Princeton Symphony Orchestra to Present Free Opera 101 Workshop at Westrick Music Academy

On Friday, May 8 at 4pm, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra will present Music That Tells a Story, a free event for anyone who has ever dreamed of being an opera star. The presentation will take place at Westrick Music Academy, 231 Clarksville Road, Suite 8.

Hosted by the Princeton Festival Guild, this workshop will give attendees the chance to experience singing in the operatic style. Princeton University voice professor Dr. Rochelle Ellis and soprano Emily Margevich, a Company Artist with OperaDelaware, will cover the difference between singing for Broadway and opera. Singers of all ages and ability levels are welcome to come to watch and participate.

Participants will be eligible to enter to win two free tickets to Puccini's Madama Butterfly, June 12 & 14 at the Princeton Festival, and an upcoming Westrick Music Academy Concert this season!

The Music That Tells a Story series, founded in 2015, became a PSO BRAVO! education program in 2025, and honors the legacy of long-time Princeton Festival supporter Takako Lento. Music That Tells a Story was created to expand audience appreciation of and interest in operas presented during the Princeton Symphony Orchestra's annual Princeton Festival by offering free public workshops, lectures, and similar events. Presentations ranged from “Opera 101” introductions to the genre to “Opera Bootcamp,” a five-hour immersion combining vocal instruction with in-depth opera discussions, plus back-stage tour and observation of a rehearsal. For more information: https://princetonsymphony.org/

In December 2025, the Park Lento Charitable Fund established the “Takako Lento Music That Tells a Story Fund” with a foundational gift of $200,000 to endow the program in perpetuity. Together with an additional major gift from Thomas V. Lento, this fund will generate ongoing operational funding for these activities and will allow the PSO to expand the scope of the program to explore other genres of music beyond Opera. The Lentos and PSO welcome contributions to the Fund. Call (609) 497-0020 for information.