New Works Commissioned by
Princeton University Concerts
Princeton University Concerts is committed to commissioning new works by contemporary composers, writers, filmmakers, and interdisciplinary artists. The list below represents past commissions (since 2012) as well as works-in-progress:
Music
Demons by Frederic Rzewski (2018)
COMMISSIONED as part of the music accord consortium
Premiered by the Benjamin Beilman, Violin and Roman Rabinowich, Piano | March 16, 2022
Strange Folk by Donnacha Dennehy (2018)
COMMISSIONED ON OUR 125TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON FOR THE GUSTAVO DUDAMEL RESIDENCY
Premiered by Quartet 212 with Emily D’Angelo, Soprano | December 2, 2018
All Roads by Anthony Cheung (2018)
co-commissioned FOR THE ESCHER STRING QUARTET AND GILLES VONSATTEL, PIANO
You by Libby Larsen (2018)
co-commissioned FOR THE CANTUS VOCAL ENSEMBLE
Lost Songs by Juri Seo (2019)
COMMISSIONED ON OUR 125TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON FOR THE GUSTAVO DUDAMEL RESIDENCY
Premiered by Musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic | January 7, 2019
Measuring by Steven Mackey (2019)
COMMISSIONED ON OUR 125TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON FOR THE GUSTAVO DUDAMEL RESIDENCY
Premiered by Musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic | April 23, 2019
Sergeant McCauley for String Quartet and Wind Quintet by Jessie Montgomery (2019)
co-COMMISSIONED FOR THE CATALYST QUARTET AND IMANI WINDS
Breathing Statues by Anna Clyne (2020)
COMMISSIONED as part of the music accord consortium
Premiered by the Calidore String Quartet | February 20, 2020
Circles by Bryce Dessner (2021)
COMMISSIONED as part of the music accord consortium
Premiered by the Takács String Quartet with Julien Labor, Accordion | February 17, 2022
Piano Quintet No. 2 by Mark Neikrug (2021)
CO-COMMISSIONED FOR THE DOVER STRING QUARTET AND PIANIST HAOCHEN ZHENG
Standing Witness by Richard Danielpour with text by Rita Dove (2021)
CO-COMMISSIONED FOR MUSIC FROM COPLAND HOUSE
Drink the Wild Ayre by Sarah Kirkland Snider (2022)
co-COMMISSIONED FOR THE EMERSON STRING QUARTET’S FAREWELL TOUR
Premiered by the Emerson String Quartet | April 27, 2023
Glowing Embers by Cécile McLorin Salvant (2023)
co-COMMISSIONED BY Princeton University Concerts, THE Princeton University Library , AND the McCarter Theatre Center INSPIRED BY THE TONI MORRISON ARCHIVES
Premiered by Vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant and Pianist Sullivan Fortner | April 12, 2023
Companion Piece for Brahms’ Zwei Gesänge for mezzo, viola and piano, Op. 91 by Joel Thompson (In Progress)
COMMISSIONED as part of the music accord consortium for mezzo-soprano jamie barton, violist matthew lipman, and pianist tamara sanakidze
Work for String Quartet by Billy Childs (In Progress)
COMMISSIONED as part of the music accord consortium for THE ISIDORE STRING QUARTET
Work for Piano Trio by Andrew Norman (In Progress)
COMMISSIONED as part of the music accord consortium for THE JUNCTION TRIO
Interdisciplinary
Choreography by Mark Morris to Songs by Johannes Brahms & Hector Berlioz (2012)
commissioned for a recital with countertenor david daniels, pianist martin katz, and dancers from the mark morris dance group
Premiered May 3, 2012
Original choreography by Mark Morris to songs by Johannes Brahms: Auf dem See, Op. 59, No. 2; Standchen, Op. 106, No. 1; Nicht mehr zu dir zu gehen, Op. 32, No. 2; Mein Madel hat einen Rosenmund Heimweh II, Op. 63, No. 8 and selections from Hector Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été: Villanelle; Le Spectre de la rose; L’Ile inconnue
Poems by C.K Williams for a Recital with Pianist Richard Goode (2014)
commissioned for a recital BY PIANIST RICHARD GOODE INTERSPERSED WITH POETRY BY C.K. WILLIAMS IN RESPONSE TO THE MUSIC PERFORMED
Premiered March 9, 2014
Stage Sculptures by Marsha Levin-Rojer (2015)
Displayed hanging over the stage as part of the 2015-16 Performances Up Close series.
Gil Shaham: Bach Six Solos with Original Films by David Michalek (2016)
co-commissioned
Projections for the 2016-17 Performances Up Close Season by Experiential Designer and Adobe Creative Resident Craig Winslow (2016)
Multimedia transformations of the stage, tailored for each program on the 2016-17 Performances Up Close series by Artist-in-Residence Craig Winslow.
