Accordion virtuoso Julien Labro is set to make his Princeton University Concerts (PUC) debut on Thursday, April 14—as is the accordion.
The last offering of this season’s PUC125: Performances Up Close series, the two one-hour-long concerts that he will present at 6 p.m. and9 p.m. will present a unique opportunity to discover the rich repertoire of the accordion, and its relatives the accordina and bandoneón, for the very first time in the history of PUC.
With listeners seated in-the-round on the stage of Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall for a program entitled “The Big Squeeze,” Labro will introduce the instruments and his program directly to the audience: music by Bernhard Molique, Astor Piazzolla, Isaac Albéniz, Gabriel Fauré, Fernando Otero and the performer himself at 6 p.m.; jazz works at 9 p.m. Accompanied by pianist Gregg Kallor at both programs, Labro will also be joined by bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Richie Barshay for the 9 p.m. jazz concert. Ticket prices for this series are $25 for adults and $10 for students. Buy both concerts and save 20 percent.
In between the two concerts, PUC is launching Encore, a new collaboration with the Princeton University Art Museum. At 7:30 p.m., the museum will salute the concerts’ South American repertoire with a special, hour-long tour of its Art of the Ancient Americas galleries. Free and open to all, Encore presents the chance to extend the Performance Up Close to a “culture up close,” whether as a coda after the 6 p.m. concert, a prelude to the 9 p.m. concert, or an interlude for those attending both events. Refreshments will be served.
