Hundreds turned out for the Juneteenth celebration culminating with the show “Masters of Soul: A Motown Revue” at the 2025 Princeton Festival, despite a dramatic evening downpour with flooding, thunder, and high winds.
Presented in partnership with the Municipality of Princeton, the day began with sunshine and the annual Juneteenth Flag Raising ceremony at 1 Monument Hall honoring the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans and celebrating Black culture. Multiple community members were in attendance, according to a press release through Princeton Symphony Orchestra.
Councilwoman Leticia Fraga and Councilman Leighton Newlin shared powerful thoughts with the audience, including the importance of continuing the Civil Rights Movement’s fight for Justice and Truth today. Young musician Olivia Strauli-Ellis shared a soulful rendition of the Black National Anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” just prior to Fraga and Newlin raising the Municipality’s blue, white, and red Juneteenth flag.
At a subsequent talk given at Morven Museum & Garden’s Stockton Education Center, connections between the Civil Rights Movement and the music of Motown were drawn by Rochelle Ellis, a lecturer on voice at Princeton University. Also on hand were representatives of multiple community groups: Art Against Racism, The Historical Society of Princeton, Morven Museum and Garden, the Municipality of Princeton, Princeton Parents for Black Children, Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, and YWCA Princeton. Morven Museum & Garden opened its doors with free admission for all attendees, and Tipple & Rose, a local tea emporium provided delicious samples of African and Southern treats, free of charge.
Vocalists in appropriately retro attire performed top Motown hits honoring iconic artists such as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Tina Turner during the “Masters of Soul: A Motown Revue.” The responsive audience grooved to the beat and enthusiastically jumped to their feet during the encore performance of “Shout!” by the Isley Brothers.
Connections between the Civil Rights Movement and the music of Motown were drawn by Rochelle Ellis, a lecturer on voice at Princeton University at a Juneteenth talk given at Morven Museum & Garden’s Stockton Education Center.
Vocalists in appropriately retro attire performed top Motown hits honoring iconic artists such as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Tina Turner at the Princeton Festival’s Juneteenth presentation of “Masters of Soul: A Motown Revue.”
Vocalists in appropriately retro attire performed top Motown hits honoring iconic artists such as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Tina Turner at the Princeton Festival’s Juneteenth presentation of “Masters of Soul: A Motown Revue.”
