Dryden Ensemble To Present 'Swan Songs' In Princeton Sunday

PRINCETON, NJ – The Dryden Ensemble will present “Swan Songs” on Sunday at 3 p.m.

The concert will be held at the Seminary Chapel, on the campus of the Princeton Theological Seminary, 64 Mercer Street.

The "Swan Song" concert celebrates nearly 29 years of creative programming by the ensemble’s artistic director, Jane McKinley. Designed as theatrical entertainment, the program is divided into two acts - French and English.

Actors Roberta Maxwell and Paul Hecht will offer dramatic readings from 17th-century letters and diaries by Élisabeth Charlotte (sister-in-law to Louis XIV), courtier Saint-Simon, Moliére, Samuel Pepys, John Evelyn, Mary Burwell, and others.

Soprano Julianne Baird will sing airs by Lully and Purcell, and a Baroque band of oboes, bassoon, strings, lute, and harpsichord will play music from John Dryden’s lifetime.

The Dryden Ensemble plans to continue performing small chamber music concerts, which they hope to present free to the public if they can raise sufficient funding.

Ticket prices are $25 for general admission, $40 for patrons, and free for students with an ID. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at https://drydenensemble.org.