Displaying items by tag: new york city ballet

Photos by SuperSourceMedia, LLC. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — New York City Ballet returned to Saratoga Performing Arts Center July 16 with an opening night celebration of three of Balanchine’s iconic ballets set to Tschaikovsky’s compositions.

Serenade, the first original ballet Balanchine created in America, is a milestone in the history of dance and remains a beloved, luminous work in the repertoire. 

Mozartiana, choreographed to a Tschaikovsky composition derived from Mozart piano pieces, creates an atmosphere of hushed contemplation. Balanchine first choreographed to this music at the start of his career in 1933, and nearly 50 years later, he returned to the score to create a new ballet, one of his last works. 

Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 is an ebullient work of classical virtuosity for 27 dancers.

Photo credits from left to right: 
1. Photo by Mark Andrews Images.
2. Ashley Bouder teaching Ballet in the City class at Saratoga City Ballet. Photo by April Singleton.
3. NYCB Dancer Megan LeCrone teaching Ballet in the City class at Saratoga City Ballet. Photo by April Singleton.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — For the second year, Saratoga City Ballet will host a summer filled with ballet activities for all ages.

“This summer we have a bunch of programs and we do have programs for ages three to adult. For the first time this year we’re doing the story book ballet camp,” said Traci Jersen, President of the Saratoga City Ballet Board.

For young dancers ages three to six the program called Storybook Ballet will provide the young dancers to engage in stories such as Coppelia and Sleeping Beauty through the art of dance. The course is taught by the founder of Story Dance Studios, Jen Manino.

“Jen does a whole program where she’s reading the story to them. She uses props, she does a craft around the ballet, has the music from the ballet, has some older students demonstrating some steps for the kids, making tutus - It’s not just about the dance itself, it’s about teaching them the story,” said Jersen.

In addition, there will be a variety of classes for all levels, for ages seven through adult. The master classes will be taught by an Ohio-based not-for-profit company called Ballet in the City. Their objective is to introduce ballet to cities throughout the country. This year New York City Ballet (NYCB) principal dancers Megan Lacrone, Ashley Bouder, Sarah Merns, and Harrison Ball will be teaching.

NYCB will not only have their dancers teaching courses, they will be performing at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) for the NYCB Gala on July 20.

“Ballet in the City is also going to the ballet gala this year which they did last year… Ballet in the City has choreographed a piece that our dancers will be dancing in,” said Jersen. “Different dance programs across the capitol region on the lawn party will be dancing. It’s a really great opportunity for students of dance throughout the community to participate in the ballet gala.”

For any questions on taking part in this artistic opportunity, visit saratogacityballet.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) announced its 2019 lineup which features the summertime return of the New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

The New York City Ballet residency (July 16 – 20) once again features four distinct programs including the story ballet Coppélia, which was premiered at SPAC, an evening dedicated to Balanchine and Tschaikovsky, and a program showcasing four SPAC Premieres by 21st century choreographers, highlighted by Kyle Abraham’s The Runaway, which fuses modern and classical technique and an eclectic soundtrack mixing composer Nico Muhly, singer James Blake, and hip-hop artists Jay-Z and Kanye West. The annual New York City Ballet Gala, on Saturday, July 20, will showcase George Balanchine’s Apollo, Christopher Wheeldon’s This Bitter Earth and a new piece by NYCB Resident Choreographer and Soloist Justin Peck.

New York City Ballet - Tschaikovsky and Balanchine - Tuesday, July 16 at 8 p.m. and Thursday, July 18 at 2 p.m..; SPAC Premieres by 21st Century Choreographers - Wednesday, July 17 at 8 p.m.; Coppélia - Thursday, July 18 at 8 p.m., Friday, July 19 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 20 at 2 p.m.

SPAC’s NYC Ballet Gala - Saturday, July 20 at 8 p.m. The finale to New York City Ballet’s 2019 residency will be highlighted by Balanchine's first collaboration with Stravinsky and one of his earliest international successes, Apollo. Also: This Bitter Earth (Richter, Otis/Wheeldon) and Justin Peck’s new work – his fourth collaboration with Oscar-nominated composer Sufjan Stevens. 

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s three-week residency (July 31 – Aug. 17) will be highlighted by 19 SPAC premieres. Back by popular demand will be SPAC’s “Cinema Series,” as the orchestra accompanies, live to picture, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Concert (Aug. 3); Disney Pixar’s Up in Concert (Aug. 10) and Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights in Concert (Aug. 14). The season will, once again, showcase two weeks under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra and of The Metropolitan Opera. Nézet-Séguin will conduct the closing night performance of Mozart’s Requiem.

The Orchestra’s 2019 season will also feature a line-up of acclaimed and emerging artists appearing at SPAC for the first time. Performing with The Philadelphia Orchestra is Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (Aug. 15) and classical pianist Christian Blackshaw (Aug. 17); making their SPAC debuts in 2019 are young, virtuosic pianists Janice Carissa (Aug. 2) and Jan Lisiecki (Aug. 16), Peruvian conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya (Aug. 9), and the dancers of PHILADANCO (July 31) in The Philadelphia Orchestra’s opening night performance.

