Russian work premieres with a Princeton spin

Peter Schram ’09 leaps over, from left, Kelsey Berry ’10, Jennie Scholick ’09, and Elizabeth Schwall ’09 in a rehearsal for Music for Athletes. (Photo by Brian Wilson, Princeton University Office of Communications)

“Greetings, highest President Tilghman! And three cheers for Old Nassau!”

These are the cries that opened the world premiere of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev’s Music for Athletes in Richardson Auditorium July 17. The piece, which Princeton music professor Simon Morrison *97 uncovered in 2006 at the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art in Moscow, was performed as part of the sixth annual Golandsky Institute International Piano Festival.

Russian-born pianist Ilya Itin played the music, while a Princeton undergraduate and three alumni — Kelsey Berry ’10, Peter Schram ’09, Elizabeth Schwall ’09, and Jennie Scholick ’09 — danced to Scholick’s original choreography.

The “greetings” to Tilghman are representative of Scholick’s concept for the piece. Playing on the Kremlin’s original intention of glorifying Soviet athletic prowess through the performance, her modern adaptation glorifies Princeton instead.

A look back at our top Tigers

With PAW’s print edition entering its summer hiatus, the Tiger of the Week is taking a short break as well. We will return with new honorees in the fall, beginning Sept. 23. In the meantime, check The Weekly Blog for campus and alumni news updates throughout the summer months. And click on the photos below to see Tiger of the Week honorees that you might have missed. (You can read the names and class years of each alumna or alumnus by scrolling over the photos.)

Tiger of the Week: Frederick Ilchman ’90

Curator Frederick Ilchman ’90's latest work at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, "Rivals in Renaissance Venice," has been described in terms normally applied to summer blockbuster movies: "hot" (The New York Times), "breathtaking" (Newsweek), and "too good to miss" (The Boston Globe).

The MFA exhibition, which runs through Aug. 16, highlights Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese, three legendary artists from the 16th century who were rivals in the densely-populated and artistically vibrant city of Venice. They often embedded critiques of each other's work in their paintings, including some of the period's best-known works.

More about Sonia Sotomayor ’76

Our brief look at the Supreme Court nominee’s appearances in the Princeton Alumni Weekly includes a story from the July 15, 2009, issue, additional comments from alumni who knew her well at Princeton, and three pieces from the archives: the 1976 Pyne Prize announcement, a 1995 profile, and the 2001 presentation of Sotomayor’s honorary degree.

(Photo: Office of Communications, Princeton University)

Princeton Summer Theater season continues with The Glass Menagerie

For Shawn Fennell ’10, Douglas Lavanture ’09, and the handful of other students and recent graduates who run Princeton Summer Theater (PST), July has meant 14-hour days in the cozy confines of Murray Dodge Hall and a schedule filled with rehearsals, set construction, and a range of odd jobs, from manning the ticket counter to designing playbills.

Each day may be tiring, says Fennell, the company’s artistic director, but with four plays in a span of nine weeks, the performers “never get tired” of the material. In mid-June, on the day PST debuted the musical Urinetown, the Musical, cast members also had their first read-through of the Tennessee Williams play The Glass Menagerie, which will begin its two-weekend run July 9.

Tiger of the Week: Matt Hawrilenko ’04

Matt Hawrilenko ’04 doesn’t really like casinos, which may seem like an occupational handicap for a professional poker player. But Hawrilenko makes his living online, playing high-stakes cash games against some of the world’s top players. A few times each year, he also tries his hand on the tournament circuit, and on July 3, he scored big, winning more than $1 million in the World Series of Poker $5,000 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold’em tournament.

Hawrilenko, our Tiger of the Week, started playing poker in his senior year at Princeton, when the online poker craze was hitting its stride. His first full-time job was at Susquehanna International Group, an options-trading firm that uses poker as a training tool. After two years, Hawrilenko realized that finance wasn’t for him, but he also found that he could make good money playing poker.

