July 28, 2015
Casting Announced for ABT's 2015 Fall Season at David H. Koch Theater
Casting for American Ballet Theatre’s 2015 Fall Season at the David H. Koch Theater was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.
American Ballet Theatre opens its Fall season on Wednesday, October 21 at 6:30 P.M. with a special opening night Gala performance, highlighted by the New York City premiere of a new work by Mark Morris, with music by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (Septet in C Major, No. 2 “Military”) and costumes by Issac Mizrahi, and the Company Premiere of Frederick Ashton’s Monotones I and II set to music by Erik Satie with costumes by Ashton.
The Opening Night Gala performance will also feature the Revival Premiere of Twyla Tharp’s The Brahms-Haydn Variations led by Sarah Lane, Daniil Simkin, Gillian Murphy and Herman Cornejo with debuts by Isabella Boylston, Alban Lendorf, Maria Kochetkova, James Whiteside, Christine Shevchenko and Joseph Gorak. Misty Copeland, Sterling Baca, Luciana Paris, Arron Scott, Stephanie Williams, Blaine Hoven, April Giangeruso, Calvin Royal III, Skylar Brandt and Craig Salstein will debut in these roles on Saturday evening, October 24. The Brahms-Haydn Variations is set to music by Johannes Brahms (Variations on a Theme by Haydn for Orchestra), with costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Jennifer Tipton.
JPMorgan Chase is the Lead Sponsor of American Ballet Theatre’s Opening Night Fall Gala.
On Thursday evening, October 22, Marcelo Gomes will debut in the role of Death in Kurt Jooss’ The Green Table. Set to music by F.A. Cohen, The Green Table features costumes by Hein Heckroth, with masks by Hermann Markard and lighting by Brad Fields after the Jooss/Markard design. Gomes will reprise the role at the matinee on Sunday, October 25 and Tuesday evening, October 27.
Sarah Lane will make her debut as the Young Girl in Michel Fokine’s Le Spectre de la Rose opposite Herman Cornejo as the Spirit of the Rose on Friday evening, October 23. Cassandra Trenary and Daniil Simkin will dance the roles for the first time at the matinee on Saturday, October 24. Set to music by Carl Maria von Weber (Invitation to the Dance), Le Spectre de la Rose features costumes by Léon Bakst, recreated by Robert Perdziola, scenery by Perdziola and lighting by Brad Fields.
Hee Seo and Alban Lendorf will lead the Company Premiere of George Balachine’s Valse Fantaisie on Friday evening, October 23. Devon Teuscher and Joseph Gorak will debut in these roles at the Saturday matinee, October 24. Staged for ABT by Stacey Caddell, the ballet is set to Valse-Fantaisie in B minor by Mikhail Glinka.
The Company Premiere of AfterEffect, choreographed by Principal Dancer Marcelo Gomes, will be given on Wednesday evening, October 28 with Misty Copeland and James Whiteside in the leading roles. Cassandra Trenary and Cory Stearns will make their debuts in the ballet on Saturday matinee, October 31. Set to Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, Op 70, Gomes’ work features a set design by artist Françoise Gilot and costumes by Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung. Gomes’ work will consist of four movements, the first of which was premiered by American Ballet Theatre as Aftereffect on October 30, 2013 at the David H. Koch Theater.
The first of two performances of Piano Concerto #1 will be given on Thursday evening, October 29 led by Gillian Murphy, Cory Stearns, Daniil Simkin and Maria Kochetkova in her American Ballet Theatre debut in the role. At the November 1 matinee, the cast will be led by Christine Shevchenko, Calvin Royal III, Skylar Brandt and Gabe Stone Shayer. Piano Concerto #1, choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky and set to music by Dmitri Shostakovich (Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet and Strings, Op. 35), features scenery by George Tsypin, costumes by Keso Dekker and lighting by Jennifer Tipton.
American Ballet Theatre’s 2015 Fall season also includes three performances of Paul Taylor’s Company B. Staged for ABT by Cathy McCann Buck, Company B is set to songs sung by the Andrews Sisters, with costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Jennifer Tipton, recreated by Brad Fields.
Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2015 Fall season at the David H. Koch Theater, priced from $25, are available online, at the Koch Theater box office or by phone at 212-496-0600. Performance-only tickets for the Opening Night Gala begin at $25. The David H. Koch Theater is located at Lincoln Center, Broadway and 63rd Street in New York City. For more information, visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org.
American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. Northern Trust is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. ABT is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
The Mark Morris Premiere has been generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.
The Company Premiere of AfterEffect has been generously underwritten by the Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund. Additional support provided by Lillian E. Kraemer. This production has been generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.
Monotones I and II has been generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.
Valse-Fantaisie has been generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.
The Brahms-Haydn Variations has been made possible by the generous support of Patsy and Jeff Tarr and the JCT Foundation. Additional support provided by Michele and Steve Pesner.
Company B has been generously supported by a gift from Marjorie S. Issac in honor of ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.
David H. Koch is the Lead Underwriter of Piano Concerto #1. Additional leadership support has been generously provided by The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Foundation. ABT gratefully acknowledges Linda Allard for her generous support of costumes for this production. Mary Jo and Ted Shen, Mrs. Marjorie S. Isaac, and an anonymous donor are Leading Sponsors of this production. Additional support has been provided by Edward and Caroline Hyman, Charlotte and Macdonald Mathey, Michele and Steven Pesner, and Michael and Sue Steinberg. This production has been generously supported through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. This production has been made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The 75th Anniversary performances of The Green Table have been generously underwritten by Marjorie S. Isaac in honor of Kevin McKenzie.
The 75th Anniversary performances of Le Spectre de la Rose have been generously underwritten by Marjorie S. Isaac in honor of Kevin McKenzie.