Salon 33 performers check egos at the door

Princeton resident’s house concerts recall an earlier era

By: Hilary Parker
   If Mozart had composed his comic one-act opera "The Impresario" in present-day Princeton, rather than in Vienna in 1786, Rob Tannen might have been his muse.
   The opera tells the story of a man not unlike Mr. Tannen, who seeks to bring entertainment and music to a wide audience. Fortunately for Mr. Tannen, though, he has not encountered the same problems that Mozart’s impresario faced — the larger-than-life egos of prima donnas and logistical nightmares — in coordinating and offering house concerts at his Salon 33.
   By day, Mr. Tannen is a freelance technical writer, and Salon 33 is his Princeton home on 33 Chestnut St. From the outside, it might seem to be an ordinary house, with the exception of an unassuming "Salon 33" sign. Even inside, 353 days out of the year it’s pretty normal, although a piano and organ do occupy the living room and there is a stack of folding chairs on a dolly off to the side.
   But one day each month, the entire first floor becomes a stage as Salon 33 comes to life, filling with musicians and concert-goers coming together to share food, conversation and music.
   "I think what’s important is that it’s completely unpretentious," Mr. Tannen said. "It’s not that kind of a salon," he explained, referring to the salons of 17th- and 18th-century Paris, although a painting of a salon proprietor does hang on the wall of his music room.
   "I think the great thing for musicians and people who love music is that Salon 33 is the real deal," said Tim Smith, a Lawrence-based singer-songwriter who is a regular performer and audience member at Salon 33. "This is the real connection between musicians and music lovers. This is real music. These are real people."
   The idea for bringing house concerts to the Princeton area came to Mr. Tannen after he attended a few house concerts offered by Andrea Clearfield at her house in Philadelphia. In the early 1990s, he coordinated two concerts a year at Westminster Choir College in a series he dubbed "Concert bon Ecouter" — "It’s bad French for good listening," Mr. Tannen said.
   Thrilled with their success, he sought a venue where he could hold concerts more frequently, and ultimately purchased the Chestnut Street house in 1997, coincidentally just down the road — literally — from Westminster. He opened the doors of Salon 33 for the first time in September 2000, and since then has offered a house concert, complete with printed program, each and every month.
   Concertgoers and musicians typically arrive around 7 p.m., gathering before the music for a potluck supper. From special meat dishes made by a Macedonian who regularly attends to a cheese plate brought each month by an octogenarian, everyone brings something to contribute. Conversations are lively and engaging, and Mr. Tannen said the evenings lead to wonderful social connections, especially with the shared love of music.
   The musical programs follow, as people take their seats in the folding chairs. While Mr. Tannen said he favors new and living composers, the musical offerings are as diverse as the audience. The most recent concert, on Saturday, was titled "Intelligent Design: Evolution of the Small Chamber Ensemble," and featured Veronica Mascaro and William Newman offering selections by Mozart and Bartok, among others. Other programs have included Cole Porter’s music played by Mr. Smith and a selection of traditional Chinese music by a chemist at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
   "This is my calling," Mr. Tannen said. "Even the cleanup. Usually several people stay late to help me clean up. It’s not a hardship, it’s a joy."
   The week prior to the monthly concerts, Mr. Tannen sends an e-mail message to roughly 400 people and mails a program to 120 people, with details of the current and next months’ programs. He has only three requests: an RSVP, a contribution for the potluck and a donation for the musicians.
   "RSVP-ing," he said, laughing. "People just don’t know how to do that anymore. I have a very elastic ratio of RSVPs to people who show up." As he seeks to increase the size of the audience — he said 35 to 40 people is ideal for the setting — he said it is more and more important that people RSVP by calling (609) 924-7955 or e-mailing [email protected].
   The next concert, "Singer-Songwriters, three," is planned for Jan. 21. And while Mr. Tannen has never performed at Salon 33 — he is loathe to call himself a musician, though he dabbles with the keyboard — he will be making his debut in the February concert.
   It’s a fitting debut, a nonsinging role in a one-act opera that Mozart wrote in 1786.
   "I’m just the impresario, as it were," Mr. Tannen said.