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center returns, from Aug. 4-20, with a roster of internationally celebrated artists at the Spa Little Theatre featuring 23 works performed by CMS at SPAC for the first time. In addition to performances by David Finckel and Wu Han, co-artistic directors of CMS in residency for all three weekends, audiences can look forward to the return of the Escher Quartet, plus debut appearances by Chinese violinist Angelo Xiang Yu, British flutist Adam Walker, Bulgarian violinist Bella Hristova and renowned American cellist Keith Robinson.

Tickets available online at www.spac.org starting 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 14 to SPAC members and Thursday, Jan. 29 to the general public.

NYC Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra – (Matinee Performances) Front Orchestra: $53.00 - $63.00; Rear Orchestra: $43.00 - $53.00; Balcony: $28.00 - $63.00; Lawn: $18.00. (Evening Performances) Front Orchestra: $63.00 - $113.00; Rear Orchestra: $43.00 - $83.00; Balcony: $33.00 - $103.00; Lawn: $29.00 - $34.00. (NYC Ballet Gala) Front Orchestra: $98.00 - $128.00; Rear Orchestra: $68.00 - $98.00; Balcony: $58.00 - $108.00; Lawn: $58.00.        

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center – (Center Orchestra, Center Balcony: $53.00; Side Orchestra, Side Balcony: $48.00.

Children ages 15 and under are free on the lawn (excluding NYCB Gala & American Girl Night). Children 15 and under are $20 in the amphitheater. Individuals 29 and under are $29 in the amphitheater (day of show only); SPAC members receive a 15% discount on tickets purchased before the day of the show.

For more information, go to: SPAC.org.

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The Saratoga Performing Arts Center will welcome home resident companies -- New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center -- and bring the National Ballet of Cuba for its first-ever Capital Region appearance in a vibrant, eclectic 2018 line-up that integrates great works of the classical repertoire with artist debuts and SPAC premieres. 

The National Ballet of Cuba kicks off the season with three performances of Alicia Alonso’s Giselle on June 6, 7 and 8.

The New York City Ballet summer residency – from July 17 – 21 - features four distinct programs including NYCB’s production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” an all-Balanchine evening, and a program showcasing four SPAC Premieres by 21st century choreographers - NYCB Resident Choreographer and Soloist Justin Peck, NYCB Principal Dancer Lauren Lovette and NYCB’s youngest choreographer, Gianna Reisen, among them. The annual New York City Ballet Gala, takes place Saturday, July 21 and will celebrate the centennial of the birth of both Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein, with a special Gala program dedicated to their works.

 “The interplay of tradition and innovation this summer is remarkable, with each program offering a completely unique experience for our audiences,” said SPAC President and CEO Elizabeth Sobol, in a statement.  

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s three-week residency, from Aug. 1 – 18, will showcase two weeks under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who holds dual roles as music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra and music director designate of The Metropolitan Opera; three new Thursday matinees -- including an afternoon of “Symphonic Shakespeare” led by Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Guest Conductor Stéphane Denève; and a new “Cinema Saturdays @ SPAC” all-ages series with the Orchestra accompanying the blockbuster movies “Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope,” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” A finale features a 20th anniversary screening of the film “The Red Violin,” projected alongside Joshua Bell, the original artist on the movie’s soundtrack.

Making their Philadelphia Orchestra and SPAC debuts are the Dutch “Piano Brothers” Lucas And Arthur Jussen and Canadian pianist Serhiy Salov; also making her SPAC debut is young, dynamic violinist Jennifer Koh in Bernstein’s Serenade. As part of the Orchestra’s finale weekend, superstar violinist Joshua Bell will appear with Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1. 

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center returns with a roster of internationally celebrated artists Aug. 5 – 21. Six programs at the Spa Little Theatre include “An Afternoon in Vienna,” and “An Evening in Prague.” 

NATIONAL BALLET OF CUBA: JUNE 6 – 8.

June 6 @ 8PM – Giselle

Giselle                                                               (Adam/Alonso)   based on Coralli and Perrot

June 7 @ 2PM – Giselle

Giselle                                                               (Adam/Alonso)   based on Coralli and Perrot

June 8 @ 8PM – Giselle

Giselle                                                               (Adam/Alonso)   based on Coralli and Perrot

Director of the National Ballet of Cuba and one of the most important personalities in the history of dance, Alicia Alonso is the leading figure of classical ballet in the Ibero-American sphere. Alonso's deeply humanistic interpretation of Giselle is considered the epitome of the romantic ballet tradition. Taking a French masterpiece based on a German poem, once best known through Russian interpretations, Alonso’s spectacularly re-created Giselle now defines the classic work.

