THE ROAD TO SUCCESS: A musical about the legendary duo Simon & Garfunkel is on stage at the State Theatre in New Brunswick on February 7 at 8 p.m.

State Theatre New Jersey presents The Simon & Garfunkel Story on Friday, February 7 at 8 p.m.

New Brunswick is among 60 U.S. cities on the current North American tour of the immersive concert-style tribute show, which covers the duo’s humble beginnings as Tom & Jerry, to their success as one of the best-selling music groups of the’60s, as well as their dramatic split in 1970.  more

LUTE DUETS : Daniel Swenberg is one of two to perform at the Unitarian Church on February 16.

The Dryden Ensemble returns with its new artistic director, Daniel Swenberg, in a program entitled “A 26-Course Feast: Baroque Lute Duets” on Sunday, February 16 at 4 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 50 Cherry Hill Road. Admission is free, though donations are accepted.

Lutenists Swenberg and Dušan Balarin will perform 17th- and 18th-century duets for the Baroque lute. While performances of Baroque lute duets are extremely rare, there is a significant repertoire from the early 17th century to the close of the 18th. The program begins and ends with duets from the center of the lute’s final flourishing—the court of Wilhelmine, Margrave of Bayreuth (Fredrick the Great’s sister). Works by Telemann and other composers are also on the program. more

Ruth McGowan
(photo by Hazel Coonagh)

In a new partnership with the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s national theater, the Abbey’s Ruth McGowan, literary and new work director, and Derbhle Crotty, well-known Irish actor and associate artist, will be in conversation around writing and performing in Ireland on February 7 at 4:30 p.m.

The event takes place at the James Stewart Film Theatre, 185 Nassau Street, and is part of the Fund for Irish Studies series at Princeton University. Moderator is Fund for Irish Studies Co-chair Jane Cox. Admission is free but tickets are required. Visit tickets.princeton.edu/online.

McGowan and Crotty will discuss writing and performing in Ireland and perhaps offer readings from some Irish plays. Founded as a national theater for Ireland in 1904 by W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory, the Abbey Theatre celebrates both the rich canon of Irish dramatic writing and the potential of future generations of Irish theater artists. In December, the Abbey’s Artistic Director and Co-director Caitríona McLaughlin and Head of Producing Jen Coppinger shared their points of view in the inaugural conversation that marked the start of a new partnership between Princeton’s Fund for Irish Studies and the Abbey. more

McCarter Theatre Center, in partnership with Princeton University’s Humanities Council and co-produced by Jill Newman Productions, presents two-time Grammy Award winner Meshell Ndegeocello in No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, a theatrical live rendition of her 2024 album, on Saturday, February 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Baldwin was a prolific writer of essays, novels, plays, and poetry; and an activist who spoke out about Black oppression. This year marks the centennial of Baldwin’s birth, which is celebrated by the release of one of multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter/producer Meshell Ndegeocello’s No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin. more

GUITAR VIRTUOSO: Raphael Feuillatre makes his Princeton University Concerts debut at Richardson Auditorium on February 5.

On Wednesday, February 5, Princeton University Concerts (PUC) will continue its Performances Up Close series and Live Music Meditation series with the PUC debut of award-winning 28-year-old Djibouti-French classical guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre.

PUC’s Performances Up Close programs invite the audience to sit alongside the musicians on the stage of Richardson Auditorium for an hour-long program, making for an intimate, informal, and schedule-friendly concert experience. At 6 and 9 p.m., Feuillâtre will perform a program grounded in translating works originally written for baroque instruments into music for the classical guitar. The repertoire includes works by Julián Arcas, J.S. Bach, François Couperin, Jacques Duphly, Augustín Barrios Mangoré, Astor Piazzola, Pancrace Royer, Miguel Llobet Solés, and Francisco Tarrega. more

Seven-time Grammy nominee Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott), known as a revolutionary force in jazz, will perform at McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, on Thursday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m.

A multi-instrumentalist in contemporary jazz, Adjuah has been redefining the genre since 2002. His performances blend jazz, soul, funk, and African traditions, continuously pushing the boundaries of the genre.

Adjuah, the grandson of the late Big Chief Donald Harrison Sr., and the nephew of jazz innovator and NEA jazz master saxophonist-composer Donald Harrison Jr., is part of a musical dynasty deeply rooted in New Orleans’ rich jazz heritage. His upbringing in a musical family has played a crucial role in shaping his unique artistic voice.  more

Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) continues its series of Soundtracks Talks at the Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, with “Amadeus and the Myth of Mozart” on Wednesday, February 5 at 7 p.m. in the library’s Community Room.

Chris Collier, executive director of the Princeton Garden Theatre, and Michael Pratt, conductor of the Princeton University Orchestra (PUO), will watch and discuss excerpts of the 1984 Academy Award-winning movie Amadeus. Their conversation anticipates the Garden Theatre’s showing of the restored theatrical cut of the film the following evening, Thursday, February 6 at 7 p.m.

Collier is the executive director of Renew Theaters, a nonprofit management company that operates four nonprofit, member-supported theaters in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He has worked at Renew since 2007, starting as a manager of his hometown Ambler Theater. Over his 17 years with Renew, the company has doubled in size, both in staff and number of theaters. Collier holds degrees in musicology from Dartmouth College and the University of Oxford, where he focused his research on film music and conducting.  more

“THE INFINITE INTERWEAVE”: This acrylic, digital print by Ben Jones is part of “Exploring, Expanding the Connections,” on view through February 22 at the Arts Council of Princeton.

The art of Ben Jones, on view in “Exploring, Expanding the Connections” at the Arts Council of Princeton through February 22, is a spiritual journey that continues the struggle for identity, freedom, justice. and love for the salvation of the human family. Jones reveals his sense of responsibility to his ancestral legacy by continuing the work against oppression, exploitation, and hegemony through the symbolic power of his work.  more

“ARTIFACTS OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA”: This artifact will be on display in an exhibition on view February 1 through April 30 at Mercer County Community College’s James Kearney Campus in Trenton. An opening reception is on Saturday, February 1 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Mercer County Community College (MCCC) Black History Month Committee, in conjunction with the TRIO Program and American Association for Women in Community Colleges Mercer Chapter, will present “Artifacts of African Diaspora” at the college’s James Kerney Campus, Trenton Hall, 137 North Broad Street, Trenton, February 1 through April 30. An opening reception is on Saturday, February 1 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The three-month long exhibit will illuminate the historical significance of the African diaspora in visual and musical arts. Visitors will find a variety of artifacts on display including musical instruments, sculptures, books, historical documents, and more that will provide an immersive education about the evolution of African American art and culture from slavery to modern times.  more

“Hunterdon County Images,” a collection of paintings by Carol Sanzalone, is on view in the dining room at Bell’s Tavern, 183 North Union Street, Lambertville, through February 28. Inspired by the interaction of texture and patterns created by the many colorful images in and around Lambertville and beyond, Sanzalone has been an exhibiting member of the Artists’ Gallery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, for 20 years. 

“NAUTICAL HARMONY”: This work by Richa Rashmi is featured in “Underwater Symphony,” an exhibit inspired by the underwater world, on view through March 15 at Princeton Public Library.

“Underwater Symphony,” an exhibit of paintings and drawings by artist Richa Rashmi, is on view at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Located in the Technology Center and the hallway on the library’s second floor, the works will be on view through March 15.

The exhibit reflects the intricate beauty of marine life, the mysteries of the deep, and the mesmerizing world beneath the ocean’s surface. It is intended to inspire a greater appreciation for the oceans and their inhabitants. more