The Marriage of Figaro – Photo Courtesy of The Princeton Festival
Princeton, NJ has several attributes that make it an extraordinary town (check here to read What Makes Princeton Unique). One of many things that make it shine is the abundant selection of the arts. Discover New Jersey Arts (a.k.a. JerseyArts.com) recently announced their 2016 People’s Choice Awards, and NOT to my surprise, Princeton was well represented. There were 16 categories in which to cast a vote, and a total of 21,218 ballots were cast. Here are the results.
Wins
- Favorite Dance Company – American Repertory Ballet
- Favorite Opera Company – The Princeton Festival (The Marriage of Figaro)
- Favorite Theatre to See a Play – McCarter Theatre Center
- Favorite Art Gallery – Arts Council of Princeton
Nicole Ari Parker and Esau Pritchett in Antony and Cleopatra at McCarter Theatre Center – Photo Credit T. Charles Erickson
Runner Up
- Favorite Large Performing Arts Center – McCarter Theatre Center (3rd)
- Favorite Art Museum – Princeton University Arts Museum (3rd)
- Favorite Adult Art Classes – Arts Council of Princeton (2nd)
- Favorite Symphony/Orchestra – Princeton Symphony Orchestra (2nd)
- Favorite Theatre Camp – McCarter Theatre’s Summer Camp (2nd)
- Favorite Choral Group – Westminster Choir (2nd), Princeton Pro Musica (5th), Princeton Girlchoir (7th)
- Favorite Downtown Arts District (2nd)
This is quite impressive. Only two other towns received top honors more than once – Newark (3) and Montclair (3). Looking at total nods, Morristown (8), Montclair (7), New Brunswick (5), Red Bank (4), and Newark (4) follow Princeton (11) in most mentions. I’m surprised that ranking high in 11 categories didn’t place us as number one in the category of Favorite Downtown Arts District. Red Bank received that distinction, but we all know how wonderful Princeton is without that merit.
Categories in which we were eligible, but didn’t place in the top nine were Favorite Music Festival (we have our JazzFest hosted by Palmer Square) and Favorite Film Festival (PEFF – Princeton Environmental Film Festival hosted by Princeton Public Library).