Music programs cut as U. faces new round of reductions

Princeton’s music department announced a series of program reductions following the annual State of the University letter, which anticipated across-the-board fiscal tightening. Starting in August, the department will eliminate the position of Trenton Arts at Princeton Program Coordinator, international touring of ensembles, and Richardson Chamber Players under Princeton University Concerts.

These cuts are part of a “multi-year process of ongoing and evolving reductions to our programmatic and operational expenses,” according to an email sent to department members on behalf of Daniel Trueman, chair of the music department.

The University plans to tighten its belt due to changing expectations for its endowment returns, which fund about two-thirds of the total operating budget. In his letter, University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 wrote that the Princeton University Investment Company had reduced its long-term expected rate of return from 10.2 percent to 8 percent, in line with broader economic trends that have dampened investment performance.

Eisgruber wrote that these financial pressures will require “targeted, and in some cases, deeper, reductions over a multiyear period.”

University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill declined to elaborate on the reductions and potential staff layoffs in the department.

Trenton Arts at Princeton, a multidisciplinary group of artists and musicians, will no longer have a program coordinator. Trenton Arts at Princeton aims to “to build a community of young artists across Trenton and Princeton University through student leadership and volunteer opportunities, youth programming, community performances, and more,” according to its website.

Nancy Agosto, the current program coordinator, will leave her role on Aug. 1, when her term ends. Her position will not be rehired in coming semesters, according to the email.

Tienne Yu ’26, co-president of the Princeton University Orchestra, told The Daily Princetonian that members of the orchestra were disappointed by the restructuring of the Trenton Arts. Through the program, orchestra members regularly work with local students.

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“We sort of saw the one program, Trenton Arts at Princeton, kind of grow into what it had been,” Yu said. “It made us sad that the one outreach thing we are a part of is being cut.”

It is not immediately clear how the absence of a program director will affect the program’s operations.

“We, along with our colleagues in the Lewis Center, will use these sessions as a time to gain feedback from students and faculty as we explore needed changes,” the email said.

The department will additionally “pause all international touring of department ensembles,” which includes the orchestra and the Glee Club.

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“We’re hopeful that when the dust settles, we can start working on a scaled-back plan and maybe take some tours that don’t include flying across the ocean,” Michael Pratt, conductor of the PUO, said in an interview with the ‘Prince.’

“We’re optimistic that we’re going to be able to make something happen. You don’t have to play concerts in Prague and Vienna in order to have a successful tour,” he added.

Yu said that Pratt called a meeting with the orchestra to announce these budgetary changes.

“We were all quite disappointed to hear about [the cuts],” Yu said. She added that, though they were expected, cuts to international tours are “the only thing everyone in the orchestra is directly affected by.”

In addition, the Richardson Chamber Players series, an ensemble of Princeton University performance faculty, will cease to exist. Richardson Chamber Players puts on three concerts a year, extending the opportunity of performance to vocal and instrumental faculty. According to Pratt, these concerts were valuable to the music department.

“We would always mix in the top Princeton instrumentalists or singers in the concert, so that they would get a chance to perform right next to their teacher,” Pratt said. “Nothing raises your game quite like that.”

Pratt added that these cuts do not come as a surprise.

“We’ve seen this coming around the bend,” he said.

The newly announced cuts follow University-wide cost-saving measures implemented in 2025 after the Trump administration suspended $210 million of the University’s federal research grants, about half of which was later reinstated. Previously, the Department of Music cut catering, department gatherings, and advertising for performances, according to the email.

While virtually all University programs are expected to be affected by new endowment-related reductions, these cuts to music programs are among the first to be announced.

Lulu Mangriotis is the assistant News editor for the ‘Prince’ leading student life coverage. She is from New York City and can be reached at lm8001[at]princeton.edu.

Clara Docherty is the assistant News editor for the ‘Prince’ leading faculty, graduate students, and alumni coverage. She is from Lafayette, N.J., and can be reached at clara.docherty[at]princeton.edu.

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.