Based on a fairy tale about a peasant girl who falls in love with a dashing prince disguised as a commoner, Giselle follows its heroine through a haunting story of betrayal, heartbreak, forgiveness and redemption. The title role of Giselle has been called “the ballerina’s Hamlet” and is regarded as one of the most difficult in ballet due to the intensely dramatic nature of the role as well as the physical stamina required to dance the lead throughout the full-length production. 

NEW YORK CITY BALLET: JULY 17 - 21

JULY 17 @ 8PM – All Balanchine

Square Dance                                                  (Vivaldi, Corelli/Balanchine)                       

The Four Temperaments                              (Hindemith/Balanchine)                

Symphony in C                                                (Bizet/Balanchine)

JULY 18 @ 8PM – All Balanchine

Square Dance                                                  (Vivaldi, Corelli/Balanchine)                       

The Four Temperaments                              (Hindemith/Balanchine)                

Symphony in C                                                (Bizet/Balanchine)

Known for his love of all things American, Balanchine joined the traditions of American folk dance with classical ballet in his work SQUARE DANCE.  Highlighting the dance forms’ common roots and similar regard for orderliness, the work is set to music from 17th-century Italian composers Antonio Vivaldi and Arcangelo Corelli.

Featuring a Balanchine-commissioned score by Paul Hindemith, THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS is classically grounded but with definitively modern movement.  Performed at the first night of NYCB’s predecessor, Ballet Society, on November 20, 1946, The Four Temperaments had its NYCB premiere on October 25, 1948. 

Originally created for the Paris Opera Ballet, Balanchine’s SYMPHONY IN C sparkles with over 50 dancers in costumes covered in Swarovski elements featuring a spectacular finale with the full cast onstage. In 2012 Symphony in C returned to the NYCB repertory in a major revival with new costumes designed by Marc Happel, NYCB’s Director of Costumes, and lighting designed by Mark Stanley.

                                                            

JULY 19 @ 2PM – Romeo + Juliet

Romeo + Juliet                                                (Prokofiev/Martins)

In defiance of its tragic ending, Shakespeare’s ROMEO + JULIET remains the greatest romance of all time, demonstrating the power of love in its many forms. NYCB’s staging of this eternal classic, set to Prokofiev’s glorious accompaniment, features choreography by Peter Martins, sets and costumes by Danish artist Per Kirkeby, and lighting by Mark Stanley.

              

JULY 19 @ 8PM – SPAC Premieres: 21st Century Choreographers

New Peck (Spring 2018)                                (Bernstein/Peck)

Composer’s Holiday                                       (Foss/Reisen)

Not Our Fate                                                   (Nyman/Lovette)                                          

Pulcinella Variations                                     (Stravinsky/Peck)

GIANNA REISEN’S COMPOSER’S HOLIDAY premiered on NYCB’s stage at the Company’s 2017 Fall Gala making her – at age 18 – the youngest choreographer to create a piece for the Company’s storied repertory.  Reisen is a former student of the School of American Ballet and current apprentice with Dresden Semperoper Ballet, in Dresden Germany.

NYCB Principal Dancer LAUREN LOVETTE will showcase her most recent NYCB work NOT OUR FATE (Fall 2017 World Premiere) for its SPAC Premiere.  Her second creation for NYCB, the work features ten dancers and is set to three movements from composer Michael Nyman’s concert suite of music from his soundtrack for the Peter Greenaway film Prospero’s Brooks.

NYCB Resident Choreographer and Soloist JUSTIN PECK brings two works for their SPAC Premieres as part of the 21st Century Choreographers program.  Peck’s PULCINELLA VARIATIONS (Fall 2017 World Premiere) is set to music by Stravinsky with costumes by fashion designer Tsumori Chisato and lighting by Mark Stanley. His forthcoming work for NYCB, which will to premiere at the NYCB’s 2018 Spring Gala, is inspired by Jerome Robbins and set to a Bernstein score.

JULY 20 @ 8PM – Romeo + Juliet

Romeo + Juliet                                                (Prokofiev/Martins)

JULY 21 @ 2PM – Romeo + Juliet

Romeo + Juliet                                                (Prokofiev/Martins)

JULY 21 @ 8PM – GALA: Robbins/Bernstein Centennial

Four Seasons                                                   (Verdi/Robbins) 

New Peck (Spring 2018)                                (Bernstein/Peck)

Other Dances                                                  (Chopin/Robbins)

Robbins Tribute, Title TBA                           CREDITS TBA

SPAC’s New York City Ballet Gala will honor the centennial celebration of the birth of both Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein.  The evening will feature two of Robbins’ own celebrated works, as well as Justin Peck’s Spring 2018 ballet, inspired by Robbins and set to a Bernstein score.  The centerpiece of the summer soirée will be the finale performance and SPAC Premiere of a new piece directed by Tony Award-winning choreographer and director Warren Carlyle, which will celebrate the Broadway choreography of Jerome Robbins and have its World Premiere at NYCB’s 2018 Spring Gala.

