'Mazel Tov Cocktail Party!' to Take Place at Princeton Festival This Month

On Wednesday, June 21 at 7pm, the Princeton Festival will present Mazel Tov Cocktail Party!, a musical, genre-defying “good vibes explosion” was conceived by klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer and his creative partner, pianist Kathleen Tagg in response to the current climate of polarization. They invite everyone to come celebrate their shared humanity at an evening rooted in fast-paced party music, performed by a multi-generational group of collaborators from an array of backgrounds. Featuring a critically acclaimed and groundbreaking sound, Mazel Tov Cocktail Party! takes place in the tented performance pavilion on the grounds of beautiful Morven Museum and Garden.

Mazel Tov Cocktail Party! showcases an international crew of high-octane musicians. “Ebullient clarinet wizard” (Time Out NY) David Krakauer is a master clarinetist and Kathleen Tagg demonstrates her versatility on piano, keyboard, accordion, and cello. Rapper Sarah MK keeps trenchant rhymes in sync with Yoshie Fruchter on electric guitar and oud, Jerome Harris on bass, and Iranian dynamo Martin Shamoonpour on daf and jaw’s harp.

Mazel Tov Cocktail Party! is the brainchild of Grammy- and Juno-nominated soloist, band leader, and composer David Krakauer and South African pianist Kathleen Tagg. Krakauer is a key innovator in modern klezmer as well as a major voice in classical music. He frequently appears with the world’s finest orchestras including the Amsterdam Sinonietta, Orchestre de Lyon, Dresdener Philharmonie, A Far Cry and the Seattle Symphony. Krakauer’s discography includes The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac Blind (Nonesuch), The Twelve Tribes (Label Bleu), and Paul Moravec’s Pulitzer Prize-winning composition Tempest Fantasy (Naxos). His unique sound can be heard in Danny Elfman’s score for the Ang Lee film Taking Woodstock and throughout Sally Potter’s The Tango Lesson. Tagg has performed with an array of instrumentalists and singers in concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Symphony Space. She is becoming known for her distinctive sound and unique language at the piano, made up of techniques she has developed and experimented with to expand the piano into a full electro-acoustic orchestra.

Tickets for the June 21 Mazel Tov Cocktail Party! performance at the Princeton Festival on the grounds of Morven Museum & Garden range from $15 - $75; youths 5-17 receive a 50% discount with an adult purchase. For additional information or to order tickets, visit princetonsymphony.orgor call (609) 497-0020.

Health and Safety

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is closely monitoring and adhering to the New Jersey Department of Health’s COVID-19 Requirements. Attendees will receive information regarding safety procedures, entry, seating directions, etc. in advance of their selected live performance(s).

Accessibility

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is committed to ensuring all programming is accessible for everyone, working with venues such as Richardson Auditorium to provide needed services. Contact ADA Coordinator Kitanya Khateri for questions about available services at kkhateri@princetonsymphony.orgor 609-905-0973. Note: some services require at least two weeks’ notice to arrange.

About The Princeton Festival

The Princeton Festival is the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s flagship summer program showcasing the performing arts. Founded in 2004, the Princeton Festival quickly established a reputation for artistic excellence and innovative programming. Every year in June, thousands of people from the mid-Atlantic region and beyond come to the Festival to enjoy the quality and variety of its programs. Offerings include opera, musical theater, dance, orchestra and chamber music, and a constantly evolving selection of other genres, including jazz, world music, choral concerts, and country music. The Festival has long-standing partnerships with public libraries and local churches, and promotes life-long learning in the arts through free educational lectures presented to a wide and diverse community. 

About The Princeton Symphony Orchestra

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is a cultural centerpiece of the Princeton community and one of New Jersey’s finest music organizations, a position established through performances of beloved masterworks, innovative music by living composers, and an extensive network of educational programs offered to area students free of charge. Led by Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov, the PSO presents orchestral, pops, and chamber music programs of the highest artistic quality, supported by lectures and related events that supplement the concert experience. Its flagship summer program the Princeton Festival brings an array of performing arts and artists to Princeton during multiple weeks in June. Through PSO BRAVO!, the orchestra produces wide-reaching and impactful education programs in partnership with local schools and arts organizations that culminate in students attending a live orchestral performance. The PSO receives considerable support from the Princeton community and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, regularly garnering NJSCA’s highest honor. Recognition of engaging residencies and concerts has come from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the PSO’s commitment to new music has been acknowledged with an ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and a Copland Fund Award. The only independent, professional orchestra to make its home in Princeton, the PSO performs at historic Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University.

Find the PSO online at www.princeton symphony.org; on facebook at www.facebook.com/princetonsymphony; on Twitter at www.twitter.com/psomusic and on flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/princetonsymphony.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!