It Ain't
Necessarily So
Soprano Lynnesha Crump
Recently played the role of Strawberry Woman in Porgy and Bess with Des Moines Metro Opera and the role of Verna with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in their debut production of Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut up in my Bones. Earlier this season, she debuted this same production with the Metropolitan Opera (soon available on the Met: Live in HD). This season Ms. Crump made her debut at Harris Theater as a soloist in a live album recording titled Emancipation, as well as debuting the role of Rachel in the world premiere of The 42 Project, both written and composed by Adrian Dunn. Ms. Crump performed in the inaugural concert of President Barack Obama with Beyoncé Knowles. She was seen on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in productions of the Verdi Requiem, Boris Godunov, and Don Carlos (all available on Met: Live in HD), Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. Ms. Crump will be closing her season in a debut performance with Des Moines Metro Opera.
Tenor David Morgans
Three-time Grammy-Award winning Tenor David Morgans has appeared several seasons on the Metropolitan Opera stage, performing Ally in the critically-acclaimed X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, Pledge in Fire Shut Up In My Bones and Prayer in Porgy and Bess. He made his New York City Opera debut as Rodolfo in La Boheme, debuted the role of Aret in Jupiter's Journey to Earth with Little Opera Theater of New York, and sang the role of Nate in Highway 1, USA with St. Stephen's Music Festival. He has also sung major roles throughout the US, including Lensky (Eugene Onegin) with Opera Baltimore, James Keller (Touch) with Opera Birmingham and Mingo (Porgy and Bess) with Des Moines Metro Opera. Mr. Morgans stars as Julio (a tenor) in the feature film, She Came to Me (directed by Rebecca Miller) alongside Anne Hathaway, Peter Dinklage and Marissa Tomei. The movie's worldwide cinema release was October 2023 and is currently available to stream on most platforms.
Baritone Fredrick Redd
As a seasoned singer, actor and industry professional whose talents have illuminated stages across the United States. With a repertoire boasting over 300 shows in the vibrant landscape of New York City, Fredrick has graced Carnegie Hall's iconic main stage on 8 triumphant occasions captivating audiences since his debut there as the baritone soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana and most recently in 2024 as the baritone soloist in Bond's Ballad of the Brown King. He was a distinguished nominee for the Richard Tucker Award (2003), one of America's highest honors. Early in his career, Fredick made his Lincoln Center debut with New York City Opera as the Undertaker in that Emmy-nominated Porgy and Bess, including the Live from Lincoln Center telecast. His notable Verdi roles include Amonasro (Aida), Giacomo (Giovanna D’Arco), Renato (Un Ballo in Maschera) Count di Luna (Il Trovatore) and the title roles in Macbeth, Nabucco and Rigoletto. As a recognized Verdi baritone, in 2022 he performed excerpts as Rigoletto in Lincoln Center for the Metropolitan Opera Guild's series on the Verdi Baritone. His versatility extends beyond Verdi, performing iconic roles such as Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca, Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen and most recently seen as Wotan in Wagner's Das Rheingold.
Pianist Sandra Pucciatti
Pianist Sandra Milstein Pucciatti began her life-long musical pursuit as a young piano student of Curtis Institute teachers, later enjoying a 10 year cooperative with Master teacher Karl Ulrich Schnabel. A concert performer, orchestra soloist, chamber musician, and professional accompanist, her career featured a National Tour by the East-West Piano Duo, founded with her Temple University colleague Sylvia Ho and coached by Vladimir Horowitz-trained pianist Alexander Fiorillo. As a student of world-renowned accompanist Lambert Orkis, Sandra has collaborated over the past 50 years with many instrumental and vocal artists in recital, most notably with the late legendary Metropolitan Opera bass Jerome Hines. In 1989, together with her husband Joseph, she Co-Founded Boheme Opera New Jersey, now The State Opera of New Jersey (formerly Boheme Opera NJ), for which she has been Managing Director since 1997. Sandra is the principal pianist for TSONJ's active outreach programming.
Makeda Hampton
Soprano Makeda Hampton has appeared on many of the world’s leading stages, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Carnegie Hall, and London’s Royal Albert Hall, and performs frequently with the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey, University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Southern Delaware Orchestra, Opera Baltimore, OperaDelaware, and the Long Island Concert Orchestra.
Her artistry has earned a Grammy Award win and nomination with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, first prizes from the MIOpera Vocal Competition, The American Prize, Montpelier Arts Center Classical Recital Competition, and the Austrian-American Society of Wilmington Competition. She was recently named one of Delaware’s Most Influential and Inspiring Artists by The News Journal and received a 2025 Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship.
Tickets
On Sale
Soon
It Ain't Necessarily So
This upcoming Princeton TSONJ performance event on June 28 is a rare opportunity for an audience to experience the extraordinary talents of four talented emerging artists. Their program will feature music from George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and Stephen Flaherty's Ragtime, and a special treat from William Grant Still's A Bayou Legend.
Location:
50 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton, NJ 08540 | 6PM
A preview of some songs to be performed on June 28. 2026
From Porgy and Bess
Summertime
I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
It Ain't Necessarily So
Bess, You Is My Woman
From Ragtime:
Your Daddy's So
Wheels of a Dream
From A Bayou Legend:
Calm as Bayou Waters