April Talk: Eighteenth-Century Music in Dublin

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The Princeton Branch of the 
English-Speaking Union Presents 

Eighteenth-Century Music in Dublin with the Practitioners of Musick

The musical riches of 18th-century Dublin will be surveyed in a concert with commentary entitled "Beyond the Fanlight – Music in Georgian Dublin."  The event is hosted by the English-Speaking Union, Princeton Branch, and will be held on April 27, 2025, at 3:00 pm, at the Center for Modern Aging, 101 Poor Farm Road, Princeton, NJ.  The performers for this entertainment, sponsored by the Princeton Branch of the English-Speaking-Union, are the Practitioners of Musick, John Burkhalter, playing English and small flutes, and Sheldon Eldridge, harpsichordist

Concert-going in Dublin in the 18th century was very much part of the social life in the Irish capital. And, despite its location on the periphery of Europe, Dublin boasted a surprisingly active musical life in the 18th century. The Irish capital attracted a number of renowned musicians, including Geminiani, Arne, and Handel. An illustrated overview of Dublin by John Burkhalter will complement the musical performance. 

John Burkhalter, lecturer & recorder, studied early music at the New England Conservatory with Daniel Pinkham and Baroque performance with Frans Bruggen at Harvard University. He has lectured for the Princeton Festival, American Handel Society, Yale Center for British Art, and the Horniman Museum (Dolmetsch Collection) in London, among many other museums and learned societies. Mr. Burkhalter performs with The Practitioners of Musick, Brandywine Baroque, Early Music Princeton (University) , the ensemble Les Agrements de musique, and Riverview Early Music. He regularly performs in various English Country Dance Bands in association, most notably, with the Germantown Colonial Assembly of Philadelphia and New York City's 92nd Street Y. 

Sheldon Eldrifge, harpsichordist, is a graduate of Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he majored in organ. Graduate study included organ performance with William Hays and choral conducting with Joseph Flummerfelt. He also coached with Eugene Roan (organ).Summer studies at Merton College, Oxford, involved courses in Renaissance music with Gustav Reese, Denis Stevens and Alec Robertson. Sheldon has held church music positions in a number of Episcopal churches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York State. He is currently organist and choirmaster of Saint Mary's-in-Tuxedo, Tuxedo Park, New York. Sheldon has served on the board of the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He is a member of the Saint Wilfrid Club of New York City. He maintains a private piano teaching practice in the Princeton area and has performed with the Practitioners of Musick

The Practitioners of Musick was founded to survey the musical riches of 17th and 18th century Great Britain and Ireland and the Colonial and Federal periods in America. 

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March Talk: The Highland Clearances

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The years of 1750-1850 saw major economic and demographic changes to Scotland, following the disastrous Battle of Culloden, 1746, which resulted in the destruction of the ancient Clan system in the Highlands.  The Scottish nobility came to the fore and wanted resources to support a rich lifestyle. Traditional feudal farming, based on cattle and subsistence agriculture, was eliminated and many Highland villages were destroyed in order to make room for the lucrative business of raising sheep. Many poor folks moved to the coast or emigrated to the New World by ship. The Lowlands of southern Scotland were also depopulated to supply the labor for the industrial revolution in, for example, Glasgow. This talk will discuss the impact of these changes on the people and the land, which still haunt Scotland.

Our presenter, Dr Peter M. Smith is Scottish born and educated although he has lived in the USA for over 40 years, working in the Pharma industry as a project manager. He is married with two grown children and lives in Princeton. He has a strong love for his native Scottish landscape which he knows well.

The talk will be held at the Center for Modern Aging – Princeton, 101 Poor Farm Road, Princeton, NJ. on Sunday, March 23rd at 3:00 pm.  Refreshments will follow.

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November Talk

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The English-Speaking Union, Princeton Branch Presents a Talk on November 17th about:

The Wide-Open Wild West Indies: Pirates, Sugar, and Slaves in the British Virgin Islands

The settling of America's "Wild" West is tame when compared to the tumultuous history of the 16th- through 18th- century Caribbean. From Anegada to Little Tobago, life in the roughly two dozen British Virgin Islands was complicated by overlapping land claims; piracy, and lawlessness. Join Bart Jackson as he spins tales, and tries to make some sense out of this amazing corner of history.

Entrepreneur, writer and popular public speaker, Bart Jackson has published a dozen books ranging from The Art of the CEO and Behind Every Successful Woman is Herself, to The Garden State Wineries Guide.  Bart has made a journalistic career of roaming the far corners of the world in search of fascinating people and places in order to share their stories. He and his wife, Lorraine, reside in Cranbury, NJ. 

The talk will be held at the Center for Modern Aging - Princeton, 101 Poor Farm Road, Princeton NJ, on Sunday, November 17th at 3:00 p.m.  Admission is free, and refreshments will be served following the talk. 

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Fall Presentation with Professor Rhodri Lewis

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Professor Rhodri Lewis of Princeton University will explore how Hamlet reflects the times in which Shakespeare wrote, an era of political intrigue and treachery. After spending 23 years at the University of Oxford as a student, faculty member, and ultimately full professor, Dr. Lewis joined the English Department of Princeton University in 2018.  

Please join us on Sunday, October 6, 2024, at 3:00 pm. All talks are at the Center for Modern Aging, 101 Poor Farm Road, Princeton, NJ 08540.  Refreshments will be served following the talk.

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Fall Presentation with TLAB Scholar Shawn Adler

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The Princeton Branch of the English-Speaking Union is pleased to announce its first meeting of the Fall on September 15, 2024.

Time: 3:00 p.m.

Location: The Center for Modern Aging, 101 Poor Farm Road, Princeton, NJ

Shawn Adler, our TLAB [Teachers Learning Abroad] Scholarship Winner for 2024, will kick off our year of lectures on Sunday, September 15 at 3:00 pm. Sean teaches English and AP Psychology at Newark's Science Park High School. He will tell us about his experiences and observations this past summer. He has recently edited We Were Strangers Once Too – the memoirs of children who are navigating the aspects of life as an immigrant in America.

We meet at the Center for Modern Aging, 101 Poor Farm Road, Princeton. Refreshments will be served following the talk. The public is welcome to attend.

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