Men’s lightweights win at Henley; Bates named coach of men’s lacrosse; Senior awards; Track All-Americans; Baseball draft; More

The Princeton MEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT CREW added another championship in its perfect season, edging the Brown freshman heavyweights to win the Temple Challenge Cup at the Royal Henley Regatta July 5. The Tigers won the national lightweight title and the Eastern and Ivy championships in 2009, but the Henley win may have been their crowning achievement: They were the first Princeton lightweight boat to win the Henley collegiate title since 1973.

[Corrected July 15: While 2009 marked the Princeton lightweights’ first Temple Challenge Cup win since 1973, the Princeton freshman men’s heavyweights won the Temple Challenge Cup in 2003, and the Princeton men’s heavyweights won the Ladies Challenge Plate in 2006. Nine Princeton boats have won Henley titles, beginning in 1948 when the Princeton lightweight eight won the Thames Cup.]

Former Drexel coach Chris Bates was named head coach of Princeton MEN’S LACROSSE June 29, replacing Hall of Fame coach Bill Tierney, who resigned three weeks earlier to become the head coach at the University of Denver. Bates, a 1990 Dartmouth graduate, led Drexel to 31 wins and two Colonial Athletic Association championships in the last three seasons.

Ten athletes shared top honors at the Princeton Varsity Club’s SENIOR AWARDS banquet May 28. Lee Jubinville (men’s hockey), Mark Kovler (men’s lacrosse), Doug Lennox (men’s swimming), Michael Maag (men’s cross country and track), and Mauricio Sanchez (men’s squash) shared the Roper Trophy, given annually to Princeton’s top male athletes. Susannah Aboff (women’s golf), Kathrine Giarra (women’s diving), Parker Henritze (women’s volleyball), Holly McGarvie (field hockey and women’s lacrosse), and Jolee VanLeuven (women’s cross country and track) received the Von Kienbusch Award for the top female athletes.

Mathematics major Cary Malkiewich (men’s heavyweight crew) won the Class of 1916 Cup as the varsity letter winner with the highest academic standing. Adam Berry (football), Joelle Milov (women’s swimming), Agatha Offorjebe (women’s track), and Kristin Schwab (field hockey and women’s lacrosse) earned the Art Lane Award for selfless contribution to sport and society.

Reviews and news on Princeton authors

A review of Robert Wright ’79’s new book, The Evolution of God, was featured on the cover of the June 18 New York Times Sunday Book Review. (Books by Christopher Beha ’02 and Michael Lewis ’82 were covered in the same issue.) [The New York Times]

With the release of a movie based on Jodi Picoult ’87’s My Sister’s Keeper, the author’s appeal is “weeping the nation.” [The Washington Post]

PBS host Bill Moyers interviewed Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin ’48 for a show that aired June 26 . [Bill Moyers Journal]

Tiger of the Week: Tora Harris ’02

Tora Harris ’02 started June 28 with a simple message on his Twitter feed: “Nice day for jumping.” Five hours later, the former Princeton high-jump star sent a follow-up that verified his first impression: “1st place! National champ again.” Harris had cleared the bar at 2.31 meters (7 feet, 7 inches) to win the high jump at the USA Track and Field National Championships in Eugene, Ore. Along with the national title, Harris earned a bid to the world championships in Berlin this August.

Harris showed remarkable talent at Princeton, winning seven Ivy Heps championships and sweeping the NCAA indoor and outdoor high jump titles as a senior. He has continued to excel after college, competing in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and winning national titles in 2006 (outdoor) and 2007 (indoor).

Harris told USA Track and Field that his latest win, in windy conditions, required making adjustments throughout the competition. He was one of four competitors to clear 2.28 meters (topping the mark on his third and final try), and he made the winning 2.31-meter jump on his second attempt. “I was just hanging in there and staying tough,” he said.

(Photo courtesy USA Track and Field)

Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW’s Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.