Trenton Arts at Princeton Celebrates Five Years

Excerpt by Rebekah Schroeder for Community News, published January 31, 2024

“With Trenton Arts at Princeton, founder Lou Chen has tapped into a rhythm that unites Trenton and Princeton in harmony. When he launched the Trenton Youth Orchestra in partnership with Trenton Central High School while still a student at Princeton University in spring 2017, cultivating a small group of Trenton violinists and Princeton volunteers who would set the stage for a new alliance, Chen sounded the first beat in a now-five-year symphony of artistic synergy.

“After Chen graduated in 2019 with his bachelor’s degree in music, former University Provost Deborah Prentice hired him to officially continue the program he had begun as a sophomore into what became known as TAP — making the Trenton Youth Orchestra, or TYO, the overture to TAP’s now-expansive artistic initiative.

“TYO previously performed for Venezuelan conductor and violinist Gustavo Dudamel as part of his welcome to campus in December 2019, when he arrived as Princeton University Concerts' inaugural Artist-in-Residence in recognition of its 125th anniversary.

“Dudamel is co-chair of the Dudamel Foundation, which “expands access to music and the arts for young people by providing opportunities and resources to shape their creative futures,” an idea influenced in part by his personal experience with Venezuela's famous "El Sistema" program, known for "promoting social development through music education."

“TYO then worked with PUC on a new outreach program, the “Neighborhood Music Project,” which was “conceived to reinforce Maestro Dudamel’s commitment to music as a force for uniting communities, empowering young people, and promoting positive social change” by supporting six different initiatives to expand access to the arts and music in Trenton.