May 1, 2009
CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR
FIRST TWO WEEKS OF
ABT'S 2009 SPRING SEASON
AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE
Gillian Murphy and Ethan Stiefel to Lead
New York Company Premiere
of George Balanchine's Allegro Brillante
on Tuesday, May 19 at 7:30 P.M.
Casting for the first two weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.
The season will begin on Monday, May 18, at 6:30 P.M. with the Company’s Opening Night Gala, featuring Nina Ananiashvili in a pièce d’occasion choreographed by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, a guest appearance by jazz icon Herbie Hancock, and a performance by the students of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. The Gala program will also highlight the 2009 Spring season with excerpts from Mozartiana, La Sylphide, Sylvia, and Theme and Variations, pas de deux from Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet, the pas de trois from Le Corsaire and the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 Spring Gala is sponsored by Graff and Carolina Herrera, Ltd.
Beginning Tuesday, May 19 at 7:30 P.M., American Ballet Theatre will give eight performances of the Balanchine-Tchaikovsky Spectacular. Gillian Murphy and Ethan Stiefel will lead the New York Company Premiere of George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante on May 19. Staged for ABT by Darla Hoover, Allegro Brillante is set to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with costumes by Karinska and lighting by Mark Stanley. The ballet received its ABT Company Premiere on February 17, 2009 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. Other debuts in Allegro Brillante include Xiomara Reyes and Daniil Simkin at the matinee on Wednesday, May 20 and Paloma Herrera at the evening performance on Wednesday, May 20, opposite Cory Stearns making his New York debut. Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky will lead Allegro Brillante for the first time in New York on Thursday, May 21.
Misty Copeland and Jared Matthews will debut in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux at the matinee on Wednesday, May 20. At the same performance, Blaine Hoven will lead Mozartiana
for the first time, opposite Maria Riccetto, with Arron Scott debuting in the Gigue. Craig Salstein will dance the Gigue in Mozartiana for the first time on Wednesday evening, May 20. The Memorial Day matinee at 2:00 P.M. on Monday, May 25 will feature Diana Vishneva’s ABT debut in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux.
The Company will give seven performances of Le Corsaire, staged by Anna-Marie Holmes after Marius Petipa and Konstantin Sergeyev, beginning Tuesday evening, May 26, led by Paloma Herrera, David Hallberg, Yuriko Kajiya, Herman Cornejo, Angel Corella and Carlos Lopez. Sarah Lane will debut as Gulnare at the evening performance on Wednesday, May 27. New York debuts for the week include Daniil Simkin as Lankendem on Thursday, May 28, and Xiomara Reyes and Herman Cornejo as Medora and Ali on Friday, May 29.
Superfund Asset Management, Inc. is the sponsor of American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House. Saks Fifth Avenue is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of American Ballet Theatre’s Costume Fund. J.P. Morgan is the Official Sponsor of Make a Ballet. American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. ABT’s 2009 Spring Season is also made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. ABT acknowledges The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund for its generous support of the 2009 Metropolitan Opera House season.
Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 Metropolitan Opera House season, priced $19-$130, are available online, at the Met box office or by phone at 212-362-6000. Performance-only tickets for the Opening Night Gala are priced at $30-$150. The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64th and 65th streets in New York City. For more information, visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org.
