The Princeton Festival has recently emerged as a satisfying summer destination for opera lovers in the broader New York area. It presents one major opera annually and also a concert of operatic highlights with a vocal superstar. A violent thunderstorm delayed but could not block the show.
The Chicago-born soprano, Sondra Radvanovsky, is nearing the end of distinguished career as one of the world’s top spinto sopranos. Her strengths lie in dramatic bel canto operas such as Bellini’s Norma, and middle-period Verdi heroines, notably Leonore in Il Trovatore. Several years ago at the Met, her account of the punishing role of Media in Luigi Cherubini’s eponymous opera was a season highlight.
As time has deepened and darkened her voice, Radvanovsky has turned more to Puccini. A recent recording of Turandot with Jonas Kaufmann, Antonio Pappano and London forces has been well received. The Princeton concert included a challenging selection of arias and duets by Verdi, Puccini, and the verismo composer Umberto Giordano.
The vocal qualities that make Radvanovsky a star were on full display. In the relatively intimate tent-like setting of the Princeton Festival, the visceral size and power of a great dramatic voice in full flight astonished even experienced opera-goers around me. One simply cannot appreciate this quality in the cavernous confines of the Met or carefully equalized sound of a broadcast or recording.
In high registers Radvanovsky’s voice blooms, imparting a bold Italianate passion to this repertoire. She also possesses a genuine chest timbre in lower ones, once expected of anyone singing these arias but a welcome rarity today. To be sure, these virtues come with some tension in the voice and a metallic glare at forte—though the Princeton Festival’s uneven electronic enhancement may have played some role in the latter.
Radvanovsky proved a technically-secure, thoughtful and expressive musician. She excelled in “Pace, Pace, Mio Dio” (from Verdi’s La forza del destino),which calls for many modes of expression—including wonderful passages at piano. Even better was “La mamma morta” (from Giordano’s Andrea Chenier), which rewards a singer with a rich, expressive middle register, where Radvanovsky’s voice is at its most supple and flexible, even if less sweet or refined.
Radvanovsky was joined by rising young American tenor Victor Starsky, who proved to be a major surprise. A child star, rock musician, and church musician at various points in the past and now apparently in his mid-30s, he is being hired for leading roles in top US regional companies.
Starsky commands a large and healthy voice with a naturally dark timbre, as well as ringing high notes. His solid technique (some slightly pressed low notes aside) allowed him to execute with seeming ease Verdi’s “Celeste Aida”—an aria that makes even the greatest tenors sound uncomfortable. A youthful stage presence adds to the package. If he wants it, a major career would be his for the taking.
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra performed well under its music director, Rossen Milanov, who has a natural feel for this repertoire. Yet inevitably such one-off concerts are often under-rehearsed, a quality in this case exacerbated by the singers often not being able to see and follow Milanov, who stood behind them. Even an experienced and talented maestro was thus reduced at times to keeping time and redressing small slips. Milanov did so well, but many nuances went missing, especially in the more intricate duets, such as “Teco io sto” from Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera.
Overall, the Princeton Festival deserves kudos for a triumphant evening that transmitted the essence of Italian signing to an enthusiastic audience. Opera lovers might consider catching Starsky’s Pinkerton at the Princeton Festival’s Madama Butterfly on June 6 and 8.
Andrew Moravcsik
The Princeton Festival
Morven Museum and Gardens, Princeton, NJ – 6 June 2026
“Selections from Verdi, Mascagni, Puccini, Leoncavallo, and Giordano”
Sondra Radvanovsky, Soprano; Victor Starsky, Tenor. The Princeton Symphony Orchestra. Rossen Milanov, conductor.
All photos courtesy of Princeton Symphony Orchestra staff