the James Stewart Film Theater, 185 Nassau Street. Admission is free and open to the public.

An essay film, a memoir, a post-colonial reckoning, Terra Femme is a work of live cinema that takes the form of a narrated travelogue, with Stephens leading the viewer through errant cinematic scrapbooks, seeking out the stories behind the images, and wondering after the early 20th century women who captured and witnessed them. This live performance/film has toured widely.

The essay film is comprised of amateur travelogues filmed by women in the 1920s-1950s. With a score by Sarah Davachi, the fims raise questions about female representation in the archive, the role of amateurism in early non-fiction filmmaking, and the politics of the Western gaze. more

Princeton University Concerts (PUC) will welcome the Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer back for a special event performance of their A Chanticleer Christmas program of a cappella choral music, ranging from Renaissance masterworks to spirituals, on Saturday, December 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Princeton University Chapel.

Prior to the concert, PUC will host a Do-Re-Meet LGBTQIA+ & Allies Mingle in the form of a festive “ugly sweater party,” at 5:30 p.m. at Maclean House on the campus.

Chanticleer first came to PUC in October 2023, engaging with the community by inviting singers of all ages and abilities to sing alongside as part of PUC’s free annual Chamber Jam conducted by Artistic Director Tim Keeler, a 2011 graduate of the Princeton University Music Department; singing for one of PUC’s free Live Music Meditation events; and performing a concert at Richardson Auditorium. more

The Garden Theatre is partnering with the Princeton University Art Museum to again commemorate Day With(out) Art, an occasion to remember those artists and creators impacted by the AIDS crisis. This year’s program is on Tuesday, December 3 at 7 p.m.

The collection of videos Red Reminds Me…. will be screened, free to the public. The program will be introduced by Princeton University Art Museum Director James Steward, and followed by a discussion between Steward and one of the video’s directors, David Oscar Harvey.

Day With(out) Art was organized by Visual AIDS, “the only contemporary arts organization fully committed to AIDS awareness and creating dialogue around HIV issues today,” according to their website. It was first held on December 1, 1989, to coincide with the World Health Organization’s second annual World AIDS Day, and meant to “celebrate the lives and achievements of lost colleagues and friends.” more

“CRAFTING A HEART”: The Arts Council of Princeton will host a workshop with Gisele Fetterman, right, and Diana Weymar, left, on Wednesday, December 4 at 6:30 p.m. A hands-on art activity and signed copy of Weymar’s new book are included in registration.

The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) will present a workshop with Gisele Fetterman and craftivist Diana Weymar on Wednesday, December 4. Attendees will learn to create a unique mosaic heart out of ceramic and tile pieces and learn more about using art to transform anxiety into action.

All attendees will receive a signed copy of Weymar’s new book, Crafting a Better World. Additional books will be available for purchase at the event.

This beginner-friendly workshop includes all materials and small-group instruction. Registration is $65 and is available on artscouncilofprinceton.org. more

DAY OF ARTFUL JOY: Artisan card maker Danyelle Kessler will teach children and adults how to make unique greeting cards on Saturday, November 23 from $12:30 to 2 p.m. at Princeton Makes in the Princeton Shopping Center.

Art Against Racism is partnering with Princeton Makes, a Princeton-based artist cooperative, to present a Day of Artful Joy on Saturday, November 23. It will be a day of creativity and fun celebrating International Art and Health Month. This event is part of Arts and Health Mercer, sponsored by Mercer County art and cultural organizations. Learn more at artshealthmercer.org. The activities will be held at Princton Makes, located in the Princeton Shopping Center.

The Lovey Monsters Beginners Sewing Class for Kids will be held from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Ronah Harris, an artist and the creator of Lovey Monsters, will help kids unleash their imagination and craft their very own adorable monster stuffy. To enjoy this blend of creativity and fluffiness, one can purchase the Monster Lovey kit available for $12.50. more

OPEN STUDIOS: At the 2023 Open Studios event a then-junior, now senior, shares their work with a visitor. This year’s event is on November 20 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 185 Nassau Street on the Princeton University campus. (Photo by Jon Sweeney)

Juniors and seniors majoring and minoring in visual arts at Princeton University will open their studios to share and discuss their works-in-progress on November 20 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 185 Nassau Street on the Princeton campus. The event is free and open to the public.

The evening of Open Studios will feature work by students in a wide range of media including photography, sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, graphic design, and film, as well as multi- and interdisciplinary work. The student artists, from the classes of 2025 and 2026, will be present to discuss their work.  more