Interwoven Stories of Healing with Music project with textile artist Diana Weymar (2023-24)
Guided by textile artist Diana Weymar, Princeton University Class of 1991, music lovers across the U.S. and Canada embroidered their response to the question “What does Healing with Music mean to you?” as an extension of the Princeton University Concerts (PUC) Healing with Music series. In addition to this community art project, PUC commissioned pieces stitched by Weymar which capture quotes from PUC audience members, PUC artist insights, and other key voices in the arts that speak to music’s impact in our lives.
Film
Sing For Today with Joyce DiDonato (2020)
CO-COMMISSIONED BY UMS (University of Michigan)
In a series of short videos, GRAMMY Award-winning opera star Joyce DiDonato responds to current events and global concerns through the lens of song and conversation, calling on great songs to permeate profound events of the present day.
Unmasking the Arts with Helga Davis (2021)
CONVERSATION SERIES ON THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE ARTS
The multidisciplinary artist and incomparable WNYC host Helga Davis converses with arts industry leaders who have confronted and adapted to the challenges posed by COVID-19, focusing on the resiliency and hope inherent within the performing arts, and the impact this time will have on the role of the arts in our society in future. Participants include clarinetist Anthony McGill, violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, pianist Wu Han, opera director Yuval Sharon, New York Times arts critic Jason Farago, former Washington Post music critic Anne Midgette, New York Review of Books editor Maya Chung, and musician Rhiannon Giddens.
Healing with Music Video Series (2022 – Present)
reflecting on music’s impact
Humans have been using sounds as a way to exist and endure since the start of time. The artists on our Healing with Music Series share their stories of facing illness and personal upheaval to shed light on music’s profound impact. Produced by There We Go Films.
Writing
“Going Spatial” by Laurie Anderson
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Music as a Family Affair” by Ruth Bader Ginsburg & James Ginsburg
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“On Chopin’s Ballade No. 2, Op. 38” by Jamie Barton
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Loud Dreaming: Of Mothers and Sisters and Lessons in Listening” by Daphne A. Brooks
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Celebrating 125 Years” by Scott Burnham
commissioned for THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY SERIES
“History of Structuring a Discourse on Color” by Carlos Cruz-Diez
COMMISSIONED ON OUR 125TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON FOR THE GUSTAVO DUDAMEL RESIDENCY
“Work Song” by Jeff Dolven
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Fidelio’s Echo” by Gustavo Dudamel
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“A Winter Drive” by Edward Dusinberre
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa” by Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Spaces for Music” by Frank Gehry
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Art and Faith” by Wendy Heller
COMMISSIONED ON OUR 125TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON FOR THE GUSTAVO DUDAMEL RESIDENCY
“Ghazal for the End of Time” by Jane Hirshfield
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“The Joy inside Sorrow” by Pico Iyer
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Art is Indivisible” by Alexander Kluge
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“A Long Song Log: Ten Entries on Seriality, to the Accompaniment of Charles Mingus’ Black Saint” by Nathaniel Mackey
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Jessye Norman Sings Die Nachtigall by Alban Berg” by Alicia Hall Moran & Jason Moran
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Here and Now, Above and Beyond: Music, Society, and Politics” by Simon Morrison
COMMISSIONED ON OUR 125TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON FOR THE GUSTAVO DUDAMEL RESIDENCY
“Edward Elgar, Cello Concerto in E Minor, 1919” by Paul Muldoon
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Interval/Notation” by Maureen N. McLane
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Holy Song of Thanks” by Elaine Pagels
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Adagio” by Robert Pinsky
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“One, Two, Three…Infinity” by Richard Powers
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“See the Music” by Brian Seibert
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“On Beethoven’s String Quartet in B-Flat, Op. 130, with the Grosse Fuge” by Arnold Steinhardt
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“leyelP” by Susan Stewart
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“On the Art of Change” by Darren Walker
COMMISSIONED ON OUR 125TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON FOR THE GUSTAVO DUDAMEL RESIDENCY
“Wusuli Boat Song” / “Water is Wide”: History of a Cross-Cultural Duet” by Abigail Washburn & Wu Fei
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“A Change Is Gonna Come” by Carrie Mae Weems
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Your Brother Called” by Susan Wheeler
commissioned for “Ways of Hearing: reflections on music in 26 pieces”
An anthology, conceived in celebration of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th anniversary season, in which notable musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, poets, and more explore the influence of music on their lives and work.
“Beethoven Invents the Species Again” by C. K. Williams
commissioned for a recital BY PIANIST RICHARD GOODE INTERSPERSED WITH POETRY BY C.K. WILLIAMS IN RESPONSE TO THE MUSIC PERFORMED
Premiered March 9, 2014
