Princeton Symphony Orchestra

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The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is a professional orchestra based in Princeton, New Jersey. Since 2009, Rossen Milanov has been the music director. Most concerts are held at Richardson Auditorium, a 900-seat historic hall on the Princeton University campus.

The PSO began in 1980 as the Little Orchestra of New Jersey, founded by Portia Sonnenfeld. After Sonnenfeld’s death in 1986, Mark Laycock led the group for 22 years, helping it grow into a full professional symphony. In 2009, the PSO named Milanov its third music director. Today, the orchestra attracts audiences from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania and stages six Classical Series concerts, two PSO POPS! concerts, and four Chamber Series concerts each season, running September through May.

Classical Series offers classical masterworks and new music by living composers, and the PSO is noted for presenting notable modern premieres. Guest artists have included Violinists Leila Josefowicz, Jennifer Koh, and Lara St. John; cellist Joshua Roman; flutist Eugenia Zukerman; clarinetist David Krakauer; and pianist Anthony Hewitt. The PSO also collaborates with Westminster Choir College. PSO POPS! features a December holiday concert and Broadway-style shows with singers such as Barbara Cook, Norm Lewis, and Brent Barrett. Chamber Series concerts complement the Classical Series and take place at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and at local retirement communities.

The PSO’s mission is to build understanding and appreciation of classical music in the Princeton community. It offers many free events, including Chamber Series concerts and lectures with the Princeton Public Library, plus collaborations with the Princeton Adult School for related courses. BRAVO!, launched in 1995, brings PSO musicians to local schools to teach about orchestral instruments. BRAVO! now serves elementary and middle school students with music-arts projects and offers masterclasses for older students. Each spring, more than 2,000 elementary students attend the BRAVO! children’s concert, and about 10,000 students are reached annually.