Santino Fontana Joins Princeton Festival Line-Up

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) recently added Tony Award-winning actor and television star Santino Fontana to its artistic line-up for this year's Princeton Festival. Known for his star turns in Broadway productions of Tootsie and Cinderella, and on television in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Sisters, as well as the voice of Prince Hans in Disney's animated film Frozen, Mr. Fontana will take the stage on Saturday, June 22 for a cabaret-style appearance at the Festival. The intimate performance includes Broadway songs and favorite melodies accompanied by pianist, interspersed with personal anecdotes revealing the star's natural charm and good humor.

Santino Fontana received the Tony Award, two Drama Desks, an Outer Critics Circle, a Lortel, an Obie, and the Clarence Derwent Award for his work in both plays and musicals. Most recently seen on Broadway in his virtuosic Tony-winning turn as “Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels” in Tootsie.  The NY Times wrote, “Santino Fontana [is] one of the most promising actors to emerge in the New York theater.” New York Magazine heralded him as an “indispensable stage star.” He is widely known for lending his voice to the villainous ‘Prince Hans' in Disney's Academy Award winning animated feature, Frozen. On TV, Santino was seen on the Emmy winning “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” He starred on CW's comedy “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” as fan favorite, ‘Greg' and NBC's drama “Shades of Blue,” opposite Jennifer Lopez, simultaneously. A critically acclaimed narrator of dozens of audiobooks, he was the original voice of ‘Joe' in Caroline Kepnes's cult hit You and all its sequels. He received the Audie award for Stephen King's The Institute and was chosen to read Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. 

The Princeton Festival takes place June 7-22, 2024 with a state-of-the-art tented pavilion erected on the grounds of beautiful Morven Museum & Garden. Events range from an opening night concert featuring star soprano Angel Blue to a comic opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a tribute honoring Tina Turner, plus dance, a Juneteenth celebration with Black choral music, a Family Day with Latin American music, and genre-defying ensembles. Baroque and chamber concerts take place at nearby Trinity Church.

Complete Festival Listing:

Friday, June 7 – Opening weekend begins with Metropolitan Opera superstar soprano Angel Blue with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Blue comes fresh off a season of performances in major houses both at home and abroad, joining the PSO for a program of favorite arias.

Saturday, June 8 – The mainstage is devoted to The Music of Tina Turner, a tribute honoring the “Queen of Rock ‘n' Roll.” Three prominent artists including Broadway star and American Idol finalist LaKisha Jones, plus guest conductor Lucas Waldin and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra perform some of the trailblazing artist's mega hits including “What's Love Got To Do With It,” “Simply the Best,” “Proud Mary,” and “River Deep, Mountain High.”

Sunday, June 9 – Family Day – Offers child-centered activities culminating in a concert of Latin American family music featuring musical storytelling by Latin GRAMMY nominee Sonia De Los Santos. De Los Santos and her band invite audiences to enjoy a delightful collection of original songs sung in Spanish and English.

June 14, 16, & 18 – The centerpiece of this year's Festival is a fresh production of Mozart's comedic opera Così fan tutte sung in the original Italian with English subtitles. The opera will be directed by James Marvel, with scenic design by Blair Mielnik and costumes by Marie Miller. This is the creative team hailed for last year's rollicking version of Rossini's The Barber of Seville. Performing the roles of the lovers are Aubry Ballarò as Fiordiligi, Alexis Peart as Dorabella, David Walton as Ferrando, and Benjamin Taylor as Guglielmo, with Calvin Griffin as the freewheeling Don Alfonso and Zulimar López-Hernández as the crafty maid Despina. Rossen Milanov will conduct all three performances.

Thursday, June 13 – Across the way at Trinity Church, Festival attendees can take in the award-winning sound of the Abeo Quartet. In its debut Princeton Festival performance, the quartet presents works by Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Esmail.

Saturday, June 15 – Dance and orchestral worlds combine in Interwoven: American Repertory Ballet + PSO Strings, a program of dance works performed by ARB dancers with string ensemble conducted by Rossen Milanov. The evening features choreography by Arthur Mitchell and Meredith Rainey, with music by Glass, Grieg, Scripp, and Sibelius.

Wednesday, June 19 - Juneteenth – Concert Honoring Black Choral Music led by choral conductor Vinroy D. Brown, Jr. of Westminster Choir College, features a choir drawn from the community and anchored by the Capital Singers of Trenton. The program will feature Robert Ray's iconic Gospel Mass with additional choral selections highlighting the joy and spirit of Black music.

Thursday, June 20 – The Sebastians: Brandenburgs and More will take place at Trinity Church. The acclaimed Baroque ensemble The Sebastians returns for its third Princeton Festival appearance with an exciting program featuring three of J.S. Bach's beloved “Brandenburg” concerti along with classic works by Telemann and Vivaldi.

Friday, June 21 – Genre-bending, Juilliard-trained trio Empire Wild takes over the pavilion stage with a captivating program featuring two cellos and piano, with vocals. The group brings its signature mix of original music, inventive covers, and twists on the classical canon.

Saturday, June 22 – Anchoring the Festival is An Evening with Santino Fontana. Broadway star Fontana (Tootsie, Cinderella, Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Importance of Being Ernest), comes to the Princeton Festival with an intimate, cabaret-style solo concert featuring Broadway tunes, favorite songs, and charming banter.

Don't Miss a New Jersey News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...