Gustavo Dudamel is PUC's first Artist-in-Residence

At the heart of Princeton University Concerts’ 125th Anniversary Season has been a series of concerts and events centered around PUC’s first Artist-in-Residence, conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Dudamel, currently the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, visited the Princeton campus three times throughout the 2018-19 season in his first extended University residency: in December, January, and April. 

Four themes –Art & Social Change, Art & Faith, Art & Nature, and Art, Society, & Politics – were discussed in depth following each concert by prominent thinkers from a range of disciplines, with Maestro Dudamel as host. In addition to the curated concerts, Maestro Dudamel conducted the Princeton University Orchestra and Glee Club during his April visit. 

In keeping with Dudamel’s vision of bringing classical music beyond the concert hall, the three trips to Princeton also included campus-wide interdisciplinary collaborations, incorporating collaborations with the University’s Department of Music, Center for Human Values, Program in Latin American Studies, Humanities Council, Lewis Center for the Arts, and the Woodrow Wilson School’s Center for Arts and Cultural Policy. Over a dozen events, many of which were free, were dedicated to music’s capacity to bring people together and serve as a platform for world change. 

The impact of the residency will extend well beyond the April 2019 visit as the Gustavo Dudamel Foundation will continue the relationship with Princeton University Concerts and the Trenton community. 

To support these activities a portion of every full-price ticket to the concert on April 26, 2019 will be used to establish a new program that will both invite Trenton students to experience our concerts on campus and will send PUC guest artists to visit students across Trenton. It will also support the Trenton Youth Orchestra—a string ensemble composed of Trenton students who receive free coaching and private instruction by accomplished Princeton University student musicians.

Beginning next season, select musicians on our series will visit Trenton Public Schools in multifaceted visits including:

•  performances in classrooms

•  guest appearances with school orchestras

•  participation in ensemble rehearsals

These initiatives will ensure an enduring impact on the Princeton University campus and in the surrounding region; supporting a commitment to music as a force for uniting communities, empowering young people, and promoting positive social change.

The Gustavo Dudamel Foundation has offered to make a substantial gift to support these programs.