Princeton Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Marc Uys Perform at March 20th Chamber Concert

Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) Executive Director Marc Uys returns to his musician roots at the PSO's Spring Chamber Concert Sunday, March 20 at 4:30 pm at the Institute for Advanced Study. Mr. Uys, harpist Bridget Kibbey, and soprano Mary Mackenzie will perform works by composer and former Princeton University professor Edward T. Cone, the Institute's Artist-in-Residence Sebastian Currier, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

Written nearly 50 years apart, Cone's Duo for Violin and Harp and Currier's Night Time are significant contributions to the repertoire, reflecting the influence of Béla Bartók's compositional symmetry and rhythmic manipulation upon their individual styles. Night Time was described by the Washington Post as "one of the best pieces of contemporary classical music to be played in Washington in a long time."

"It's exciting to perform these two chamber works by composers with such strong ties to Princeton, right here at the Institute," enthuses Mr. Uys.

Also on the program is Saint-Saëns' Violons dans le soir, based on the eponymous poem by Anna Elizabeth Mathieu, a particular favorite of Mr. Uys. "I'm thrilled to be able to perform this beautiful work tying into the poetry of our season with such friends and consummate musicians as Bridget Kibbey and Mary Mackenzie," says Uys.

Prior to joining the PSO, Marc Uys was Concertmaster of New York City-based Arcos Orchestra and Assistant Concertmaster of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra. He collaborated with harpist Jacqueline Kerrod in the duo "Clockwise," touring South Africa performing premieres of newly commissioned works by 10 South African composers. In 2007 he led performances of Philip Miller's Rewind - A Cantata for Voice, Tape and Testimony, including its world premiere in Cape Town and US premiere in New York. From 2002-2006, he was the first violinist of the Sontonga Quartet, working with composers including Kevin Volans, Terry Riley, and Osvaldo Golijov. He has performed extensively as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician at venues worldwide including the Victoria National Gallery in Melbourne, Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Barbican in London, and New York's Central Park and Lincoln Center.

Harpist Bridget Kibbey is a recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Classical Recording Foundation's Young Artist Award, a 2015 Salon de Virtuosi Grant, and the only harpist to win a position with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Chamber Music Society II, a winner of Concert Artist Guild's International Competition, Astral Artist Auditions, and Premiere Prix at the Journées de les Harpes Competition in Arles, France. She tours internationally as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and collaborator with some of today's most compelling artists including recent PSO guest soloist Dawn Upshaw, and Sebastian Currier, whose Broken Minuets she performed with the PSO in May 2010.

Soprano Mary Mackenzie has collaborated with Pierre Boulez, John Harbison, Richard Danielpour, and James Primosch. As a chamber musician she has appeared with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble, the Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston, The Juilliard School's AXIOM Ensemble, New Juilliard Ensemble, and the Metropolis Ensemble, among others. Notable solo appearances include Harbison's Closer to My Own Life with the Albany Symphony; Elliott Carter's Warble for Lilac Time with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall; Jean Barraqué's Chant Aprés Chant with the Juilliard Percussion Ensemble at Alice Tully Hall; and Boulez's Improvisations sur Mallarmé Nos. 1 & 2 for the composer's 85th birthday celebration at Columbia University's Miller Theatre.

Through a special, ongoing partnership with the Institute, these PSO Chamber Series concerts are free and open to the public on select Sundays at 4:30 pm via advanced, ticketed reservations at princetonsymphony.org, three weeks prior to the concert.

The Sunday, March 20 concert will also be performed at the Monroe Township Public Library on Monday, March 21 at 1 pm and for residents of the Stonebridge at Montgomery and Princeton Windrows adult communities.

Sunday, March 20, 4:30 pm
Wolfensohn Hall
Institute for Advanced Study

Einstein Drive, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
Free, with reserved ticketing (limit 2/household; children under 12 not admitted), order online at princetonsymphony.org or call (609) 497-0020.

Monday, March 21, at 1 pm
Sponsored by The Monroe Township Cultural Arts Commission
4 Municipal Plaza, Monroe Township, NJ 08831
Free and open to the public; www.monroetwplibrary.org or call (732) 521-5000.

Photo Credit: Steve J. Sherman

To post a comment, you must register and login.