Set to Giuseppe Verdi’s vibrant melodies, Jerome Robbins’ 1979 work THE FOUR SEASONS, translates the seasons into frosty flirtation, springtime awakening, sultry revelry, and autumnal bacchanal.

Jerome Robbins was a great admirer of the Russian stars Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov, who each famously defected and made new careers in America. OTHER DANCES, a pas de deux created in 1976 for a New York Public Library for the Performing Arts benefit, was specifically crafted to display their legendary technique and artistry. Robbins chose four mazurkas and one waltz by Chopin, the composer whose piano music had inspired him for Dances at a Gathering. Other Dances, through its simplicity and virtuosity, pays homage to both Chopin’s Romanticism and the fluidity of classical ballet technique.

SPAC’s New York City Ballet Gala will conclude with the SPAC Premiere of WARREN CARLYLE’s TITLE TBD, which pays tribute to the legendary Broadway career of NYCB’s co-founding choreographer Jerome Robbins.  The ballet, set to have its World Premiere at NYCB’s 2018 Spring Gala performance on Thursday, May 3, will feature 30 NYCB dancers in a showcase of music and choreography from landmark Broadway musicals that Robbins was closely associated with during his storied career.  Featuring excerpts of Robbins’ original choreography, with staging and direction by Carlyle, the ballet will be set to music and lyrics from iconic scores written during Broadway’s golden age by such artists as Leonard Bernstein, Jerry Bock, Betty Comden, Morton Gould, Adolph Green, Sheldon Harnick, Oscar Hammerstein II, Bob Merrill, Stephen Sondheim, Jule Styne, and Richard Rodgers.  In addition to Carlyle, the creative team for the ballet will be comprised of a number of award-winning Broadway veterans including Rob Berman (musical arrangements), Jonathan Tunick (orchestrations), Beowulf Boritt (scenery), Toni-Leslie James (scenery), and Mark Stanley (lighting).  Currently represented on Broadway with his choreography for the revival of Hello, Dolly!, Carlyle received 2014 Tony and Drama Desk awards for his choreography for the musical After Midnight, which he also directed.

              

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA: AUGUST 1 – 18

NEW! Thursday Matinee Series:

AUGUST 2 @ 2PM: Symphonic Shakespeare

Stéphane Denève, conductor

Walton                                              Selections from As You Like It

Berlioz                                               Overture to Beatrice and Benedict

Tchaikovsky                                      Romeo and Juliet

Mendelssohn                                   Selections from A Midsummer Night’s Dream

As part of SPAC’s new Thursday Matinee series, Stéphane Denève will lead a “Symphonic Shakespeare” program of popular orchestral music set to Shakespeare’s most illustrious works. Pieces by Tchaikovsky, Walton, Berlioz, and Mendelssohn will underscore excerpts performed by guest actors of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays, such as Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and As You Like It.

AUGUST 9 @ 2PM: Young Virtuosi: Carnival of the Animals

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor

Lucas and Arthur Jussen, duo pianos

Elgar                                                   Selections from The Wand of Youth

Saint-Saëns                                       Carnival of the Animals

Britten                                               The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS is a humorous musical suite of fourteen movements by the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns. Accompanied by accessible commentary, alongside projections of animal drawings submitted by local children, attendees are invited to follow each section of Saint-Saëns' classic piece while they listen. Young, virtuosic “piano brothers” Lucas and Arthur Jussen will perform alongside the Orchestra following their debut performance the previous evening.

AUGUST 16 @ 2PM: Captivating Classics

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor

David Kim, violin

Choong-Jin Chang, viola

Rossini                                               Overture to William Tell

Mozart                                               Sinfonia concertante, K. 364, for violin, viola, and orchestra

Musorgsky                                        Pictures from an Exhibition

The final orchestra matinee of the season will feature DAVID KIM, concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and CHOONG-JIN (C.J.) CHANG, principal viola of The Philadelphia Orchestra, for an evening of “Captivating Classics.” Kicking off the afternoon is the festive Overture to William Tell, irrevocably remembered for its exciting final three minutes, which came to serve as the theme music for the Lone Ranger programs in movies and on radio and television.

NEW! “Cinema Saturdays @ SPAC” Series:

AUGUST 4 @ 8PM: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ in Concert

Justin Freer, conductor

Williams                              Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ (complete with film)

The concert will feature The Philadelphia Orchestra performing, live to picture, every note from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™, the first installment of the popular series. Audiences will be able to relive the magic of the film in high-definition projected on the big screen while hearing the live symphony orchestra perform John Williams’ complete score, which was nominated for a 2002 Academy Award for Best Original Score.

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™, based on J.K. Rowling’s novel, Harry Potter learns on his 11th birthday that he is the orphaned son of two wizards and possesses magical powers of his own. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he learns the high-flying sport of Quidditch and plays a thrilling “live” chess game en route to facing a Dark Wizard determined to destroy him.

