April 9, 2025

Fueled by Bornstein’s Energy, Production, PHS Girls’ Lax Edges HoVal 11-9 in Opener

OPENING STATEMENT: Princeton High girls’ lacrosse player Leah Bornstein sprints upfield in a 2024 game. Last Wednesday, junior midfielder Bornstein tallied two goals and three assists to help PHS edge Hopewell Valley 11-9 in its season opener. The Tigers, who fell 12-9 at Montgomery last Saturday, host WW/P-South on April 9 before playing at Princeton Day School on April 11, at the Hun School on April 12, and at Shore on April 15. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Leah Bornstein starred at guard this winter for the Princeton High girls’ basketball team, scoring 184 points with 110 rebounds, 73 assists, and 81 steals to help the Tigers go 19-10.

But while Bornstein was busy on the hardcourt, she made time to keep her lacrosse skills sharp. more

PDS Baseball’s Late Rally Against PHS Falls Short But Panthers on the Verge of a Breakthrough Victory

SWINGING AWAY: Princeton Day School baseball player Santino Cignarella follows through on a swing in a 2024 game. Senior infielder Cignarella went 1 for 3 with a walk last Thursday as PDS lost 3-1 to Princeton High. The Panthers, who moved to 0-5 with the defeat, host Hamilton West on April 10 before playing at Manville on April 12 and at Steinert on April 14. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Having lost its first four games this spring, it looked like the Princeton Day School baseball team was poised for a breakthrough as it hosted Princeton High last Thursday.

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning with two players on base, PDS freshman third baseman Vince Filis ripped a line drive down the left field line that sent the runners racing home. more

Looking to Bring Stability to Hun Boys’ Lax, New Head Coach Donnelly Focusing on Culture

BECK AND CALL: Hun School boys’ lacrosse player Jake Beck heads upfield in a game last season. Junior midfielder Beck figures to be an offensive catalyst for the Raiders this spring. Hun, which lost 16-6 to Chatham last Saturday to move to 0-4 under new head coach Joe Donnelly, hosts the Hill School (Pa.) on April 9, plays at Shawnee High on April 12, and then hosts the Westtown School (Pa.) on April 15. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As the third head coach in the last three years for the Hun School boys’ lacrosse team, Joe Donnelly is determined to establish some stability for the program.

“For us, it is about building a culture that is going to last,” said Donnelly. “It has been a lot of initial buy-in for a lot of these kids early on. For us, it is making a point that my goal is to be here for a very, very long time and trying to build something that lasts. It is not necessarily about the wins and the losses, it is about how much we can improve as a team and as a unit and help these kids for after high school.” more

April 2, 2025

Spring in Bloom

People took advantage of the warmer weather with a visit to Marquand Park on Saturday. Residents and visitors share what they are looking forward to this spring in this week’s Town Talk on Page 6. (Photo by Thomas Hedges)

Town Finalizes Westminster Campus Acquisition

By Anne Levin

The Municipality of Princeton announced Tuesday that it has officially acquired the 23-acre former campus of Westminster Choir College (WCC) from Rider University.

“While the property has been the subject of lawsuits regarding its legal ownership, the Municipality’s acquisition through condemnation is absolute, and eliminates any and all claims, restrictions, or encroachments by any other party over the property,” reads a press release from the town.

Attorney Bruce Afran, who has been representing the Westminster Foundation, a group of WCC alumni, faculty, and donors in a lawsuit against Rider for attempting to sell the Princeton property, said they will be reviewing their legal options. more

Thriving and Growing, Food Scraps Program Cuts Greenhouse Gases

By Donald Gilpin

Princeton’s Food Scraps Drop-Off Program is growing fast, with dozens of new participants, three new drop-off sites added last month, and increasing opportunities for residents to do their part to reduce their carbon footprint.

Assistant Municipal Engineer James Purcell reported to Princeton Council last week that new collection bins were installed on March 5 at Riverside Drive adjacent to Riverside Elementary School, at Magnolia Lane adjacent to Littlebrook Elementary School, and on General Johnson Road adjacent to the sanitary sewer pump station and Johnson Park Elementary School.

