To celebrate 100 years, the Walter M. Naumburg Foundation is hosting a Centennial Gala Concert on Sunday, May 17th, 2026, at 3 PM in the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center
At the event, composer Steven Mackey’s new work “The Frog Prince or Iron Henry” will be premiered by the Brentano Quartet and Lucy Shelton. The work was commissioned to honor Naumburg’s longtime Executive Director, Lucy Rowan Mann, and will be streamed on The Violin Channel at a later date
Mackey has written for The Naumburg Foundation previously, including “Ratcatcher,” performed in this video by saxophonist Valentin Kovalev and pianist Amy Yang
To learn more, click the link in our bio!
@naumburgfoundation@steven_mackey
Continue the celebration of Steve Mackey’s (@steven_mackey ) 41 extraordinary years at @princeton with a special performance of The Ancestors featuring the acclaimed @aeolusquartet . 🎸🎻
Premiered at Wigmore Hall in London, The Ancestors brings together electric guitar and string quartet in a powerful exploration of memory, family, and musical lineage. The program also includes Mackey’s Physical Property and One Red Rose. ✨
📍 Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
📅Saturday, May 16 at 3 PM
Limited tickets remain available via RSVP. Learn more at the #linkinbio. 🎟️
📸: David Kelly Crow
A recent interview in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the Naumburg Foundation celebration Sunday 5/17 at Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln center.
What an unforgettable weekend performing Memoir with these fantastic collaborators in the beautiful Berlind Theater presented by @mccartertheatre and @musicprincetonu … let’s do it again!
A little preview with orchestral mockup of movement 2 of @steven_mackey ’s guitar concerto, Aluminum Flowers, which I’ll be performing with @utahsymphony under the direction of @conductordavidrobertson May 1 and 2. Soundcheck at Abravanel Hall was today, and rehearsals with the orchestra start tomorrow! 🎼🫣
People keep asking, so I’ll mention it again: there will not be official video of this. Unlike a rock show, the restrictions around an entire orchestra of musicians are much tighter.
But if you can’t be there in person, there is going to be an audio recording that will be released as part of a new Steve Mackey album, also featuring his new saxophone concerto performed by @timothymcallistersax (check him out—he’s phenomenal). I’ll definitely be posting about that and where to hear it when it is released.
#Utahsymphony #guitarconcerto #stevenmackey @booseyandhawkes
P.S. I woke up this morning remembering when MTT literally gave me the shirt off his back. I showed up at this very photo shoot in my comfy, post-hippie garb. He smiled, went into another room, took off the shirt he was wearing, and gave it to me. Trust me … so much better than what I had! He let me keep it and I wore it often until I left it in a hotel room.
“Houseband” - MUS 534 - on Monday 4/20 was my last class meeting as a Princeton University professor. My first was some version of “tonal theory” - MUS 205 - in the Fall of 1985. I’ve advanced 329 numbers.
Two unforgettable performances of Memoir in Princeton with @aeolusquartet and @nataliechrista
So grateful to @steven_mackey , @mccartertheatre , and everyone at @musicprincetonu for having us and making this happen.
What a beautiful adventure, and one of our truly favorite collaborations. Hoping for many more to come
AND to @mdechiazza for putting up with us and working with us, and always wanting to learn….especially how to play marimba…(see last video!)
We sat down with Professor of Music Steve Mackey (@steven_mackey )to reflect on his 40+ years at #Princeton, a career shaped by curiosity, collaboration, and pushing boundaries. His impact on generations of students and on the department itself will be felt for years to come.
“Find a way to work that you love so much that the act of composing itself is the reward. Jobs, commissions, and awards are wonderful, but they’re external validation. The real reward has to be the daily act of creating. A lot of that comes from finding a creative process that works for you. For me that meant bringing improvisation back into my composing and getting the guitar back in my hands.” — Steve Mackey
Read our interview at the link in bio: “News & Stories” AND see his work live! MEMOIR comes to @mccartertheatre on April 18 & 19, a deeply personal piece with text rooted from his mother’s unpublished memoir.
📷:Matt Raspanti