AUGUST 11 @ 8PM: Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope in Concert

Constantine Kitsopolous, conductor

 Williams                             Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope (complete with film)

Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope will be projected with The Philadelphia Orchestra performing live accompaniment of the iconic John Williams’ score. Since the release of the first Star Wars movie 40 years ago, the saga has had a seismic impact, inspiring audiences worldwide with its storytelling, characters, groundbreaking special effects and John Williams' iconic musical scores for all seven films. His score for 1977's A New Hope earned him an Academy Award for best original score. In Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope, Luke Skywalker begins a journey that will change the galaxy, as he leaves his home planet, battles the evil Empire, and learns the ways of the Force.

The evening will be led by conductor CONSTANTINE KITSOPOLOUS, who comfortably spans the worlds of opera and symphony, appearing in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and Royal Albert Hall, and musical theater, leading orchestras on Broadway. Music director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra, he also continues as general director of Chatham Opera (which he founded in 2005), serves as music director of the Festival of the Arts BOCA (a multi-day cultural arts event in South Florida), and was appointed artistic director of Oklahoma’s OK Mozart Festival.

AUGUST 18 @ 8PM: The Red Violin with Joshua Bell

Michael Stern, conductor

Joshua Bell, violin

Corigliano                          The Red Violin (complete with film)

The season finale will feature the 20th Anniversary of the film The Red Violin with JOSHUA BELL, the original artist on the movie’s soundtrack, performing John Corigliano’s score alongside The Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Academy Award-winning film The Red Violin follows the intricate history of a beautiful antique violin that is traced from its creation in Cremona, Italy, in 1681, where a legendary violin maker (Carlo Cecchi) paints it with his dead wife's blood to keep her memory alive, to an auction house in modern-day Montréal, where it draws the eye of an expert appraiser (Samuel L. Jackson). Over the intervening years, the violin travels through four different countries, where it has a profound impact on all those who own it.

The Philadelphia Orchestra Season:

AUGUST 1 @ 8PM: Festive Fireworks

Stéphane Denève, conductor

Dancers from American Ballet Theatre

Rachmaninoff                              Symphonic Dances

Connesson                                    Maslenitsa

Minkus                                           Pas de deux, from Don Quixote

Tchaikovsky                                  1812 Overture

Opening Night of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s August residency will continue the new tradition of featuring Tchaikovsky’s famed 1812 Overture, complete with fireworks, live cannon fire and dancers from American Ballet Theatre, as the kick-off to the 2018 orchestra season.

The evening will be led by Principal Guest Conductor STÉPHANE DENÈVE, who has conducted more programs than any other guest conductor during the period since making his Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 2007, in repertoire that has spanned more than 100 works, ranging from Classical through the contemporary, including presentations with dance, theater, film, and cirque performers. Mr. Denève is also chief conductor of the Brussels Philharmonic and director of its Centre for Future Orchestra Repertoire, and music director designate with the St. Louis Symphony. He recently received his third Diapason d’Or of the Year award with the Brussels Philharmonic for the Deutsche Grammophon release Pour sortir au jour, was shortlisted in 2012 for Gramophone’s Artist of the Year award, and won the prize for symphonic music at the 2013 International Classical Music Awards.

AUGUST 3 @ 8PM: The Planets -- An HD Odyssey

Kensho Watanabe, conductor

Theofanidis                       Rainbow Body

Sibelius                               Night Ride and Sunrise

Holst                                   The Planets (including images from NASA)

Film by Duncan Copp

Commissioned by the Houston Symphony

In Cooperation with NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratories

In this unprecedented multimedia event, The Philadelphia Orchestra will perform The Planets from the HD Odyssey film series, featuring images of NASA’s exploration of the solar system brought to life in vivid form with the orchestra’s performance of Holst’s exciting, cosmic score.

The Planets is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst. 

The program has received international acclaim by publications such as The New York Times, stating, “The images in the movie, produced and ¬directed by Duncan Copp, were often ¬astonishing. ¬Photographs from rovers and satellites, radar images and ¬computer-generated ¬graphics were combined to give the audience the impression of circling individual planets and sometimes ¬flying over their awesomely barren landscapes...There is, of course, a ¬film-score-like quality to the music, and combining it with imagery has been done ¬before, though not to my mind with such sophistication.”

AUGUST 8 @ 8PM: Mozart & Mahler

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor

Lucas and Arthur Jussen, duo pianos

Janai Brugger, soprano

Mozart                                Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365

Mahler                                Symphony No. 4

Internationally recognized Dutch piano duo LUCAS AND ARTHUR JUSSEN will perform at SPAC and with The Philadelphia Orchestra for the first time. Already a sensation from New York to Shanghai, the brothers are in their early twenties and are known for their ability to perform virtuosic repertoire with panache. Lucas and Arthur Jussen’s debut album on Deutsche Grammophon, featuring compositions of Beethoven, won the "Edison Klassiek Publieksprijs Audience Award."

