PRINCETON NJ Announcement

Trenton City Museum Offers Special Cultural Connections Programs in May

“CULTURAL CONNECTIONS” PROGRAMS AT TRENTON CITY MUSEUM IN MAY

Documentary Screening May 4; Concert of Ukrainian Music May 17

(Trenton, NJ) Trenton City Museum will present two public programs as part of its exhibition “Cultural Connections: Eastern European Artists of Greater Trenton,” which is on view through June 8.

An afternoon with photographer and filmmaker Leo Vayn will screen and discuss Vayn’s documentary “The Road to Krasnostav” Sunday, May 4, at 2 p.m. Produced by the Soviet Russia-born Vayn, the film examines one family’s personal journey through the former Jewish shtetl in Krasnostav, Ukraine, to reconnect with a past that saw the town’s Jewish population executed by the Nazis in 1941. Vayn, of Princeton, is a businessperson and entrepreneur who has dedicated himself to photography and the Tsal Kaplun Foundation, created to preserve Jewish Culture and Heritage in the former Soviet Union. He is among the 10 area artists with artwork showcased in Cultural Connections. Admission is $5 at the door (free for museum members).

“Sorrow & Joy: Ukrainian Art Songs” is planned for Saturday, May 17, at 2 p.m. This soulful exploration of Ukrainian classical music will include works by Mykola Lysenko, who is considered the father of Ukrainian classical music; Kyrylo Stetsenko, one of Ukraine’s most prolific and important 20th century artists; Vasyl Barvinsky, Ukraine’s first internationally known composer; and Stefania Turkewich, Ukraine’s first female composer. Admission is a suggested donation of $5.

About the performers of “Sorrow & Joy”: Andrew Skitko, tenor, trained at Westminster Choir College, is the cantor at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Trenton, the director of the Ukrainian Art Song Project, and a chorus member of Opera Philadelphia. Alina Rabchuk, pianist, lives and teaches piano and voice in Bucks County. She is Worship Leader at Grace Ukrainian Baptist Church in Warminster. Ksenia Stetsenko-Skitko, violin, is a Ukrainian composer who merges Western classical music tradition with Eastern-European folk music. She is the granddaughter of Ukrainian composer Kyrylo Hryhorovych Stetsenko, whose work will be performed at the event.

The May events are part of the “Cultural Connections” show developed and curated by Liz and Dan Aubrey to launch a series of exhibitions designed to highlight artistic traditions and practices in the region and to build awareness and dialog. Liz Aubrey is an active New Jersey artist and exhibitions curator. Dan Aubrey is a journalist, playwright, and arts coordinator.

The artists of Cultural Connections: Marina Ahun, Princeton; Irena Gobernik, Princeton; Olga Gobernik-Kon, Princeton and Israel; Adriana Groza, Hamilton; Jadwiga (Heidi), Trenton; Tatiana Oles, Princeton; Asia Popinski, Pennington; Jacek (Jack) Szymula, Trenton; Leonid (Leo) Vayn, Princeton; Ewa Zeller, Trenton. Learn more at ellarslie.org/cultural.

The Trenton City Museum is housed in Ellarslie Mansion, an 1848 Italianate Villa in the heart of Trenton’s historic Cadwalader Park, which was designed by the legendary Frederick Law Olmsted. The building is owned by the City of Trenton and operated by the nonprofit Trenton Museum Society, founded in 1973. The museum’s programming explores and celebrates Trenton’s history and culture, showcases contemporary art, artists, and performers, and offers community events, classes, and workshops for all ages. Museum and museum store hours are Thursday through Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. There is no admission fee to view the museum’s offerings, but donations in support of its mission and programs are welcomed. Learn more at ellarslie.org or 609-989-1191.

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