Princeton University Concerts was founded in the nineteenth century when Johannes Brahms was still alive and Igor Stravinsky was just a teenager. On October 29, 1894, the renowned Kneisel Quartet of Boston gave a concert at the Princeton Inn under the auspices of “The Ladies’ Musical Committee” founded by Philena Fobes Fine, whose personal enthusiasm and generosity persuaded the entire community to support public concerts in Princeton.
The Kneisel Quartet returned to Princeton annually until it disbanded in 1917, performing some seventy-eight concerts in all. During the first decade, it was the only ensemble invited to perform, though after 1904, the Committee also hosted other chamber ensembles, and the orchestras of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, and the New York Philharmonic-Symphony. Although orchestral concerts were held at Alexander Hall, chamber music events took place in a number of different venues: the old Princeton Inn (later Miss Fine’s School), the Old Chapel (destroyed by fire in 1920), McCosh Hall, and even the Trophy Room in Dillon Gymnasium. In 1986, Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall became the permanent home of Princeton University Concerts, a tradition continuing to this day.
By 1924, Mrs. Fine and her associates had established a fund to ensure the future of the series. In 1929, the Ladies’ Committee affiliated with Princeton University and reorganized as “The Princeton University Concerts Committee.” (It was at this time that men first joined the Committee.)
Several generations of members — drawn from both town and gown — have since provided the leadership that has enabled the series to flourish for one-hundred-fourteen years, making it one of the oldest continuous series of eminent musical events in the United States. The roster of artists and ensembles is a long and distinguished one, including virtually every important Classical musical artist of the past century.
The 2007-2008 Princeton University Concerts Committee: Alice Weiss Miller, chair; John H. Burkhalter III, Scott Burnham, Ann Halliday, Scott R. Hoerl, Hugh Lavery, Elizabeth C. Powers, Millard M. Riggs, Jr., Helen Schwartz, Anne Seltzer, Michael Stone, Scott McVay.
Nathan A. Randall, Artistic Director, was appointed in April, 1988. He holds degress in musicology from Tufts, Smith College, and Princeton University, bringing broad musical knowledge to bear on innovative programing including such recent projects as Britannia’s Invitation featuring works of George Frideric Handel and readings from Handel’s contemporaries. He organized and researched Music on Mercer Street, a special concert of music relating to Albert Einstein given by The Richardson Chamber Players in October, 2005, at Wolfensohn Hall, Institute for Advanced Study, in conjunction with the Princeton Historical Society. Nathan Randall is program annotator for Princeton University Concerts.