Montréal-native YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN, “the greatest generator of energy on the international podium,” according to The Financial Times, will lead The Philadelphia Orchestra in Saratoga for two weeks, his longest SPAC residency to date. Named Musical America’s 2016 “Artist of the Year,” Yannick renewed his contract with the Orchestra in 2016, committing to lead the ensemble at least through the 2025-26 season, an extraordinary and significant long-term commitment. Additionally, he is the Music Director Designate of The Metropolitan Opera and in 2020, will become the third music director in the storied company’s history. 

Soprano JANAI BRUGGER, the 2016 winner of the Marian Anderson Vocal Award, and one of Opera News’ top 25 “brilliant young artists” will perform in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with The Philadelphia Orchestra. 

AUGUST 10 @ 8PM: All Bernstein: Celebrating 100 Years

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor

Jennifer Koh, violin

Guest singers from the Broadway stage

Bernstein                           Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront

Bernstein                           Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium) for Solo Violin, Strings, Harp, and Percussion

Bernstein                           Scenes from West Side Story

Bernstein                           Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin pay homage to the birth centennial of the composer-conductor with an ALL-BERNSTEIN program featuring an orchestral suite from his only film score, On the Waterfront; the Serenade featuring violinist JENNIFER KOH; and scenes from West Side Story. Making her SPAC debut, Jennifer Koh, Musical America’s 2016 Instrumentalist of the Year, is recognized for her intense, commanding performances. Collaborating with artists of multiple disciplines, she has premiered more than 60 works written especially for her.

AUGUST 15 @ 8PM: The Orchestra Unleashed!

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor           

Serhiy Salov, piano

Strauss                                               Don Juan

Rachmaninoff                                  Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, for piano and orchestra

Bartók                                                Concerto for Orchestra

Born into the exceptional pianistic tradition of the Ukraine, SERHIY SALOV is recognized as an outstanding pianist, whose playing is both energetic and imbued with sensitivity. Salov, who will be making his SPAC and Philadelphia Orchestra debuts, is Artist-in-Residence at the Orchestre Métropolitain.

AUGUST 17 @ 8PM: Joshua Bell with The Philadelphia Orchestra

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor

Joshua Bell, violin

Dvořák                                               Otello Overture

Bruch                                                 Violin Concerto No. 1

Tchaikovsky                                      Symphony No. 6 (“Pathétique”)

Returning to SPAC for two encore performances is celebrated violinist JOSHUA BELL. With a career spanning more than 30 years as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and conductor, he will perform two closing evenings including an August 17 program highlighted by Bruch’s ravishing Violin Concerto No. 1.

THE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER: AUGUST 5 - 21

AUGUST 5 @ 3PM: In the Old Style

Schnittke             Suite in Old Style for Violin and Piano

Shostakovich      Quintet in G minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 57

Beethoven          Quartet in C-sharp minor for Strings, Op. 131

Gilles Vonsattel, Piano; Nicolas Dautricourt, Violin;

Schumann Quartet: Erik Schumann, Violin; Ken Schumann, Violin; Liisa Randalu, Viola; Mark Schumann, Cello

In this program, CMS presents three works written by composers at times when they were examining and transforming their own unique styles -- sometimes inspired from the old, sometimes searching for the new, but always in an effort to share their own voice.

AUGUST 7 @ 8PM: Summer Warmth

Haydn                   Trio in A major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Hob. XV:18

Dvorák                 Quartet in E-flat major for Strings, Op. 51

Schubert              Quintet in A major for Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass, D. 667, Op. 114

Gilles Vonsattel, Piano; Wu Han, Piano; Nicolas Dautricourt, Violin; Joseph Conyers, Double Bass

Schumann Quartet: Erik Schumann, Violin; Ken Schumann, Violin; Liisa Randalu, Viola; Mark Schumann, Cello

CMS’s Summer Warmth program is highlighted by Haydn’s serene Trio in A major and Dvořák’s bohemian inspired Op. 51 String Quartet. Closing the evening is Schubert’s beloved “Trout” quintet, a masterpiece composed for friends, based on a song about a fish.

AUGUST 12 @ 3PM: An Afternoon in Vienna

Haydn                   Trio in E-flat major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Hob. XV:29

Schubert              Fantasie in F minor for Piano, Four Hands, D. 940, Op. 103

Kreisler                 Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta for Violin and Piano

Schubert              Octet in F major for Winds and Strings, D. 803, Op. 166

Gilbert Kalish, Piano; Wu Han, Piano; Alexander Sitkovetsky, Violin; Arnaud Sussmann, Violin; Yura Lee, Violin/Viola; David Finckel, Cello; Clive Greensmith, Cello; Joseph Conyers, Double Bass; Ricardo Morales, Clarinet; Daniel Matsukawa, Bassoon; Jennifer Montone, Horn

Viennese composers Franz Schubert and Fritz Kreisler are showcased in this program with their hometown-inspired masterpieces, while Austrian-born Joseph Haydn contributes a trio full of character and impeccable technique.  

