Rising Finnish Violinist To Make Princeton Debut April 30

PRINCETON, NJ — Rising Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto will make his Princeton debut with composer-pianist Nico Muhly on Sunday, April 30, 7:30 p.m., Princeton University Concerts announced.

The program at Richardson Auditorium at Alexander Hall combines the music of J.S. Bach with contemporary fare from Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt and others.

Muhly, the youngest composer to ever be commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera, will also present some of his own music in this program.

The program aims to facilitate conversations across centuries and styles through juxtapositions that make the time-worn classics sound fresh, and provide familiarity to more novel compositions.

Audience members will have the opportunity to converse with Kuusisto and Muhly as they sit on the stage of as part of the PUC125: Performances Up Close experience presented by Princeton University Concerts.

According to the Washington Post, when the duo comes together “Kuusisto and Muhly [bring] a sense of such intimacy and spontaneity…more concerts should feel this way.”

The program is the last in the PUC125: Performances Up Close 2016-17 series. General admission tickets are $25, while tickets for students are $10. Availability is limited, and tickets are available at princetonuniversityconcerts.org, or by calling the Frist Center Box Office at 609-258-9220.

Kuusisto will also visit the Princeton University campus on Thursday, April 27, 12:30 p.m., for a special Live Music Meditation, in collaboration with the Princeton University Office of Religious Life, in the Assembly Room of the Nassau Presbyterian Church.

This event is free and open to all. Community members will experience the violinist’s playing at an incredibly visceral level during a half-hour meditation guided by Associate Dean Matthew Weiner. An open discussion and light lunch will follow.

The attached image was provided by Princeton University Concerts