As of Friday March 28, Purcell stated, an additional 36 people had signed up for the program, which now serves 321 Princeton residents at the three new sites along with the original locations at the Municipal Building on Witherspoon Street and at Monument Hall on Monument Drive. more

University Art Museum Will Reopen With Public Open House on Halloween

By Anne Levin

It’s official. The Princeton University Art Museum will open its newly redesigned, reconstructed, and enlarged building with a free, 24-hour open house on October 31.

Closed just before the COVID-19 pandemic for the construction project, which doubles space for the exhibition, conservation, study, and interpretation of the museum’s collections, the three-story building was designed by Adjaye Associates in cooperation with Cooper Robertson. It includes social gathering spaces, a restaurant, outdoor terraces, and areas for performances and events that can accommodate between 200 and 2,000 people, according to the museum’s website.

All of this is welcome news to James Steward, the museum’s director. more

Design Awards Exhibition Marks New Jersey Architecture Week

DISTINCTIVE ARCHITECTURE: The Net Zero House in the Finger Lakes by Clarke Caton Hintz principal John D.S. Hatch is among the designs on display at the Arts Council of Princeton April 6-12.

By Anne Levin

The work of several local architecture firms will be on display from April 6-12, designated as New Jersey Architecture Week, at the Arts Council of Princeton. The special exhibition is presented by AIA CNJ [American Institute of Architects Central New Jersey] and showcases submissions from its 2024 Design Awards program.

A reception, open to the public, will be held on Tuesday, April 8 from 6-8 p.m. The Arts Council is located at 102 Witherspoon Street.

The show highlights the work of AIA CNJ architect members, featuring all architectural project submissions from the organization’s inaugural awards program. Among the categories represented are Social Impact, Historic Preservation, Open, Residential, Sustainability, and Interior Architecture. more

Colleagues Offer Tributes to Labyrinth’s Dorothea von Moltke

By Anne Levin

Dorothea von Moltke
(Photo by Andrew Wilkinson)

The March 23 passing of Dorothea von Moltke, co-founder of Princeton’s Labyrinth Books on Nassau Street, has inspired tributes from people who worked with her on a range of community-oriented initiatives, literary and otherwise.

“This week we have said farewell to our dear store founder, Dorothea von Moltke. She was a great force for good in the world, and we know that all of you share our sense of profound loss at this sad news,” reads a statement from the store. A memorial service for von Moltke will be announced in coming weeks, the statement continues.

The range of postings and messages reveal von Moltke’s influence not just as a bookseller, local business owner, and proponent of social justice, but as a friend as well. more

Walk the Walk with Princeton Future; Evaluate the Town’s Public Spaces

By Donald Gilpin

Princeton’s small public spaces — how do they work, and how can they be valuable? That’s the focus of a Princeton Future event on Saturday, April 5: a public walk-through beginning at Hinds Plaza at 10:30 a.m., moving on to 25 Spring Street and the plaza behind Angelo Italian Market, then proceeding to 185 Nassau Street adjacent to the Thomas Sweet ice cream shop.

Those small areas where people come together in the heart of town, “places where people can take a break, or engage in a conversation with a neighbor have always been important in Princeton,” states a press release from Princeton Future, an independent nonprofit that encourages community participation in planning issues.

“For people moving into apartments, these informal gathering spots become even more important. The public space becomes another form of the backyard fence or the corner store — where people can formally and spontaneously engage with a neighbor without a formal invitation,” the press release continues. more

Kim Seeks Release of Elizabeth Tsurkov, Princeton U. Scholar Abducted in Iraq

By Donald Gilpin

Princeton University graduate student Elizabeth Tsurkov was kidnapped by a Shi’a militia group in Iraq two years ago on March 21, and government officials and her family have recently renewed efforts to secure her release.

Last week New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim and Tsurkov’s sister, Emma Tsurkov, held a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, calling on the Trump administration and the Iraqi government to work quickly to bring about Tsurkov’s immediate and safe return home.

A doctoral candidate in the Princeton University Department of Politics specializing in Syria and the Middle East, Tsurkov, 38, was kidnapped by the Iran-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah, a group considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. She was in Bagdad at the time conducting academic research for her dissertation. Tsurkov holds both Russian and Israeli passports, but had lived in the U.S. since 2017 and has been enrolled at Princeton University since 2019.  more

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