AUGUST 14 @ 8PM: An Evening in Prague

Dvorák                 Terzetto in C major for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 74

Janáček                Presto for Cello and Piano

Suk                       Quartet in A minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 1

Dvorák                 Trio in F minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 65

Gilbert Kalish, Piano; Wu Han, Piano; Alexander Sitkovetsky, Violin; Arnaud Sussmann, Violin; Yura Lee, Viola; David Finckel, Cello; Clive Greensmith, Cello

Nationalist composer Dvořák rose to fame in Prague, paving the way for his student and later son-in-law Josef Suk, as well as the highly original Leoš Janáček, who dedicated a number of his works to Dvořák.  This program will transport the listener to those cobbled streets of the old town and back to an era when music served as the voice of the Czech people.

AUGUST 19 @ 3PM: Timeless Masterworks

Mozart                 Trio in E-flat major for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano, K. 498, “Kegelstatt”

Lobos                   Assobio A Játo (The Jet Whistle) for Flute and Cello

Mackley               Micro-Concerto for Solo Percussion, Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano

Schumann           Quartet in E-flat major for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 47

Alessio Bax, Piano; Sean Lee, Violin; Matthew Lipman, Viola; Mihai Marica, Cello; Tara Helen O’Connor, Flute; Romie De Guise-Langlois, Clarinet; Ayano Kataoka, Percussion

This program features timeless pieces ranging from Mozart’s day, when the clarinet was just becoming a solo instrument, to the late 20th century, when works such as this program’s effervescent Micro-concerto by Steve Mackey offer an astounding variety of percussion instruments.

AUGUST 21 @ 8PM: The Composer’s World

Debussy                              Sonata for Cello and Piano (1915) 

Stravinsky                          Petrushka for Piano, Four Hands

Brahms                               Quartet No. 1 in G minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 25

Alessio Bax, Piano; Lucille Chung, Piano; Wu Han, Piano; Sean Lee, Violin; Matthew Lipman, Viola; David Finckel, Cello; Mihai Marica, Cello

The Composer’s World on August 21, invites audiences to experience Debussy’s fanciful cello sonata, Stravinsky’s exotic imagination through his milestone ballet about a puppet, and Brahms’s ceaseless internal struggle for musical perfection through his intensely emotional Piano Quartet No. 1. 

Tickets will be available at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22 in a wide range of prices. For more information, go to: www.spac.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – It was a year of new things for the most part at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Elizabeth Sobol’s first at the helm of the organization, initiating partnerships with arts-based collaborators in the region, introducing a series of inaugural concert events, and reviving long-dormant pieces of the organization’s past. And more changes are on the way.  

At its Oct. 12 meeting, SPAC’s Board of Directors voted to condense the New York City Ballet season to seven performances, down from its 11-day residency in each of the past three seasons - which featured 12 to 14 performances during that period. The 2018 NYCB season will more closely align with 2013 and 2014 models.

Mathematically, 80 percent of New York City Ballet ticket buyers purchase tickets to only one performance, and 11 percent buy tickets to two performances, Sobol said. Only the remaining 9 percent purchase tickets to 3-plus NYCB shows.

“The Board felt that taking on another $1 million-plus shortfall on the New York City Ballet residency, was not prudent,” explained SPAC’s president and CEO. 

“A big thrust of our efforts will be towards converting one-time buyers to multiple-performance buyers.  Consolidating the audiences into one week will help with that,” Sobol said. “Historically, when we reduce the number of performances, nightly attendance numbers go up.  Having fuller houses and the increased energy and excitement which accompanies that helps create more demand for tickets.”

Much as was done in prior years – the National Ballet of China visited the venue in 2015 and the Martha Graham Dance Company and the Bolshoi Ballet staged shows the previous summer - the NYCB dance season will be augmented by additional performances by an international dance company, not yet revealed. Discussions are currently being held with the National Ballet of Cuba for multiple performances in the summer of 2018.

“SPAC certainly remains committed to the residency and our long-term partnership with NYCB,” Sobol said. “Looking ahead to 2018, we will be working to harness that new energy and focus marketing on driving these new audiences to our resident companies. I am hopeful that with this renewed emphasis, we will be able to return to the extended New York City Ballet season in the future.” 

SPAC is projected to finish the 2017 fiscal year operationally breaking even. Audience attendance at 2017 classical season performances reached projected levels. The Philadelphia Orchestra is scheduled to return for 12 performances, from Aug. 1 – 18, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will perform at the Spa Little Theatre Aug. 5- 21.

