Princeton U. Concerts Gets $20K Grant From National Endowment For The Arts

PRINCETON, NJ - Princeton University Concerts (PUC) has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $20,000.

PUC is one of 1,127 awardees nationwide totaling more than $31.8 million as part of the recent announcement of fiscal year 2025 grants.

This grant, the first in PUC’s history, will support PUC’s Healing with Music series. The project launched in 2022 invites audiences to hear from musicians who share their relationship to music during moments of upheaval in events that combine filmed interviews, live conversation, and live performance, shedding light on music’s profound impact.

The NEA funding will support the appearance of Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m., at Richardson Auditorium, for the conclusion of the 2024-25 Healing with Music Series.

He will join international correspondent Deborah Amos for “Finding Home in the Music of Iran,” a conversation permeated by live performance centered on Kalhor’s dedication to Iranian music through profound loss, anti-Muslim sentiment, and political unrest.

This event will be amplified by Kalhor’s performances as part of a free Live Music Meditation on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 12:30 p.m. and in concert with the DoosTrio at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including Princeton University Concerts’ Healing with Music series.”

For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

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