Complete casting follows:
| FIRST WEEK | |
| Mon. Eve., May 18, 6:30 PM | OPENING NIGHT GALA MOZARTIANA (Preghiera) – Part LA SYLPHIDE, Act II (Excerpt) – Reyes, Cornejo TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX – Murphy, Stiefel PIƒåCE D’OCCASION (World Premiere) – Ananiashvili SYLVIA (Hunt Scene) – Wiles SWAN LAKE, Act II Pas de Deux – Herrera, Beloserkosky PROCESSION “Le Defilé” – JKO School LE CORSAIRE Pas de Trois – Dvorovenko, Hallberg, Corella HERBIE HANCOCK – Carreño ROMEO AND JULIET (Balcony Scene) – Vishneva, Gomes THEME AND VARIATIONS (Finale) – Lane, Simkin |
| Tues. Eve., May 19, 7:30 P.M. |
BALANCHINE TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR ALLEGRO BRILLANTE (New York Company Premiere) – Murphy+, Stiefel* TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX – Herrera, Gomes MOZARTIANA – Part, Beloserkovsky, Lopez THEME AND VARIATIONS – Wiles, Hallberg |
| Wed. Mat., May 20, 2 P.M. |
BALANCHINE TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR ALLEGRO BRILLANTE – Reyes*, Simkin* TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX – Copeland*, Matthews* MOZARTIANA – Riccetto, Hoven*, Scott* THEME AND VARIATIONS – Lane, Cornejo |
| Wed. Eve., May 20, 7:30 P.M. |
BALANCHINE TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR ALLEGRO BRILLANTE – Herrera*, Stearns+ TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX – Wiles, Hallberg MOZARTIANA – Ananiashvili, Corella, Salstein* THEME AND VARIATIONS – Murphy, Gomes |
| Thurs. Eve., May 21, 7:30 P.M. |
BALANCHINE TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR ALLEGRO BRILLANTE – Dvorovenko+, Beloserkovsky+ TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX – Reyes, Corella MOZARTIANA – Riccetto, Hoven, Scott THEME AND VARIATIONS – Kajiya, Stearns |
| Fri. Eve., May 22, 8 P.M. |
BALANCHINE TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR ALLEGRO BRILLANTE – Murphy, Stiefel TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX – Herrera, Gomes MOZARTIANA – Part, Beloserkovsky, Lopez THEME AND VARIATIONS – Wiles, Hallberg |
| Sat. Mat., May 23, 2 P.M. |
BALANCHINE TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR ALLEGRO BRILLANTE – Reyes, Simkin TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX – Copeland, Matthews MOZARTIANA – Part, Beloserkovsky, Lopez THEME AND VARIATIONS – Kajiya, Stearns |
| Sat. Eve., May 23, 8 P.M. |
BALANCHINE TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR ALLEGRO BRILLANTE – Herrera, Stearns TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX – Reyes, Cornejo MOZARTIANA – Ananiashvili, Corella, Salstein THEME AND VARIATIONS – Murphy, Gomes |
| SECOND WEEK | |
| Mon. Mat., May 25, 2 P.M. |
BALANCHINE TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR ALLEGRO BRILLANTE – Dvorovenko, Beloserkovsky TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX – Vishneva**, Corella MOZARTIANA – Riccetto, Hoven, Salstein THEME AND VARIATIONS – Lane, Cornejo |
| Tues. Eve., May 26, 7:30 P.M. | LE CORSAIRE – Herrera, Hallberg, Kajiya, Cornejo, Corella, Lopez |
| Wed. Mat., May 27, 2 P.M. | LE CORSAIRE – Wiles, Stearns, Copeland, Matthews, Stiefel, Ilyin |
| Wed. Eve., May 27, 7:30 P.M. | LE CORSAIRE – Ananiashvili, Gomes, Lane*, Saveliev, Carreño, Salstein |
| Thurs. Eve., May 28, 7:30 P.M. | LE CORSAIRE – Murphy, Hallberg, Riccetto, Simkin+, Stiefel, Lopez |
| Fri. Eve., May 29, 8 P.M. | LE CORSAIRE – Reyes+, Saveliev, Copeland, Matthews, Cornejo+, Salstein |
| Sat. Mat., May 30, 2 P.M. | LE CORSAIRE – Dvorovenko, Stearns, Kajiya, Cornejo, Corella, Ilyin |
| Sat. Eve., May 30, 8 P.M. | LE CORSAIRE – Ananiashvili, Gomes, Riccetto, Simkin, Carreño, Lopez |
*Editors please note first time in a role:
Tues. Eve., May 19 – Stiefel in Allegro Brillante
Wed. Mat., May 20 – Reyes, Simkin in Allegro Brillante; Copeland, Matthews in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux; Hoven, Scott in Mozartiana
Wed. Eve., May 20 – Herrera in Allegro Brillante; Salstein in Mozartiana
Wed. Eve., May 27 – Lane (Gulnare) in Le Corsaire
**Editors please note first time in a role with ABT:
Mon. Eve., May 25 – Vishneva in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux
+Editors please note first time in a role in New York:
Tues. Eve., May 19 – Murphy in Allegro Brillante
Wed. Eve., May 20 – Stearns in Allegro Brillante
Thurs. Eve., May 21 – Dvorovenko and Beloserkovsky in Allegro Brillante
Thurs. Eve., May 28 – Simkin (Lankendem) in Le Corsaire
Fri. Eve., May 29 – Reyes (Medora) and Cornejo (Ali, the Slave) in Le Corsaire