The 2017 Season featured a partnership with Caffè Lena that presented a monthly series of free concerts atop SPAC’s new Charles R. Wood Gazebo stage, as well as a trio of sold-out SPAC at Caffè Lena shows during the spring.

The inaugural “SPAC on Stage” series resulted in three sold-out performances, with nearly one-third of all attendees being first-time SPAC ticket buyers, Sobol said.

A “Live at the Jazz Bar” series was initiated in the Hall of Springs – and brought 300 to 400 people to each of the seven events to hear live jazz following performances by the ballet and orchestra.

SPAC on Stage, Live at the Jazz Bar and the Caffè Lena at SPAC series will all be back for the 2018 season. 

In 2017, SPAC’s free education programs reached more than 15,000 young individuals, offered more than 125 classes, presentations, performances, and events, and partnered with more than 70 schools and non-profit organizations across the greater Capital Region.

In the near future, the organization anticipates launching a new user-friendly website, and in December will initiate a pilot program with the Decoda Chamber Ensemble. The group, the first affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall, will include a weeklong artist-in-residency for students at the Saratoga Independent School (SIS).  A full chamber program will be staged Dec. 15 at the Bethesda Church in downtown Saratoga Springs.

Upcoming SPAC events include a lecture luncheon featuring a discussion titled the “Fascinating Life of Katrina Trask,” at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 26 at SPAC’s Spa Little Theatre; The Sachal Ensemble musicians - known for their extraordinary journey from Lahore to Lincoln Center featured in the “Song of Lahore” film -  live and on stage at the Little Theater 7 p.m. Oct. 30, (preceded by two screenings of the film at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. ay Bow Tie Criterion Cinemas a day earlier),  and a pair of Nutcracker Teas in the Hall of Springs on Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. For ticket information, go to: spac.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Four months into her new job, SPAC President Elizabeth Sobol says she is learning the Saratoga Performing Arts Center has a uniqueness all its own.

One factor is the location of the venue - nestled among 2,200 acres in the state park sitting on the cusp of a culturally vibrant city, she says. Another is the relationship forged with other performing arts organizations during the venue’s 50-year existence which continue to deliver everything from the whirring pirouette of the ballet dancer, to the delicate air strike of the conductor’s baton and the amplified clamor of an electric guitar.

“Having traveled all over the world, all over the United States, all over North America and having seen festivals of all kinds, I’m here to tell you there is nothing like this anywhere in the world,” says Sobol, a classically trained pianist. She relocated to Saratoga Springs from Miami Beach last fall and will mark her first season at SPAC this year.

“Thinking about the programming, I listened to community voices about what they wanted to see this summer.”

The spectrum of responses offered an array of varied opinions. “Part of my job has been listening to those voices and creating something cohesive that would speak to different aesthetic desires and visions,” Sobol says.

This year, the New York City Ballet will stage 18 ballets by six different choreographers during their residency, from July 5 to 15. The Philadelphia Orchestra season, from Aug. 2 to Aug. 19, will feature a balance between the new and the traditional and include one piece not performed at SPAC since the 1960s. And the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will return to the Spa Little Theater with six concerts, from Aug. 6 to Aug. 22. The schedule of performers and performance pieces will be publicly released Sunday.

“One thing I wanted to do was also create mini-festivals within a festival. It immerses you in a sound, a narrative and a concept. In dialogue with the Philadelphia Orchestra, we created a mini-Russian festival, a mini-American festival and a mini-French festival. So, if you look across all our programming – the New York City Ballet, the Chamber Music Society and the Philadelphia Orchestra - you’ll see some of the same themes arising.”

Sobol also noted a new series titled “SPAC on Stage” to target young, musical genre-crossing fans and featuring several hundred audience members seated onstage. “What we’re envisioning is an experience that is intimate and extremely visceral and will feature artists unique and different than anything else that has appeared on the SPAC stage."

With pop concert promoter Live Nation, Sobol says there is an ongoing dialogue to maintain the delicate balancing act of scheduling dates at the venue between the pop and classical worlds. A variety of pop concerts have already been announced: Dave Matthews (two solo shows in June, sans band), Train, Nickelback, Dead & Company, and classic rock bills such as Foreigner/Cheap Trick, Rod Stewart/Cyndi Lauper, and Chicago/Doobie Brothers, among them. Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival will be staged June 24-25 and will feature headliners Chaka Khan and the Gipsy Kings, returning artists Jean-Luc Ponty, and Dee Dee Bridgewater, a musical tribute to Ray Charles and more than one dozen other artists.

Responding to recent reports that President Donald Trump may severely cut or altogether eliminate cultural programs that receive federal funding such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Sobol says while concerned about potential cuts to NEA funding for the national well-being, it’s not something that will greatly affect SPAC. “We are being much more strategic about arts funding, but it’s not something that, if it goes away, it’s going to put us in a compromising position.”

 

*Note, an initial version of this story misstated the number of acres in the Saratoga Spa State Park. The correct number of acres is 2,200.