Actor Alec Baldwin will join WQXR host Terrance McKnight for a conversation about music as a source of solace, self-discovery and renewal at Princeton University on Saturday, Sept. 19.
The event, part of Princeton University Concerts’ Music & Healing series, begins at 3 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall. Pianist Tony Siqi Yun will perform live musical selections throughout the program.
Baldwin has appeared on stage, television and in film during a career spanning more than four decades. His credits include “Saturday Night Live,” “30 Rock,” “Beetlejuice” and “The Departed.” He received a Tony Award nomination for “A Streetcar Named Desire” and an Academy Award nomination for “The Cooler.”
He won three Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and seven consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for his role as Jack Donaghy on NBC’s “30 Rock.”
Classical music has remained a significant part of Baldwin’s life throughout his career. He has served as host of “The New York Philharmonic This Week” and has collaborated with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
“I’m often disappointed when at the movies,” Baldwin said. “I’m sometimes disappointed when I go to the theater — and I’m never disappointed when I go to the Symphony.”
During his conversation with McKnight, Baldwin will discuss the role music has played in his personal life and how it has provided opportunities for reflection and renewal.
Yun will perform music connected to Baldwin’s experiences with classical music. The Canadian-born pianist will return to Princeton University Concerts on Wednesday, Dec. 9, for two sold-out concerts in the Performances Up Close series.
The Sept. 19 program marks the beginning of the fifth anniversary season of Princeton University Concerts’ Music & Healing series.
“This event launches the fifth anniversary season of the Music & Healing series, which began in the wake of the pandemic to celebrate the profound role music plays in all of our lives,” series curator Dasha Koltunyuk said. “We are deeply honored that Alec Baldwin will share how vital classical music has been, and continues to be, in his own life.”
Koltunyuk said the series has featured artists from a range of disciplines discussing their relationships with music.
“Over five seasons, artists from across disciplines — including musicians, choreographers, directors and writers — have revealed the unexpected and deeply personal ways they turn to music, both in their work and in their lives,” she said. “At its heart, this series celebrates the humanity of making and listening to music, and it is a true honor to welcome Alec Baldwin into that conversation.”
The Music & Healing series explores the relationship between music, healing and the human experience. This season focuses on how music can provide reflection, perspective and connection in a changing world.
Other programs in the series will feature pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen on Sunday, Nov. 1, and jazz pianist Brad Mehldau on Monday, April 19, 2027.
McKnight is a commentator, curator, writer, pianist and weekday evening host at WQXR, New York’s classical music station. His “All Ears with Terrance McKnight” series received an ASCAP Deems Taylor Radio Broadcast Award.
He has worked with organizations including Carnegie Hall, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Apollo Theater and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as artistic adviser to the Harlem Chamber Players and the Hermitage Artist Retreat.
Yun, 25, won the gold medal at the inaugural China International Music Competition in 2019 and received the Rheingau Music Festival’s Lotto-Förderpreis in 2023.
A 2024 graduate of the Juilliard School, Yun has performed with orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. He is continuing his studies in Juilliard’s master’s program.
Tickets for “Alec Baldwin in Conversation on Music” are $27 for the general public and $12 for students. Princeton University Concerts also offers subsidized tickets to eligible participants through its Admit All ticket-access program.
For tickets or more information, visit puc.princeton.edu or call 609-258-9220.
