Classics on the Rocks

A musical mix of old and new

Pianist Andy Luse ’02 founded a concert series, Classics on the Rocks, two years ago to attract young adults to classical music performances. Luse and his colleagues have been drawing in younger crowds by spicing up the traditional classical music experience. Presented cabaret-style in small venues like restaurant lounges and clubs in the Washington, D.C., area, the concerts mix jazz, pop, and other styles with classical compositions. The next performance will take Classics on the Rocks outdoors July 9 at Strathmore, an arts center in North Bethesda, Md. The concert will feature the Dvorak Piano Quintet and a flute-marimba combo with percussionist Paul Fadoul. For more information, visit www.classicsontherocks.com. By Katherine Federici Greenwood

More at PAW Online

PAW's Web Exclusives for the June 11 issue include:
Songs from Rackett, the rock band that features professors Nigel Smith and Paul Muldoon. Click here to listen and here to read an interview with Smith.
A profile of alumna Lauren (Holuba) Nelson ’04, who received the Shield of Sparta: Heroine of the Infantry, the highest honor given to a military spouse by the National Infantry Association. Click here to read more
The story of the Fred Almgren ’55 Memorial Relay, an annual competition in which mathematicians from Princeton and Rutgers run from Fine Hall to New Brunswick. Click here to read more
Gregg Lange ’70's Rally ’Round the Cannon column, covering an important transition in the history of Prospect Avenue. Click here to read more

Names in the news

Sports Illustrated featured Oregon State basketball coach Craig Robinson ’83 in a June 3 story that covered the challenges of his new job and life on the campaign trail with his sister, Michelle Obama ’85, and her famous husband. ... In other Obama news, Princeton astrophysics professor J. Richard Gott III *73 and a colleague have deduced, using statistical analysis of polls, that if the general election had been held in late May, the presumptive Democratic nominee would have lost to John McCain, while McCain would have lost to Hillary Clinton. ... The Sacramento Bee profiled minor league baseball star Will Venable ’05 and his father, Max, the hitting coach for Will's team, the Portland Beavers. ... An eye-popping final ride in the freestyle kayak event propelled Dustin Urban ’07 to a first-place finish at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail, Colo., June 7. Among the winning moves, according to the Vail Daily: an air wheel, 360-loops in both directions, and a McNasty followed by a monster loop.

Farewell for the summer

This edition of The Weekly Blog is the last of the academic year. The final print edition of PAW, featuring coverage of Reunions and Commencement, will be published July 16. The Weekly Blog will return Sept. 17.
Visit the PAW Web site for Reunions videos, slide shows, and breaking summer news.