<p>I got this yesterday. Now I feel like there's a whole lot of pressure to audition for th Orchestra, and I wasn't sure I wanted that stress and time commitment. He's even calling my house!</p>
<p>Please accept my warmest congratulations on being accepted to Princeton. As Im sure you know, you are in a most select group of individuals, and deservedly so.</p>
<p>As you may also know, I reviewed your tape, CD (or for a few of you, live audition), and I was most happy to write a recommendation on your behalf to Dean Rapelye. Your accomplishments as a performer are important to Princeton. I think its fair to say that at no other liberal arts university are your gifts as a musician as highly valued as they are at Princeton. It is important to the University and the Department of Music that you have every opportunity to grow as a performer while you pursue the finest general education available anywhere. </p>
<p>The coming years will see even greater growth in all the creative and performing arts at Princeton. President Tilghman has committed the University to a major initiative in the arts, and Peter Lewis55 has started that initiative in a big way with an unprecedented gift of $101,000,000. This is an exciting to be a musician (or actor, dancer, visual artist, writer, etc.) at Princeton.</p>
<p>There are, of course, many factors to consider when choosing where to spend the next four years. But here are a few facts to consider when evaluating your possible musical choices:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Only Princeton has a Certificate Program in Music Performance. If accepted into it, you have accessibility to Master Classes with celebrated performers (such as Lang Lang) , your private lessons with our great teachers are on us, youre pre-approved for a high profile solo recital, and you get financial support for summer studies. You do NOT have to be a music major-- Program students come from all over the University. Its purpose is to give your performance studies a boost, no matter what your ultimate goals are. Program graduates have found their way over the last few years to graduate music programs at Juilliard, New England Conservatory, Eastman, Michigan, and Londons Royal College and Royal Academy of Music. They have also found their way to the finest law, medical and other professional schools. Its all possible.</p></li>
<li><p>The Princeton University Orchestra is as fine a university ensemble as can be found. It plays the most challenging and thrilling repertory, plays it often, and plays it internationally. We recently visited Central Europe, with highlight concerts in Prague (at the Rudolfinum, home of the Czech Philharmonic) and in Vienna (at Schönbrun Palace, where Mozart performed). We tour about every other year. </p></li>
<li><p>Princeton has an Ensemble-in-Residence program, currently being filled by the Brentano Quartet, a Naumberg Award-winning group. The Music Department runs an extensive chamber music program, taught by the Brentano and other members of our performance faculty, which is available for academic credit. There are many other courses at Princeton that also have significant performance components, from music theory and music history to contemporary music. And if computer music interests you, Princeton has long set the international standard for this exploding area of study. Princetons composition and music history faculty are, simply, the best. Please visit the Music Departments website (<a href="http://www.music.princeton.edu%5B/url%5D">www.music.princeton.edu</a>) for more information on our academic programs.</p></li>
<li><p>Princetons performance faculty comes from the richest area of professional musical talent in the world, New York, and are associated with NYCs top performing organizations: the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, Orpheus Ensemble, etc. And the train from New York runs both ways, meaning that youre only a little over than an hour from all thats there. (Of course if you live in the NYC area, you know all this already!)</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I invite you to peruse the Orchestras website (<a href="http://www.puorchestra.org)%5B/url%5D">www.puorchestra.org)</a>. On it you will find some history, programs going back many years, soundfiles (under 'media'), pictures, and a little taste of the life of a musician at Princeton. If you are planning to attend the upcoming Hosting Weekend, please let me know, and I can arrange to meet with you. Those of you whom I dont see then I will try to call at home to answer any questions you have about music-making at Princeton.</p>
<p>Again, warmest congratulations and best wishes.</p>
<p>Michael Pratt</p>
<p>Director, Program in Musical Performance
Conductor, Princeton University Orchestra</p>